Jeff Conrad joined the Ospreys' coaching staff in August of 2015. At the University of North Florida, he is responsible for hitting and working with the infielders as well as serving as recruiting coordinator. On August 18, 2019, Conrad was promoted to Associate Head Coach. On June 10, 2022, Conrad officially became interim head coach before being elevated to head coach on July 1, 2022, as the sixth head coach in program history.
The Ospreys achieved new heights under Conrad's leadership in his third season at the helm, as UNF finished the season with its first ASUN regular season and tournament titles in program history. They went on to finish the season with a 47-15 overall record and a 22-2 ASUN record winning every series, as well as every game in the conference tournament. After being selected to the Columbia (S.C.) Regional hosted by South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, the Ospreys went on to beat second-seeded Virginia twice, including a walk-off win, to clinch the program's first-ever regional appearance as one of the final 32 teams in the postseason. In his third season, Conrad eclipsed 100 career head coaching wins with the Ospreys becoming the fastest in progam history to do so, on his way to being recognized as the ASUN Coach of the Year.
The 2025 season was headlined by two-way superstar Allison Benning, who was named ASUN Player, Pitcher and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as well as a Second Team All-American by Softball America and D1Softball, CSC Second Team Academic All-American and Second Team NFCA All-Region. She also brought in the D1Softball Mid-Major Player of the Year award and was selected as the ASUN's nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year. The senior earned five of the nine ASUN weekly honors, along with Softball America's National Player of the Week on Feb. 25. On top of Benning's ASUN awards, seven total players were awarded either All-ASUN or All-Freshman recognition, including Mackenzie Woods as a First Team All-ASUN catcher and Grace Shaw-Rockey as both Second Team All-ASUN and ASUN All-Freshman.
After winning the conference tournament, four players were named to the ASUN All-Tournament Team with Benning being picked as Tournament MVP. A total of 34 program records were either broken or shared throughout the 2025 season, which is highlighted by most team wins in D-I history (47), along with the season (19) and career (35) home run records for Benning. The senior also became the second all-time Osprey to spin a perfect game during the Make It Happen Games against Siena. Berry joined Benning through the ASUN postseason with two of the 10 lowest ERAs in the nation, as well as Benning finishing the country first in walks drawn at the plate. Benning was also one home run away from achieving the first-ever season with 25 wins from the circle and 20 home runs from the plate.
At the helm in his second year with the Ospreys, Conrad led the team to a 35-19 overall record, as well as a 17-7 conference record, and a runner-up finish in the ASUN Championship tournament. The season was highlighted with a Power Five win against Iowa, the program's first trip out to the West Coast, three ASUN series sweeps and an ASUN Championship final appearance for the second time in three seasons. He developed five All-ASUN selections in 2024, highlighted by two-way star Allison Benning as a First Team & Second Team honoree. She went on to led the team in most batting and pitching categories, while picking up multiple regional and national honors as well. He also added four total conference weekly awards to his 2024 coaching accolades, as well as a D-I Softball National Pitcher of the Week distinction.
In his first year as the head coach of the Ospreys, Conrad displayed a 29-23-1 record with a 10-13-1 mark in conference play. He started his reign with a 8-0 run-ruled victory over IUPUI and continued with early key wins against Georgetown, Memphis and Troy, as well as a pair of doubleheader shutouts against FAU. He also took the series against Stetson, North Alabama, Bellarmine and FGCU in conference play. He helped both Shannon Glover and Kayla Harper garner Second Team All-ASUN selections and Chloe Culp to an ASUN Player of the Week honor.
During the 2022 season, North Florida set many impressive offensive marks under Conrad as the associate head coach. On the way to a D-I era best mark of 42 wins, including 27 at home, the Osprey offense run-ruled nine games and scored six runs or more in 19 games this season. UNF also put together streaks of 13 and 10 straight wins during the year, as well as a D-I program record of three consecutive games of double digit scoring totals. It was also the first time since 2017 that they garnered three wins over Power Five teams in a season.
UNF had one of its most successful seasons in 2022 with their second ASUN Championship title game appearance in program history. They also produced three All-ASUN players, including outfielder Shannon Glover to the first team, as well as five Ospreys selected for conference weekly honors highlighted by Kayla McGory earning her first-career ASUN Player of the Week.
Conrad helped set offensive team marks that ranked top two in the program's D-I history for slugging percentage (.400), runs scored (274), home runs (36), RBI (244) and stolen bases (76). He also helped Kayla McGory finish her career top-two in the program's D-I era for at-bats (648), runs scored (121), RBI (116), stolen bases (62) and walks (99).
In 2019, UNF advanced to the ASUN Tournament championship game for the first time in school history thanks, in part, to a strong offensive year. Senior Navia Penrod became the ASUN all-time career hits leader collecting her 285
th hit in a 3-1 win over Liberty.
UNF finished the campaign with 30 wins and was among the conference offensive leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, runs, hits, triples and RBI. Defensively, North Florida led the ASUN in double plays turned with 25, falling just two short of the record 27 turned in by the 2017 squad. The Birds of Clay also recorded their first conference series sweep since 2015 with a three-game sweep of Stetson in DeLand securing their spot in the ASUN Conference Tournament. Navia Penrod was a first team ASUN selection while Penrod, Paige Pfent and Morgan Clausen received ASUN All-Tournament honors.
The 2017 season was also a record breaking year for the Ospreys offense under Conrad’s leadership. Team school records were set in batting average (.295), doubles (82), sacrifice flies (22) and stolen bases (84). The 2017 squad also posted 470 hits, falling just two shy of the 472 collected by the 2008 team.
Individually, several Ospreys also claimed spots atop the UNF record books. Sophomore Navia Penrod set school records posting a .422 batting average and 87 hits. Penrod became the first Osprey to finish the season with over a .400 average during the DI era. Heading into postseason play, her 87 hits were top in NCAA DI. Freshman Kayla McGory led all of NCAA Division I with a program-best nine sac flies which helped her earn a spot on the ASUN All-Freshman team. McGory also became tops at UNF in triples (4) and walks (39) during her rookie campaign. UNF featured one of the top offenses in the ASUN - finishing in the top two in hits, doubles, RBI and batting average.
Defensively the Ospreys set a school record turning 27 double plays and led the ASUN. McGory was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year. McGory, Penrod and Dominica Cocuzza were named ASUN First Team All-Conference performers. Penrod also garnered ASUN All-Tournament honors in addition to NFCA All-Region honors.
In 2016, Conrad’s first year guiding the Ospreys offense, UNF finished in the top three of the ASUN with a .274 team batting average. That batting average was the highest offensive output recorded by a UNF team in the past eight seasons. The Ospreys went on to lead the conference in sacrifice hits and finished in the top two in doubles. Conrad guided a UNF offense that went on to set a school record with 19 hits in a game versus cross town rival Jacksonville University.
Prior to UNF, Conrad served on Renee Luers-Gillispie’s coaching staff at UCF serving as the Volunteer Assistant Coach for the 2015 season. With the Knights, he was responsible for working with the hitters, infielders and catchers. In 2015, UCF won the American Athletic Conference regular season and conference tournament titles for the first time in school history. The Knights set a school record for wins in a season at 50 (50-9) in addition to a program-best batting average at .292. UCF advanced to the regional finals before falling to host Florida State and concluded their season with a No. 16 national ranking and ranked fourth in the NCAA in win-loss percentage at .847.
In addition, the Knights defense finished the year ranked second in the nation in fielding percentage at .979. Senior second baseman Kahley Novak was drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Charge. Conrad was a member of the coaching staff that was named by the American Athletic Conference as Coaching Staff of the Year. Additionally, they were honored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as the Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to joining the college coaching ranks, Conrad served as the head coach of the 18-Gold Tampa Mustangs travel team. During his two seasons with the Mustangs, 19 of his players went on to sign college softball scholarships, 18 of which were with Division I programs.
The Chicago native and former shortstop played Division I college baseball at Valparaiso University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. Conrad’s sister Traci, was a three-time NFCA All-American at Michigan and is the Big Ten Conference’s all-time career hits leader. In 2015, she was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame.
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UNF Offensive Records under Conrad (since 2016) |
Game (Team)
-At Bats (65 vs Florida A&M)
-Runs Scored (18 vs Cornell)
-Hits (20 vs Cornell)
-RBI (15 vs Manhattan)
-Doubles (7 vs Cornell & Florida A&M)
-Triples (2 vs Stetson, Georgia Southern, Winthrop & Buffalo)
-Home Runs (5 vs Jacksonville, Queens & Lipscomb)
-Total Bases (32 vs Albany)
-Walks (12 vs George Mason)
-Stolen Bases (6 vs Kennesaw State, FAU, Eastern Illinois, Radford, Stony Brook & Presbyterian)
Game (Individual)
-At Bats (8, 2x; Last: Jenna Brownell & Navia Penrod vs Florida A&M)
-Runs Scored (4, 2x; Last: Lauren Brock vs. Cornell)
-Hits (4, 21x; Last: Chloe Culp vs. Jacksonville)
-RBI (6, 2x; Last: Abi Annett vs. UC San Diego)
-Home Runs (2, 11x; Last: Allison Benning vs. Cornell)
-Total Bases (10, 2x; Last: Allison Benning vs. Cornell)
-Walks (4, 4x; Last: Allison Benning vs Queens)
-Stolen Bases (3, 5x; Last: Kayla Harper vs. Kennesaw State)
Season (Team)
-Batting Average (.305 - 2025)
-Slugging Percentage (.436 - 2025)
-On Base Percentage (.395 - 2025)
-Runs Scored (318 - 2025)
-Hits (480 - 2025)
-Doubles (82, 2x - 2017 & 2025)
-Triples (12 - 2019)
-RBI (285 - 2025)
-Walks (228 - 2025)
-Stolen Bases (84 - 2017)
Season (Individual)
-Batting Average (Navia Penrod .432 - 2018)
-Slugging Percentage (Allison Benning .876 - 2025)
-On Base Percentage (Allison Benning .614 - 2025)
-At Bats (Navia Penrod 206 - 2017)
-Hits (Navia Penrod 87 - 2017)
-Triples (Kayla McGory & Tiffany Lower 4 - 2017 & 2019)
-Home Runs (Allison Benning 19 - 2025)
-Total Bases (Allison Benning 127 - 2025)
-Walks (Allison Benning 74 - 2025)
Career
-Batting Average (Navia Penrod .404 - 2016-19)
-Slugging Percentage (Allison Benning .790 - 2024-25)
-On Base Percentage (Allison Benning .533 - 2024-25)
-Stolen Base Percentage (Madisyn Federico .900 - 2023-24)
-Games Played (Shannon Glover 226 - 2020-24)
-Games Started (Shannon Glover 224 - 2020-24)
-At Bats (Shannon Glover 709 - 2020-24)
-Runs Scored (Navia Penrod 148 - 2016-19)
-Hits (Navia Penrod 285 - 2016-19)
-Doubles (Shannon Glover 48 - 2020-24)
-Triples (Kayla McGory 7 - 2017-22)
-Home Runs (Allison Benning 35 - 2024-25)
-RBI (Shannon Glover 151 - 2020-24)
-Total Bases (Shannon Glover 382 - 2020-24)
-Walks (Kayla McGory 99 - 2017-22)
-Stolen Bases (Navia Penrod 83 - 2016-19)
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UNF Defensive Records under Conrad (since 2023) |
Game (Team)
-Hits Allowed (0 vs. Georgia Southern, USC Upstate & Sina)
-Strikeouts (16 vs. Kennesaw State)
Game (Individual)
-Hits Allowed (0, 2x; Last: Allison Benning vs. Siena)
-Strikeouts (16; Allison Benning vs. Kennesaw State)
-Putouts (18; Kirsten Caravaca vs. Kennesaw State)
Season (Team)
-Wins (47 - 2025)
-Saves (9 - 2025)
-Fly Outs (475 - 2023)
Season (Individual)
-Opponent Batting Average (Allison Benning .181 - 2025)
-Wins (Allison Benning 25 - 2025)
-Games Finished (Skyler Stockie 17 - 2023)
-Combined Shutouts (Skyler Stockie 7 - 2023)
-Fly Outs (Ashley Connor 255 - 2023)
-Fielding Percentage (Madisyn Federico & Addyson Bruneman 1.000 - 2024 & 2025)
Career
-Earned Run Average (Allison Benning 1.79 - 2024-25)
-Opponent Batting Average (Allison Benning .183 - 2024-25)
-K/7 (Allison Benning 7.71 - 2024-25)
