JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball will look to bounce back after back-to-back losses to No. 4 Florida when they head down to play in The Spring Games from Feb. 25-27 in Leesburg, Fla. They will play a slate of five games over three days against the likes of Iowa, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Siena, and Princeton.

It will be the first-ever appearance for the Ospreys in The Spring Games since they were established in 2008. They were set to play in The Spring Games in 2020, but the tournament was canceled just days before due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be the first regular-season neutral site tournament played by the Ospreys since competing in the FAU Strikeout Cancer Classic in 2020, as they went 3-1 in the tourney with wins over Long Island, Florida Atlantic, and Hofstra. It will also be the third of four tournaments played by UNF this season after going 4-1 in the River City Leadoff and 4-0 in the JU-UNF Invitational with both tournaments played at home.

WHAT TO KNOW

- Paige Pfent has her sights set on continuing her on-base streak of 25 straight games that dates back to last season. She has recorded a hit in nine of 11 games this season, including a nine-game hitting streak that was recently broken this week at No. 3 Florida.

- Shannon Glover and Kayla Harper have been studs on both sides of the ball through the first 11 games. Glover has batted .333 (11-for-33) with seven RBIs and four runs, while Harper sits right behind at .323 (10-for-31) with seven runs and seven RBIs batting from the leadoff spot.

- Kayla McGory looks to get back on track after going hitless against the Gators. She currently leads the team in runs, runs batted in and home runs, along with recording 10 hits in 11 games played.

- The pitching trio of Erin Kyle, Halle Arends, and Morgan Clausen all have ERAs of less than 2.20, each have two wins or more and have pitched at least 17 innings this season. They also combine for 57 strikeouts and none of them have allowed a home run to this point. Clausen and Arends were also back-to-back ASUN Pitcher of the Week selections to open up first two weeks of the season.

- Hadlee Reichert and Savannah Channell have put forth great effort on the defensive side of the ball with both of them combining for 37 assists and sitting above an .860 fielding percentage. Reichert has also made noise with her bat under limited opportunities with a double and a triple in key situations early in her young career.

OPPONENT NOTES

• Iowa has started their season at 6-3 with wins over No. 24 Liberty, Eastern Kentucky and Pittsburgh. Nia Carter has been hitting lights out for the Hawkeyes going 13-for-26 (.500) with four runs and an RBI. Brylee Klosterman and Grace Banes are also weapons slashing for 11 hits each with both of them batting .379 in their first nine games. Denali Loecker is their top ace with a 3-0 record and 1.50 ERA in six appearances.
  • This will be the first meeting between UNF and Iowa in program history.
• Notre Dame boasts a 7-3 record this season with their most recent wins being upsets against No. 21 LSU and No. 11 Texas. Abby Sweet leads a small core of hitters with a .464 batting average (13-for-28) while also having 10 runs, nine RBIs, and three home runs to her name. The Fighting Irish also have a trio of pitchers lead by Shannon Becker, who is 3-1 in six appearances with a 1.40 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
  • UNF trails in the overall series against the Fighting Irish, 9-3, with their last meeting being a doubleheader loss on Mar. 13, 2018, at home.
• Rutgers sit at 7-3 on the season after starting 2-3 in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge, then ripping off five straight wins in the Pirate Clash. The Scarlet Knights have four hitters that have recorded 10 or more hits with the highest average of the group being from Kyleigh Sand at .367 in BA (11-for-30). Jaden Vickers has been automatic on the mound with a 4-0 record and a 2.48 ERA in 31 innings pitched.
  • UNF leads in the overall series against the Scarlet Knights, 2-0, with their last meeting being a 6-5 win on Mar. 18, 2017, in Clearwater, Fla.
• Siena will be making their season debut at The Spring Games when they play the Ospreys on the final day of the tournament. They had a 19-15 record last season with their season ending in the first round of the MAAC Tournament. Antonia Alba will be their most efficient returner on the hitting side with a .316 BA (24-for-76), five runs, and six RBIs. Allison Speshyock leads the pitching room from last season with a 2.95 ERA and an 8-3 record with 28 strikeouts.
  • UNF is tied in the overall series against the Saints, 1-1, with their last meeting being a 4-1 loss on Feb. 24, 2019, in Madeira Beach, Fla.
• Princeton will also be playing their first games of the season this weekend with their game against the Ospreys occurring on Sunday as well. Their 2021 season was restricted to a total of three games due to the pandemic, as this will be their first full softball season in three years. Serena Starks was the only player to have three hits in those three games last year, while Molly Chambers will also be returning after recording a win after appearing in all three games.
  • UNF leads in the overall series against the Tigers, 4-1, with their last meeting being a 9-1 victory on Mar. 17, 2019, in Clearwater, Fla.

THE SPRING GAMES SCHEDULE

Friday
Iowa vs UNF - 1:30 p.m.
UNF vs Notre Dame - 4 p.m.

Saturday
UNF vs Rutgers - 4 p.m.

Sunday
Siena vs UNF - 9 a.m.
Princeton vs UNF - 11:30 a.m.