JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball (26-10, 5-4) will look to rebound from its midweek loss to No. 2 FSU when it returns home to play against Central Arkansas (19-11, 4-2) this weekend at the UNF Softball Complex.

The first games will start on Saturday with a doubleheader matchup starting at 1 pm, with the second game following 30 minutes afterwards. It will then be followed by a third game on Sunday afternoon at 12 pm.

This will be the best team batting average going against the best team ERA in the ASUN, as both sides are ranked top 25 in the country in those respective areas. Central Arkansas has two players batting over .400 on the season, while the top three ERAs in conference are starting pitchers for the Ospreys.

WHAT TO KNOW

- Halle Arends is the leader on the team when it comes to ERA and strikeouts, as she holds a ASUN-leading 1.22 ERA and has notched 80 strikeouts , ranking top three in the conference. She also has a 12-2 record in 18 appearances this year, which also leads the ASUN.

- Morgan Clausen and Erin Kyle round out the dominant three arms that are on staff with both of them joining Arends with ERAs under 2.00. The two of them combine for 100-plus strikeouts and all three starting pitchers for the Ospreys sit between 16-18 appearances and 10-13 starts.

- Izzy Kelly has started to find her place within the rotation after pitching a complete-game win against Bucknell earlier this month, as well as tossing six relief innings for Clausen this week against No. 2 FSU. She has 22.1 innings pitched in nine appearances this season, as well as a 3.13 ERA and 10 strikeouts.

- Paige Pfent is the top bat for the Ospreys with a batting average of .389 (42-for-108) with 21 RBI, 14 runs and five home runs. She also has the highest slugging percentage at .630 and the highest on-base percentage at .445.

- Abi Annett and Regan Hermeling have been emerging pieces for the UNF offense recently after being rotated in and out of the starting lineup early on. Annett hit her first-career home runs this month against Lipscomb and Jacksonville State, while Hermeling has recorded a hit in 12 of the past 17 games, including four multi-hit games, since being an every-day starter against Monmouth on Mar. 5.

- Ashley Goebel found herself back in the starting lineup again earlier this week against No. 2 FSU after not starting a game since facing Holy Cross on Mar. 8. The Preseason All-ASUN selection had a two RBI-single against the Noles, which was her first recorded hit since playing Mercer on Feb. 18.

OPPONENT NOTES

• Central Arkansas is 19-11 this year, as well as 4-2 in ASUN play. They hold a 10-1 record at home, but are 6-5 on the road. Like the Ospreys, they have wins over three Power Five teams this season, including a 3-2 win against No. 14 LSU. Conference play for them started with only one win against FGCU, but followed with a three-game sweep of Kennesaw State. The Sugar Bears tout the best team batting average in the ASUN with both Jenna Wildeman and Tremere Harris batting over .400 on the season. Mary Kate Brown also leads the team in RBI at 30 total and Jaylee Engelkes boasts the most home runs at seven total. The pitching is highlighted by Kayla Beaver and Jordan Johnson, who combine for 172 of the 188.2 total innings pitched. Beaver holds a 2.27 ERA with 12 wins and 83 strikeouts, while Johnson has a 2.93 ERA with 6 wins and 89 strikeouts.
  • UNF leads in the overall series against the Sugar Bears, 1-0, with their last meeting being a 4-3 win in extra innings on Feb. 19, 2011, in Troy, Ala.

UP NEXT

The Ospreys will stay home for another single-another midweek matchup against UCF on Wednesday, Apr. 6.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Saturday
UNF vs Central Arkansas (DH) - 1 p.m. ET
UNF vs Central Arkansas (DH) - 3:30 p.m. ET
 
Sunday
UNF vs Central Arkansas - 12 p.m. ET