Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

University of North Florida Athletics

SB preview graphic UNF Invitational

DIAMOND PREVIEW: UNF Invitational

3/9/2023 3:30:00 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball is set to complete its regular season-tournament slate this weekend when UNF hosts Army, Northern Kentucky and Troy in the UNF Invitational from Mar. 10-12 at the UNF Softball Complex.

The Ospreys will start play with a pair of games against Army and Northern Kentucky starting at 9 a.m., followed by rematches against each team on Saturday starting at 5 p.m. UNF will wrap up its home tourney finale by playing Troy for a second consecutive weekend at 12 p.m.

All matchups are hosted at the UNF Softball Complex and will be broadcasted on SWOOPLife Live. Updates for each game will be made through live stats, as well as on Twitter at OspreySB.


WHAT TO KNOW

  • This will be the second consecutive weekend that UNF has faced off against Troy after splitting a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 4.
  • Northern Kentucky is the second team UNF will face from the Horizon League, as it beat Cleveland State twice earlier in the year.
  • Second time in program history that UNF will play against a service academy, as well as their first time ever hosting one.
  • Will be the last set of games before they head back on the road for ASUN play next weekend.
  • Shannon Glover has become the Ospreys' top hitter this season with a .400 batting average (22-for-55) with nine RBIs, 11 runs and two home runs.
  • She's trending upwards with a five-game hitting streak and a four-game RBI streak.
  • The senior also has had 10 hits in her last 17 at bats, as well as at least one hit in 13 of 17 games.
  • Chloe Culp is right behind Glover with a .392 BA, 20 hits, 24 RBIs, four runs, and 2 HRs.
  • She has six hits in her last four games, as well as a hit in 14 of her first 17 games.
  • Kayla Harper continues to score runs and steal bags with 13 runs scored and 11-for-11 for 100% success running the bases.
  • Savannah Channell and Logan Jackson join Glover, Culp and Harper to start in all 13 games this year.
  • Jackson will also look to continue her reached base streak, as she has been on base in each of the first 17 games of the season.
  • Izzy Kelly has been nothing short of dominant with a 7-1 record and a 2.66 ERA with 28 strikeouts.
  • Ashley Connor creates a dynamic duo in the circle as well with a 1.31 ERA with two wins and two saves to go with her 28 total strikeouts.


OPPONENT NOTES

  • Army starts its season 6-12 overall with a 1-3 record in road games. They have competed in the Jacksonville State Season Opener, the Getterman Classic and the USF Tournament before their start in Patriot League play. They will be coming off a split doubleheader against Central Michigan at home before this weekend's slate. Five Army hitters have double digit hits with Angelina Bebek leading the way with a team-high .333 batting average. She also leads her squad with 16 hits and seven RBIs up to this point. The Black Knights use all four pitchers, as they each have over 12 strikeouts with at least 23 innings pitched.
    • UNF leads the overall series against the Black Knights, 1-0, with the last meeting being a 3-0 victory at Clearwater, Fla., in 2019.
  • Northern Kentucky has an overall record of 4-12 with all of their games being played on neutral grounds. They have played at the Texas A&M Invitational, the Coach B Classic and the Cardinal Classic with their four wins being against Texas A&M-CC, Michigan State, SIUE and Toledo. They enter the weekend on back-to-back losses, including a 5-4 midweek loss against Jacksonville. Ella LeMonier is the only player on the team thus far with over a .270 batting average and 12 hits. In 16 starts, she has a .320 BA with 16 hits, seven runs scored and four RBIs. Their pitching staff is led by Lauryn Hicks and Alicia Flores, who have 53 strikeouts combined.
    • UNF leads the overall series against the Norse, 7-2, with the last meeting being a 6-0 victory at Jacksonville, Fla., in 2015.
  • Troy comes back to Jacksonville with a 15-7 record, including a stellar 5-2 road record and a 4-1 neutral site record. In last weekend's Spring Break Challenge, they went 4-1 with their lone loss being an 8-6 loss to the Ospreys. They beat Alabama State, 5-2, this week before returning to UNF Softball Complex for the UNF Invitational. Anslee Finch has been batting .407 from the plate with 24 hits, 19 RBIs and five home runs. Taylor McKinney also has 19 RBIs to join Finch for the team lead, while also having 21 hits and five HRs from the plate. Leanna Johnson has been the unquestioned ace for the Trojans with an 11-2 record and a 1.09 ERA to go along with her 89 strikeouts in 77.1 innings pitched.
    • UNF leads the overall series against the Trojans, 11-10, with the last meeting being an 8-6 victory at Jacksonville, Fla., in 2023.


UP NEXT

The Ospreys enter their first conference series of the season when they travel to play Central Arkansas from Mar. 18-19 in Conway, Ark.


SERIES SCHEDULE

Friday
Army at UNF - 9 a.m.
Northern Kentucky at UNF - 11:30 a.m.
Troy vs. Army - 2 p.m.
Northern Kentucky vs. Troy - 4:30 p.m.

Saturday
Army vs. Troy - 1 p.m.
Troy vs. Northern Kentucky - 3 p.m.
Northern Kentucky at UNF - 5 p.m.
Army at UNF - 7 p.m.

Sunday
Northern Kentucky vs. Army - 10 a.m.
Troy at UNF - 12 p.m.
Print Friendly Version