DIAMOND PREVIEW: Softball Ready to Battle No. 20 UCF

Wednesday, April 6

Jacksonville, Fla.

6 p.m.

University of North Florida

UCF

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4/5/2022 2:00:00 PM | Softball

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Sights Set On Back-to-Back Seasons with Wins Against the Knights

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball (29-10) plays its second-straight midweek game against a ranked foe when the Ospreys take on No. 20 UCF (30-10) this Wednesday at the UNF Softball Complex. It will be their fourth game against a ranked opponent this season, as they faced No. 3 Florida twice and No. 2 Florida State this past week.

This will be the 15th consecutive year, outside of the canceled 2020 season, that the Ospreys play UCF, along with it being the third time in four seasons that it will be hosted at UNF. UNF will look for earn back-to-back seasons with a win over the Knights after beating them, 9-7, in a doubleheader matchup last season.

The Ospreys will be coming off their weekend series sweep of Central Arkansas, while UCF is coming off an extra-innings win against No. 5 Virginia Tech. Their 23-3 record at home will go up against the Knights' 8-1 record on the road.

WHAT TO KNOW

- Morgan Clausen dominated this past weekend in her three appearances recording two wins and a save in sticky situations to help sweep Central Arkansas, which earned her ASUN Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. Her ERA stays the course at 1.19 on the season, while she now has nine wins and four saves with 76 total strikeouts.

- Halle Arends and Erin Kyle join Clausen as the only other players with sub-2.00 ERAs in the ASUN. The three of them together have combined for 28 wins, 244.2 innings pitched and 199 strikeouts, as well as only 45 earned runs allowed and one home run permitted this season.

- Hayley Bejarano and Takiya London will see familiar faces on Wednesday night, as they both recently transferred from UCF over the summer. They both have been staples in the starting lineup this year and will look for success against their old team.

- Paige Pfent still has a handle on having the best batting average on the team with a .368 BA (43-for-117). She also leads the team with five home runs and 10 extra-base hits, along with 69 total bases and 23 RBI.

- Abi Annett has been flexing her bat recently with a home run in each of the past three ASUN series, including a go-ahead two-run bomb in the first game against UCA. She entered the season with no home runs in her career and has gotten up to her three total in the last 10 games.

- Kayla Harper and Savannah Channell have been a strong presence this past year as well, as they both have been batting over .400 in the past four games. Harper leads the team in stolen bases with 18, while Channell is only behind Pfent for the highest on-base percentage on the team reaching base in 10 of the past 11 games.

OPPONENT NOTES

No. 20 UCF is 30-10 this season with wins against No. 12 Georgia, No. 11 Texas, and most recently No. 5 Virginia Tech in walk-off fashion on Monday. They also swept ASUN opponent Florida Gulf Coast in a three-game series, along with beating Liberty earlier in the year. Only one of their losses this season has been on the road, as they hold an 8-1 record in away games. The Knights have six batters hitting over .300 this season, led by Jada Cody who leads the team with a .344 BA (42-for-122). She also leads the team in hits (42), runs (30), RBI (53) and home runs (10) as well. The ace in the circle for the Knights this season has been Gianna Mancha, who is 44th in the nation in total strikeouts (119). She also garners a 1.91 ERA with a 12-3 record in 24 appearances, including eight complete games and two saves.
- UNF trails in the overall series against the Knights, 15-6, with their last meeting being a 9-1 loss on Mar. 17, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla.