Game Notes (PDF)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida (40-13, 14-4 A-Sun) will wrap up its regular season schedule with a three-game Atlantic Sun series against Kennesaw State (27-24, 9-8 A-Sun) beginning Thursday. Prior to Saturday's 1:00 p.m. series finale, the Ospreys will honor their 10 seniors.
Date | Time | Location | Coverage |
Thu., May 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Jacksonville, Fla. | Live Stats |
Fri., May 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Jacksonville, Fla. | Live Stats | Audio |
Sat. May 16 | 1:00 p.m. | Jacksonville, Fla. | Live Stats | Audio |
Probable Starting PitchersThursday
UNF- RHP
Evan Incinelli (4-3, 3.44 ERA, 49.2 IP, 10 BB, 26 SO)
vs.
KSU- RHP Jordan Hillyer (4-3, 2.83 ERA, 79.0 IP, 35 BB, 85 SO)
Friday
UNF- RHP
Bryan Baker (5-2, 3.67 ERA, 54.0 IP, 29 BB, 35 SO)
vs.
KSU- LHP Travis Bergen (6-3, 2.83 ERA, 86.0 IP, 24 BB, 80 SO)
Saturday
UNF- RHP
Matt Vaka (3-0, 1.55 ERA, 40.2 IP, 15 BB, 14 SO)
vs.
KSU- RHP Gabe Friese (4-5, 3.97 ERA, 59.0 IP, 25 BB, 44 SO)
Swooping and Sweeping: The Ospreys completed their sixth midweek series sweep of the season by defeating UCF, 10-5 on Tuesday night at Harmon Stadium. After trailing 4-1 in the top of the fifth, North Florida scored nine-straight runs including a pair of four-run innings. It marked the first time since 2008 that the Ospreys have taken both meetings against UCF.
40-Win Plateau: North Florida tied a D-1 era record on Tuesday with its 40th win of the season. It marked the second time in three seasons, Head Coach
Smoke Laval has led his squad to the 40-win mark. In the program's history the Ospreys have won 40 games a total of 14 times, including a 57-13 mark in 1991.
Record Win Streak: The 2015 Ospreys topped their own D-1 era record of 11-straight wins with their 12th consecutive victory on Tuesday night. The win streak is tied for the second-longest in the country with UMBC. The University of Illinois has won 24 in a row to lead all D-1 schools.
Outright A-Sun Champions: Regardless of the results this weekend, the Ospreys have won the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Championship and secured the top seed in next week's Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Kennesaw State has also qualified for next week's tournament but its seed has yet to be determined.
Rewriting the Record Books: Outfielder
Donnie Dewees continues to put new ink on the North Florida record books. In Wednesday night's game against UCF he eclipsed the school's single season run record (79) and hits record (96). He already owns the program's single season total bases record with 167 and his seven triples this year match the schools season mark. He currently leads the nation in four different categories (runs, runs per game, hits and total bases) and ranks in the top-10 in the country in 10 different categories.
Senior Day Ceremony: Fans are encouraged to arrive early on Saturday to celebrate North Florida's senior class. The annual senior day presentation will take place at approximately 12:30.
Nation's Longest Active Hit Streak: Adding to the extraordinary numbers put forth by outfielder
Donnie Dewees, he currently owns the nation's longest active hit streak at 29 games. Earlier this season he put together a 16-game hit streak and is chasing
Drew Weeks hit safely in 31 games between the 2013-14 seasons.
Power Surge: Redshirt senior
Ryan Roberson gave the Ospreys a 5-4 lead against UCF with a three-run homer to left field. He has a career-high seven home runs this year and has left the yard in back-to-back games. In two games against the Knights this season he was 7-for-9 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Run Trends: Wednesday was the 29th time this season the Ospreys have plated eight or more runs in a game. When scoring 8+ runs North Florida is an unblemished 29-0. On the flip side, when surrendering four or less runs the Ospreys boast a record of 26-7.
All-Time vs. Kennesaw: Thursday will mark the 76th meeting between Kennesaw State and North Florida in a series that dates back to 1988. The Owls own a 40-35 advantage in the all-time series and have won 12 of the last 15 contests.
About Kennesaw: The defending Atlantic Sun Conference Champions are still in the mix improve their position for the upcoming Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. At 9-8 they sit just a game behind three teams in the win column. The right arm of Jordan Hillyer and left arm of Travis Bergen have combined for 165 strikeouts this season. Hillyer, the three-time Atlantic Sun Conference pitcher of the week accounts for 85 strikeouts and has pitched three complete games. Bergen is the club's leader in wins (6) and innings pitched (86). On offense sophomore Chris Erwin has emerged as the team's top hitter with a .333 average after just 22 plate appearances last year. Kal Simmons, a 2014 Second team All-Conference selection at shortstop, is tied for third in the league with 10 home runs.
| | |
Location | Kennesaw, Ga. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
Founded | 1963 | 1965 |
Enrollment | 24,629 | 16,357 |
Nickname | Owls | Ospreys |
Conference | Atlantic Sun | Atlantic Sun |
2015 Record | 27-24 (9-8 A-Sun) | 40-13 (14-4 A-Sun |
| Kennesaw St. | North Florida |
Avg. | .280 | .315 |
Runs | 295 | 427 |
Hits | 489 | 597 |
2B | 82 | 92 |
3B | 7 | 16 |
HR | 40 | 53 |
RBI | 267 | 386 |
BB | 224 | 203 |
ERA | 4.99 | 3.85 |
SO | 444 | 347 |
BB | 218 | 166 |
FLD % | .961 | .983 |