JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UNF baseball plays the final game of a four-game road stint and the first of 10-straight games inside the Sunshine State when the Ospreys head to Tampa to take on USF Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m. It's the first of two meetings between the in-state non-conference foes as North Florida hosts South Florida Tuesday, April 18.

GAME DETAILS
Date: Tuesday, April 4
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla.
Opponent: USF
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com

Starting Pitchers
Tuesday
UNF | RHP Avery Love
USF | RHP Lawson Gailey
 
All-Time Series: UNF leads, 13-10

• North Florida has won five-straight games against USF
• UNF 3-2 over its last five games at USF
• Last year North Florida swept its two games with the Bulls
• Aidan Sweatt hit a walk-off solo home run just over the outstretched arm of Jackson Mayo, giving UNF a 2-1 win March 2
• April 5 UNF exploded for a 13-10 win, with Sweatt homering again as he went back-to-back with Brock Edge

Last Time Out
RICHMOND, Ky. - Trailing 6-3 late in the game, UNF (15-13, 4-5 ASUN) scored two in the eighth to get within one, but EKU (12-16, 3-6 ASUN) was able to retire the final four Ospreys that stepped to the plate as North Florida was edged in the rubber game at Eastern Kentucky, 6-5, Sunday, April 2. 

Last Time vs. USF
TAMPA, Fla. - Just over a month ago, North Florida baseball defeated USF in Jacksonville, 2-1, in a pitcher's duel. Tuesday in Tampa the Ospreys defeated the Bulls once again, this time by the way of 13 runs on a season-high 20 hits in a 13-10 victory against South Florida (18-11) April 5.
 

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Green Light Means Go

• Austin Brinling is first in the league with 15 stolen bags, converting every attempt
• Aidan Sweatt isn't far behind, swiping 11 bases in 13 attempts
• North Florida paces the league with 50 stolen bases, good for 35th nationally
• UNF is already only 22 stolen bases from setting the UNF DI-era single season team record set with 71 in 2013

Notables

• UNF has 48 homers this year, already nine more than all of last season
• UNF ranks second in the league in home runs, RBI, total bases, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and first in stolen bases
• Alex Lodise scored five runs in a win against Fairfield two weekends ago, the most runs by a UNF freshman in a single game in at least the DI era
• Lodise set the UNF single seasons freshman 
• Lodise had five hits Saturday, tying the UNF DI era program record
• The Ospreys hit three grand slams last weekend, two coming from Jakob Runnels and the other from Austin Brinling
• UNF has hit four grand slams in the last five games
• UNF won every non-conference regular season weekend series for the first time in the DI era.
• UNF starts the second half of the regular season this week
• Cade Reich had reached safely in 23-straight games
• Austin Brinling leads the league in stolen bases with 15, converting every attempt

 

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Scouting USF

• USF is coming off a weekend series win at UCF in the War on I-4
• The Bulls took the first two games in pitcher's duel action, although UCF salvaged one in a Sunday slugfest
• South Florida is two seasons removed from its Austin Super Regional appearance in 2021
• Billy Mohl is in his sixth seasons at the helm
• Drew Brutcher was one of 51 DI players named to the 2023 Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List
• USF was tabbed seventh of nine teams in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
• The USF defense has a knack of turning two, spinning 26 which is good for fifth in the nation
• Daniel Cantu and John Montes have six homers apiece, good for the team lead
• USF doesn't run much, stealing just 10 bags while teams have taken 32 against the Bulls
• USF has permitted 38 homers, while hitting 25 as an offense

 

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MORE UNF NOTES

Walk-Off Dubs Hit Different

• UNF has won via walk-off five times this year, with three coming last week
• March 25 Alex Lodise hit the first grand slam of his career with a towering big fly on a hanging breaking ball, sending UNF to a 16-6 mercy rule win
• One day later, Aidan Sweatt and Austin Brinling combined for three ninth inning RBI to give North Florida an 8-7 walk-off to clinch the series
• Former UCF Knight, Jakob Runnels, mashed a walk-off three-run home run with two outs in the ninth, giving North Florida a 4-2 win against UCF March 21
• In the first game of the year, Runnels hit a walk-off pinch hit RBI single in a 3-2 10-inning win against Murray State
• Drew Leinenbach put down a walk-off squeeze bunt in a 6-5 10-inning win against Fordham March 4

17 Ks

• UNF pitchers combined to fan 17 batters and leave 16 UCF runners stranded in the 4-2 win Tuesday, March 21
• North Florida's 17-strikeout performance tied the program single game record. 
• It's the third time in UNF history North Florida has reached that mark, with the most recent coming in a game at No. 7 Florida State in March of 2019

Walk, Then Run

• UNF averaged eight walks per game during the weekend series against Austin Peay
• North Florida walked at least seven times per contest, including nine times Sunday
• The Ospreys took advantage of those opportunities on the bases by stealing 13 bags, including five apiece against Austin Peay March 17 and 19

Hot Start for Halstead

• Righty Stephen Halstead ranks tied for third in the nation for saves with six as of Sunday, April 2
• Halstead has turned in a 2.16 ERA per 12 appearances, fanning nearly one batter per inning

Run Up the Roundtrippers

• UNF hit 18 home runs through the first eight games, setting a North Florida record for at least the DI-era.
• North Florida has posted 12 multi-home run games, including three five-home run games, good for tied for the UNF DI-era record. The Ospreys have had 13 different players homer at least once this season.

Weekend Winning

• UNF has won five of seven weekend series of the season, taking two of three from Murray State, Villanova, Fairfield and Stetson while sweeping a four-game set with Fordham.