JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball (39-15, 16-8 ASUN) is ready to take on the tournament field as the No. 3 seed in the ASUN Championship this week from the UNF Softball Complex.

UNF will take on No. 6 Kennesaw State in the first round Wednesday, May 11 at 3 p.m. A win would send North Florida to the next round to play against No. 2 Central Arkansas, while a loss would send them to the loser's bracket.

The Ospreys have played six of the seven opponents in the tournament field with No. 4 North Alabama being the only opponent they haven't faced yet this season. They are a combined 11-7 against teams in the field with series wins against No. 7 Stetson and No. 8 Lipscomb, as well as sweeps against No. 2 Central Arkansas and No. 6 Kennesaw State.

UNF has its sights set on its first ASUN Championship title in program history, as they will play host to the ASUN Softball Tournament for the first time since joining the conference. They look to take their historic season to the next level and make the conference's title game for the second time in the past three seasons.

WHAT TO KNOW

- Morgan Clausen has a hold of the conference's best ERA at 1.30, as well as the the most saves with six total, which helped her receive ASUN First Team All-Conference honors this week. She's made appearances in 15 ASUN games, including six starts, garnering a 5-1 record against conference opponents with 52 strikeouts.

- Shannon Glover has been the hottest bat on the team in conference play with a .364 batting average against ASUN opponents. The ASUN First Team All-Conference selection leads the team this year in batting average (.345), hits (58), home runs (9), RBI (37), total bases (94), and slugging percentage (.560).

- Halle Arends is an ASUN Second Team All-Conference and All-Academic selection that leads the conference in both strikeouts (163) and wins (19). She also ranks second in the league for ERA at 1.79 right behind teammate Clausen, while Erin Kyle has the third-best ERA at 1.84.

- Kayla Harper joins Glover as one of the top-two bats against ASUN teams with a .338 batting average with 24 total hits and a .478 on-base percentage. She also has a total of 39 runs scored and 30 bases stolen, which both rank among the top three in the conference.

- Paige Pfent was another dominant hitter for UNF on the year with a .338 BA, including 53 hits, 37 RBI, 11 doubles and six home runs. She is one of three Ospreys this year to start all 54 games this season, along with Glover and Harper.

- Kayla McGory and Savannah Channell have been staples of the middle defense, along with combining for 68 hits, 52 RBI and nine home runs this season. McGory was the only Osprey this year to win ASUN Player of the Week, while Channell had the third-best batting average on the team against conference opponents at .305.

- Hayley Bejarano and Abi Annett have both showed up in clutch moments this year, as Bejarano has two walk-off hits and Annett has hit home runs against five of the seven ASUN teams played against. Regan Hermeling and Bailee Aguigui round out the starting lineup for the Ospreys as outfielders that both have 1.000 fielding percentages.

OPPONENT NOTES

No. 1 Liberty

• The Flames have earned the top seed in the conference tournament after posting a stellar 23-1 record in ASUN play. They also have a 40-16 overall record with marquee wins against No. 9 Duke and No. 23 Notre Dame. Liberty boast the ASUN Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and Coach of the Year with Carolina Hudson, Emily Kirby, and Dot Richardson respectively.
  • UNF only has two wins in nine games played against the Flames with one of them being an elimination game in the 2019 ASUN Championship.

No. 2 Central Arkansas

• The Bears received a double bye in the ASUN tournament after going 17-7 in conference play, including a sweep against Jacksonville State this past week to secure the second seed. They have a 33-18 overall record with big wins against No. 14 LSU, as well as Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. Tremere Harris and Jenna Wildeman have been the top bats with batting averages of .401 and .383 respectively, while Jordan Johnson and Kayla Beaver are their best arms with 308.1 of 330.0 innings pitched.
  • UNF is 4-0 all-time against the Bears, including a three-game sweep earlier this season.

No. 4 North Alabama

• The Lions are the fourth-seeded team in the tournament and the only team the Ospreys have not played in this field. They have a 15-9 conference record and enter the week with a four-game winning streak after sweeping Eastern Kentucky. They also hold a 37-16 overall record, as they are 13-4 at home and 9-10 on the road. Emma Broadfoot has the highest batting average on the team at .387 with 59 total hits and seven home runs. They also have six pitchers that have seen playing time this year lead by Maci Birdyshaw with a 17-3 record.
  • UNF is 5-1 against the Lions since they joined the conference in 2019, including an ASUN tournament win in 2019.

No. 5 Jacksonville State

• The Gamecocks sit as the fifth seed in the ASUN tournament with a 13-11 conference record and 30-22 overall. They hold a 17-5 record at home and 5-13 on the road after being swept by Central Arkansas. They will play No. 8 Lipscomb at Jacksonville on Tuesday for the right to play No. 4 North Alabama on Wednesday. Camryn McLemore is the top hitter for Jacksonville State with a .382 batting average and five home runs, while Sarah Currie and Kat Carter, who won ASUN Freshman of the Year, are the duo to watch in the circle.
  • UNF has two wins against the Gamecocks in their last six matchups, including a shutout win at their place earlier this season.

No. 6 Kennesaw State

• The Owls are the sixth seed in the tournament and will face off against Stetson on Tuesday with the winners playing the Ospreys the following day. They have a 12-12 record in ASUN play and sits 21-26 overall, including a seven-game winning streak entering the single-elimination matchup against the Hatters. Taylor Cates has been the star in their offense with a .406 batting average and 17 home runs. Melanie Bennett leads the pitching staff with 15 wins on the year and a 2.89 ERA.
  • UNF has a 24-50 record against the Owls, including a series sweep against them at home this past month.

No. 7 Stetson

• The Hatters stand as the seventh seed with a 10-14 conference record, as well as 21-34 overall, entering this week. They recently were swept by Kennesaw State just a couple weekends ago, but handed Liberty their first and only conference loss of the year in their final game of the regular-season. Brianna Clary is batting .330 on the year with 58 total hits and 22 stolen bases. Lauren Hobbs and Lauren Klein are also their top pitching options heading into the week, as they have recorded 17 of their 21 wins.
  • UNF is 28-18 against the Hatters with two wins this year, including a 14-1 run-rule victory.

No. 8 Lipscomb

• The Bison are the final team in the field as the eighth seed in the ASUN Softball Championship tournament. They will take on Jacksonville State in an elimination game, as they went 1-2 against them earlier this year. They are 10-14 in the conference and 20-31 overall. Amy Vetula has been a strong offensive option for Lipscomb this season with a .373 average, 59 hits and 39 runs. Kate Peters is the go-to arm on the staff with 11 wins and a 3.60 ERA in 103 innings pitched.
  • UNF is 16-24 against the Bison, but won the series against them at home back in March.

UP NEXT

The Ospreys will wait to see if they are selected to the NCAA Softball Tournament either as an automatic or at-large bid. The selection show would be held Sunday, May 15 at 7 pm and regional play for the postseason would start from May 20-22.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All games at UNF Softball Complex)

Wednesday, May 11
Game 1: No. 3 North Florida vs. KSU/Stetson - 3 p.m.
Game 2: No. 4 North Alabama vs. JSU/Lipscomb - 3 p.m. (at Jacksonville)

Thursday, May 12
Game 3: No. 2 Central Arkansas vs. Winner of Game 1 - 10 a.m.
Game 4: No. 1 Liberty vs. Winner of Game 2 - 12:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 3 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Friday, May 13
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 12:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 - 3 p.m.
Game 9: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 - 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 14
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 - 1 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 10 - following game one (if necessary)