JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Fresh off a 13-10 midweek win against Florida A&M, North Florida stays in Jacksonville and hosts the River City Rumble at Harmon Stadium. UNF and Jacksonville University have played 94 games against each other since 1998 and the Ospreys are searching for their first win at home since 2022.
Last Time Out
UNF hosted its first home midweek game of the season against Florida A&M. The Ospreys rolled past the Rattlers, 13-10, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. North Florida drew 15 walks in the win and Mitchell Collins continued his hot hitting with a three hit performance. The win was the tenth of the season for the Ospreys and they improved to 20-0 against FAMU at Harmon Stadium.
Scouting Jacksonville University
The Dolphins are 9-7 and are riding into Harmon Stadium on a five-game win streak. JU swept North Carolina A&T last weekend and are searching for their third weekend series win of 2025. Offensively, Jaden Bastian and Blake DeLamielleure are two hitters in the lineup that North Florida may have trouble keeping down. Both are among the top RBI producers in the ASUN. As a team, Jacksonville has an ERA over six. That's an area where North Florida has to take advantage of. If the Ospreys can score early and knock the JU starters out of the game quickly, UNF could find themselves on the winning side throughout the weekend.
"Ring 'Em Up" Ross
Will Ross has been a consistent starter this season for head coach Joe Mercadante and currently has the fifth lowest ERA in the ASUN conference. In his most recent start, Ross tossed seven innings of one-run ball against Alabama State. His performance was good enough to secure his second win of the season. The most drastic change from 2024 to 2025 has been his strikeout numbers. Ross punched out nine batters in 19 innings last year. In 21.1 innings this season, the Winter Garden, Fla. native has struck out 20.
Collins In The Clutch
Mitchell Collins put together a strong week for North Florida. The UNF shortstop started all four games last week and hit .500 for the team. He drove in five runs, recorded four extra-base hits, and clubbed his first home run as an Osprey. His batting average jumped from .269 to .333 during the four-game stretch. Against FAMU on March 13th, Collins recorded three hits and picked up four RBIs in the midweek win.
On-Base Machine
Nick Monile continues to be one of the toughest hitters in the ASUN to keep off the bases. Since Monile arrived in Jacksonville, he has started all but one game this season for Joe Mercadante. The Osprey center fielder has reached base safely in 16 of 17 games played this season, recording a hit in 14 of the contests. While he has only recorded five RBIs, Monile has been a table setter at the top of the lineup, and he leads the 'Spreys in runs (14).
Series History
North Florida and Jacksonville University have played 94 games against each other prior to this weekend. UNF is 42-52 against JU and have lost eight of their last ten games. Prior to that stretch, the Ospreys won nine of eleven games, including seven straight from 4/7/2019-4/25/2021. In 2022, UNF eliminated Jacksonville University from the postseason, winning 9-3 in Fort Myers, Fla.
Starting Pitchers
Friday - RHP Richard Long vs RHP Will Ross
Saturday - RHP Collin Rothermel vs RHP Bryson Treichel
Sunday - RHP Blake Barquin vs RHP Ryan Furey
UNF will broadcast the entire "River City Rumble" on ESPN+ with first pitch on Friday slated for 6 p.m. Updates will be made through live stats, as well as on X/Twitter at @OspreyBSB and Instagram at @OspreysBSB.
