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University of North Florida Athletics

Softball full release cover graphic 2023

Softball Announces Full Slate for Spring 2023 Season

Ospreys to Host 38 of 56 Total Games

12/8/2022 5:00:00 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball announces its full 2023 slate that features four home tournaments and 38 total home games. UNF looks to make strides under first-year head coach Jeff Conrad after finishing as the runner-up in the ASUN Tournament last season.

The Ospreys' schedule is highlighted by in-state matchups against Florida State, UCF and Florida. Liberty joins that group of three opponents UNF will face in the spring that made the NCAA Softball Tournament last season.

When UNF travels to Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State and North Alabama, it will be the only games that will be played outside the state of Florida this season. All out-of-conference road matchups will be played in games or tournaments within state lines.

"I was really pleased we were able to get to a full slate of 56 games," said head coach Jeff Conrad. "We got a late start on scheduling and have a pretty heavy travel year in conference. Between that, having such a new group and three non-conference road trips to perennial super regional programs, it was important we fill some home dates, and we were able to accomplish that."


TICKETING

Season Ticket Details
  • $95 - Season tickets, which includes a reserved chair-back seat for all home games.
  • $85 - Discounted season ticket plans at $85 are available for UNF alumni, faculty and staff, seniors (over 65), youth (under 18) and military members.
Flex Plan Details
  • $20 - Features a general admission ticket for five (5) home games of the fan's choice.
Single Game Tickets
  • Single game tickets are going on sale Feb. 8 at 10 a.m.


OF NOTE

  • UNF opens its home slate hosting four weekend tournaments this season with the River City Leadoff (Feb. 10-12), UNF/JU Invitational (Feb. 17-19), Spring Break Challenge (Mar. 3-4) and the UNF Invitational (Mar. 10-12).
  • They will also travel for one tournament before conference play in the Stetson Invitational hosted in DeLand, Fla. (Feb. 25).
  • Slated to play 10 in-state opponents (Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Florida State, Florida Atlantic, Stetson, UCF, Florida, Florida International, Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville).
  • A total of 47 games, including the first 25 games, will be played in Florida.
  • Scheduled to take on four teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season (UF, FSU, UCF, Liberty), including one team that made the College World Series (UF).
  • Set to face off against teams from 14 different conferences (Horizon, ACC, Southern, Big East, Big Ten, American, SWAC, Ivy, Big South, Sun Belt, Patriot, ASUN, C-USA, SEC).
  • Jolie Gustave will play against her old team, Syracuse, in the second game of the season, while Savannah Channell will see Liberty again in the regular season for a second consecutive year.
  • Ospreys host four conference series (Stetson, Liberty, Bellarmine and Jacksonville), as well as travel for four conference series (Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, and FGCU).
  • Will play Bellarmine for the first time in program history, as well as face North Alabama in regular season for first time since 2019.
  • Also set to play Central Arkansas on the road for the first time since the Bears joined the conference.
  • North Florida closes the regular season with their only three-day ASUN series of the year at home against Jacksonville in the River City Rumble from May 4-6.
  • The ASUN Conference Championship Tournament will be hosted at Stetson from May 10-13, where UNF will have already played earlier in the season at the Stetson Invitational.


TOURNAMENT SEASON

The Ospreys will play in five different in-season tournaments, including four at home, before jumping into ASUN play in mid-March. Their first games at the UNF Softball Complex will start on Friday, Feb. 10, against IUPUI and Syracuse in the River City Leadoff. It will continue through the weekend concluding with two games against Furman and one against Georgetown.

The following weekend, UNF and JU will co-host the UNF/JU Invitational facing off against Cleveland State, Penn State, Memphis and Bethune-Cookman. After that will be a road trip to Tallahassee, Fla., to play FAMU and Florida State, as well as Cornell and Presbyterian three days later in DeLand, Fla., at the Stetson Invitational.

UNF will return home for their third home tournament hosting the Spring Break Challenge from Mar. 3-4, with doubleheaders set against Charleston Southern and Troy. After a midweek doubleheader rematch against Bethune-Cookman, they will play in their final tournament before conference play against Army, Northern Kentucky and Troy from Mar. 10-12.


NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

After their opening ASUN series on the road, the Ospreys will return home to play a doubleheader against FAU on Wednesday, Mar. 22. They will then play another midweek non-conference matchup one week later against UCF in Orlando, Fla.

Back-to-back conference weekends will be played before a big test against Florida, who made the College World Series last season, in Gainesville, Fla., on Wednesday, Apr. 12. A week after that matchup will be an afternoon home game against FIU on Apr. 19.

UNF will stay home for an ASUN series before playing their final non-conference games of the season in a doubleheader against Georgia Southern on Wednesday, Apr. 26.


ASUN PLAY

North Florida gets tested early in conference competition opening on the road against Central Arkansas from Mar. 18-19. It will be the first time ever that UNF will be playing the Bears in Conway, Ark.

The Ospreys will host their first ASUN series of the season from Mar. 25-26 against Stetson. They will get back on the road the following weekend and travel back up north to play Jacksonville State from Apr. 1-2.

UNF will take on Liberty in a rematch of last season's ASUN Tournament Championship from Apr. 7-8. Their final road trip outside the state will be made from Apr. 15-16 when the Ospreys take on North Alabama for the first time in the regular season since 2019.

Bellarmine will then come into town from Apr. 22-23 in what will be the first matchup between the two teams in program history. The next weekend, they will play their ASUN road finale at Florida Gulf Coast the last weekend of April.

The home series finale in ASUN play for the Ospreys will come down to the River City Rumble against Jacksonville from May 4-6. It will be the only conference series of the year that goes over a three-day span, as well as the only ASUN games for UNF being played at night.


GET TO KNOW

  • Conrad will enter his first season as the head coach of the UNF softball team after spending the previous seven years on the Osprey coaching staff.
  • UNF has key returners in First-Team All-ASUN selection Shannon Glover, Second-Team All-ASUN and ASUN All-Tournament selection Halle Arends and All-Tournament selection Logan Jackson.
  • Kayla Harper, Abi Annett and Savannah Channell also return with each of them having over 50 starts from last season.
  • North Florida touts five pitchers this spring with returners Arends, Izzy Kelly and Skyler Stockie leading the way.
  • Four transfers will be joining the roster with Madisyn Federico and Jolie Gustave being additions from Power Five programs, as well as Ashley Connor and Ashley Kirkbride both transferring in from in-state institutions.
  • After only having one true freshman last season, the Ospreys bring on seven freshmen for the spring, which is the most since the 2020 season.
  • UNF also sports seven seniors and graduates, as Glover, Harper, Jackson and Stockie bring the most experience to the team entering their fourth seasons.


2023 FULL SPRING SCHEDULE

vs River City Leadoff (Feb. 10-12)
vs UNF/JU Invitational (Feb. 17-19)
at FAMU & Florida State (Feb. 22)
at Stetson Invitational (Feb. 25)^
vs Spring Break Challenge (Mar. 3-4)
vs Bethune-Cookman (Mar. 8)
vs UNF Invitational (Mar. 10-12)
at Central Arkansas (Mar. 18-19)*
vs Florida Atlantic (Mar. 22)
vs Stetson (Mar. 25-26)*
at UCF (Mar. 29)
at Jacksonville State (Apr. 1-2)*
vs Liberty (Apr. 7-8)*
at Florida (Apr. 12)
at North Alabama (Apr. 15-16)*
vs Florida International (Apr. 19)
vs Bellarmine (Apr. 22-23)*
vs Georgia Southern (Apr. 26)
at Florida Gulf Coast (Apr. 29-30)*
vs Jacksonville (May 4-6)*
at ASUN Conference Tournament (May 10-13)

Bold = Home Games
* = ASUN Teams
^ = Neutral Site Games
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