Game Notes (PDF)SPARTANBURG, S.C - Riding an eight-game win streak, North Florida (36-13, 11-4 A-Sun) will conclude its regular season road schedule with a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series against USC Upstate (15-31, 4-11 A-Sun) beginning Friday night at 6:00 p.m.
Probable Starting PitchersFriday
UNF- RHP
Evan Incinelli (4-3, 3.21 ERA, 47.2 IP, 10 BB, 26 SO)
vs.
Upstate- RHP Dylan Parker (3-2, 8.91 ERA, 34.1 IP, 15 BB, 26 SO)
Saturday
UNF- RHP
Bryan Baker (4-2, 3.75 ERA, 48.0. IP, 28 BB, 33 SO)
vs.
Upstate- RHP Blake Whitney (3-3, 4.42 ERA, 57.0 IP, 29 BB, 38 SO)
Sunday
UNF- RHP
Matt Vaka (3-0, 1.35 ERA, 40.0 IP, 13 BB, 14 SO)
vs.
Upstate- RHP Zac Manuppelli (1-4, 6.04 ERA, 47.2 IP, 26 BB, 35 SO)
Midweek Sweep: The Ospreys swept their fifth midweek series of the season when they defeated Savannah St., 11-0 on the road Wednesday night. In two games this season, the Tigers were outscored 24-1 by North Florida. Redshirt senior
Tyler Moore put together his fourth quality start in eight tries. He allowed just two hits and struck out a season-best, six batters while walking none.
Hit Parade: Coming into Wednesday's contest against Savannah State, the Ospreys were ranked fifth in the country in hits. The Ospreys added 21 more to their total after the win against the Tigers, tying a season-high. In just their second game of the season the Ospreys racked up 21 hits aginst VMI back on Feb. 14.
Firing on All Cylinders: The North Florida starting pitching has been stellar of late. In the last four games, Osprey starters are 3-0 with a 0.37 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched. Opponents have not scored a run on North Florida in the last 24 innings that include shutout wins over Stetson and savannah State.
Shutout Irony: The last time the Ospreys shut out back-to-back opponents was when they blanked USC Upstate, 14-0 and 10-0 to complete a series sweep in 2010. The Ospreys outscored the Spartans in the series, 40-3.
RPI Jump: The Ospreys are ranked 49th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, the highest of any Atlantic Sun Conference team. They have moved up 13 spots from this point this week.
Newest 200-Hit Club Member: Senior
Alex Bacon is newest member of the North Florida 200-hit club after he singled down the right field line in the seventh inning against Savannah State. He is the ninth player in the 28-year history of North Florida baseball.
Milestone Watch: Days after
Alex Bacon joined the 200-hit club, redshirt senior
Ryan Roberson will aim for the milestone this weekend as he is just two hits shy. Roberson has played with six of the nine current players in the club.
Productive Outs: Senior
Trent Higginbothem established a new career-high with his 51st RBI of the year in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly. He currently leads the Atlantic Sun with seven sacrifice flies this season.
Osprey Sun-Daze: Last Sunday's shutout win over Stetson improved the Ospreys 7-1 on Sundays this season. Head Coach
Smoke Laval will give the ball to freshman
Matt Vaka this Sunday in which Ospreys are 10-1 in games Vaka toes the rubber.
Against USC Upstate All-Time: The Ospreys and Spartans have become very familiar with each other over the years having met 43 times since 1988. North Florida took control of the all-time series early, winning the first 22 games and are 36-7 against the Spartans. Since competing in the A-Sun together, the Ospreys have taken six of the seven series.
Scouting USC Upstate: The Spartans are sputtering coming into this weekend's series losing eight of their last 10 games. Northern Kentucky took all three games from the Spartans in Spartanburg last weekend dropping USC Upstate to eighth place in A-Sun Standings. Spartan pitchers boast an A-Sun high, 6.66 ERA and opponents are hitting .319 against them this season. At the plate, USC Upstate is led by 3B Zach Krider who is hitting .379 in 30 games played this season.
| | |
| Location | Spartanburg, S.C. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Founded | 1967 | 1965 |
| Enrollment | 5,500 | 16,357 |
| Nickname | Spartans | Ospreys |
| Conference | Atlantic Sun | Atlantic Sun |
| 2015 Record | 15-31 (4-11) | 36-13 (11-4 A-Sun) |
| USC Upstate | North Florida |
| Avg. | .279 | .314 |
| Runs | 248 | 389 |
| Hits | 443 | 549 |
| 2B | 77 | 87 |
| 3B | 12 | 14 |
| HR | 14 | 48 |
| RBI | 206 | 351 |
| BB | 169 | 186 |
| ERA | 6.66 | 3.86 |
| SO | 306 | 316 |
| BB | 190 | 158 |
| FLD % | .966 | .983 |
