Baseball Welcomes Penn for Weekend Series

JACKSONVILLE -- The North Florida baseball team welcomes Penn for a three-game set at Harmon Stadium beginning Friday at 4 p.m. The teams will also play single games Saturday and Sunday with 1 p.m. first pitches.

GAME DAY CENTRAL
WHAT: North Florida (5-4) vs Penn (0-0)
WHERE: Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium (3,600)
WHEN: Friday, Mar. 3 (4 p.m.) | Saturday, Mar. 4 (1 p.m.) | Sunday, Mar. 5 (1 p.m.)
THE SERIES: UNF leads 2-1
LAST MEETING: Ospreys and Quakers played a three-game series a year ago (Mar. 4-6) in Jacksonville... UNF took the opener 17-5 and claimed the series victory with a 5-3 win in game 2... Penn edged UNF, 3-2, in the series finale to avoid the sweep
Special Promotions: none

FOLLOWING THE ACTION
LIVESTATS: UNFOspreys.com
TICKETS: Purchase Tickets

MOUND MATCH-UPS
Friday
UNF - Anthony Delaney (RHP, 1-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 BB, 4 K)
NU - Adam Bleday (LHP, 2-2, 3.98 ERA, 43.0 IP, 17 BB, 33 K)*

Saturday
UNF - Frank German (RHP, 2-0, 1.32 ERA, 13.2 IP, 1 BB, 16 K)
NU - Jake Cousins (RHP, 4-4, 4.23 ERA, 44.2 IP, 20 BB, 45 K)*

Sunday
UNF - TBA
NU - Gabe Kleiman (LHP, 3-3, 2.24 ERA, 52.1 IP, 17 BB, 27 K)*
* = 2016 statistics totals

NOTEWORTHY
- Ospreys open the season with 26 of first 32 games at home with Penn series marking the third of six consecutive weekends of home series
- North Florida have won three consecutive games heading into the weekend after taking the final two games of a home series vs Northeastern followed by a midweek road victory over Savannah State
- The offense has been explosive recently for UNF with team producing double digit run totals in last three games... Ospreys have scored opponents 39-10 during current win streak
- UNF's Frank German (So, RHP) has opened the season with back-to-back quality starts highlighted by scattering 6 hits over 13.2 IP with 16 strikeouts and just one walk
- North Florida leads the ASUN in several statistical categories including: HR (10), 2B (26), Runs (74) and Fielding% (.978)
- Newcomer Yahir Gurrola tops the conference with 7 doubles, while Chris Thibideau and Joe Boyle each have 3 homers, just one away from ASUN leader
- Four Ospreys are listed among the league's Top 10 for hits led by Gurrola (15), Thibideau (14), Patrick Ervin (13) and Alex Merritt (12)
- Penn will be making their season debut this weekend

SCOUTING PENN
Roster | Schedule | Statistics
The season opener Friday marks the beginning of a ten-day stretch in which the Quakers will play nine games in the Sunshine State, all against non-conference opponents. The Quakers make the trip to Jacksonville to open the season for the second time in as many years, with much of the same roster as last season under fourth-year head coach John Yurkow. Fifteen letterwinners return this year, including four 2016 All-Ivy League selections led by reigning Ivy Player of the Year Tim Graul (.364, 21 2B, 8 HR) and Rookie of the Year Matt O'Neill (.341, 4 HR, 26 RBI). Penn also returns all four of its weekend starters – Adam Bleday, Jake Cousins, Gabe Kleiman and Mike Reitcheck – to go along with the late-inning arms of Jack Hartman, Billy Lescher and closer Jake Nelson. The Red and Blue welcome eight newcomers in 2017, as infielders Peter Matt, Thomas Pellis and pitcher Mitchell Holcomb are poised to crack the lineup early in their rookie seasons.

UP NEXT
North Florida faces crosstown rival Jacksonville for the Mayor's Cup game at JU's Session Stadium, Wednesday (Mar. 8) at 6 p.m. Following the lone midweek tilt, Ospreys continue their stretch of home weekend series by welcoming Rutgers for a four-game set (Mar 10-12) beginning Friday, Mar. 10 at 4 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Joe Boyle

Anthony Delaney

Austin Drury

Patrick Ervin

Frank German

Alex Merritt

Chris Thibideau

Blake Voyles

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