Game Notes (PDF)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday night will mark the first time since 2012, the North Florida baseball team (6-6) will host the top-ranked Florida Gators (12-1) at Harmon Stadium. The Ospreys will wrap the two-game midweek series by heading to Gainesville Wednesday evening.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Tuesday Florida: RHP Dane Dunning (1-0, 6.23 ERA, 8.2 IP, 3 BB, 12 SO)
North Florida: LHP
Austin Drury (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 10.2 IP, 3 BB, 7 SO)
Wednesday Florida: RHP Jackson Koward (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 8.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO)
North Florida: TBA
Out of the BoxLooking for Déjà vu: In 2012 the Ospreys upset the No. 1-ranked Florida Gators, 10-5 in front of 2,144 fans at Harmon Stadium. North Florida jumped out to a 6-1 lead and scored in all but two innings in the game. The Ospreys out-hit the Gators 13-10 in the contest and each team struggled defensively committing a combined, six errors.
Against Ranked Opponents: Since 2006, the Ospreys are 14-33 against ranked opponents and are 1-2 against No. 1 ranked teams. Of those 14 wins over ranked foes, five have come against Florida.
Defensive Emphasis: The mid-week series between North Florida and Florida pits last year's top two defensive teams. The Gators committed 42 errors and led the country with a .983 fielding percentage. Right behind them in the rankings were the Ospreys who made 40 errors and a .982 fielding percentage.
Weekend Recap: The Ospreys took two out of three against the University of Pennsylvania who opened its season at Harmon Stadium. The Ospreys scored a season-high 17 runs on Friday night and the North Florida pitching staff combined for 41 strikeouts in three games. The Quakers scored two unearned runs in the top of the eighth of Sunday's game to avoid the sweep.
Strikeout Record: Led by Friday night starting pitcher
Bryan Baker's 11 strikeouts, the Ospreys fanned a new D-1 era (2006-present) single game record for strikeouts with 16. Baker was one of four Ospreys (
Anthony Delaney,
Tyler DuPont &
Matthew Naylor) to record five or more strikeouts in the series.
Grand Slams: Friday night's lopsided victory over Penn was powered by a seven-run, first inning. Junior
Christian Diaz put the exclamation point on the rally with a grand slam. The long ball was the second of the week for the Osprey first baseman and the grand slam was the second of the young season for North Florida.
Assist Leader: Senior
Kyle Brooks is now the program's all-time leader in assists after he surpassed Matt Oxendine's career mark of 571 on Saturday afternoon.
Turning Two: The Ospreys recorded three more double plays over the weekend to up their season total to 12. The now lead the Atlantic Sun and the 12 double plays are the 32
nd most in the country.
