No. 3 Seminoles face UNF, Jacksonville: Preview, how to watch, game thread

The Florida State Seminoles will head East on Wednesday for another pair of out-of-conference, in-state, opponents in North Florida and Jacksonville.

North Florida Ospreys: Wednesday, March 30th

Last meeting: 2019, FSU leads matchups 16-1

The Ospreys are coming off a series loss to a conference opponent in Jacksonville State. They sit 4th in the ASUN’s East division with an overall record of 26-9. Head Coach Marcie Higgins’ team is led by upperclassmen both in the circle and at the plate.

Junior pitcher Halle Arends leads the team in innings pitched with 80.1. Her 12-2 record has come with 52 hits and 21 runs. Arends has given up 24 walks to 80 strikeouts, giving her a 1.22 ERA. Following Arends is Senior Morgan Clausen, who has 68.2 innings and a .82 ERA. In her 16 games, she has 51 hits, 15 runs, and 8 walks to 70 strikeouts.

The UNF pitching staff has 3 players in Clausen, Arends and 5th year Erin Kyle who rank in order as the top 3 pitchers in the ASUN in ERA. Arends sits at 4th in strikeouts and first in wins.

Senior Paige Pfent leads the Ospreys in many offensive categories this season. Her .396 BA, 41 hits, 5 home runs, and .642 slugging percentage all sit on top of the statistic categories in 2022. Along with Pfent is Junior Kayla Harper who not only has a good plate presence but also brings the speed when she gets on base. Harper has a .309 BA with 34 hits and 15 RBI. Her 18 stolen bases are the most by far on the team.

Jacksonville Dolphins: Wednesday, March 30th

Last meeting: 2016, FSU leads matchups 17-4

Head Coach Erica Ayers has her squad second in the ASUN’s East division with an 11-14 overall record. For the Dolphins, a mix of young players are helping out with experienced upperclassmen.

Junior Joely Leguizamon has a .375 BA to this point in the season and has driven in 4 and .525 slugging. Senior Victoria Rodebaugh has a .338 BA with 13 RBI, the most on the team, off of 22 hits. Sophomore Kari Holzrichter and her .327 BA have driven in 11 RBI with 16 hits. All three of Leguizamon, Rodebaugh and Holzrichter have 1 homerun on the season.

The Dolphins use 3 pitchers primarily on their staff. Senior Skylar Whitty has 18 appearances on the season, with 83.1 IP, 62 runs, 47 strikeouts, 38 walks with a 6.16 ERA. Behind Whitty is Junior Shelby Harpe. Coming into the matchup, Harpe has a 6.68 ERA with 60.2 IP, 58 runs, 36 walks and 19 strikeouts. Following the two upperclassmen is Freshman Ashlee Harwood. Harwood has pitched 14 innings and allowed 14 hits and 14 runs. She has 17 walks and 7 strikeouts in her first year so far.

Matchup

Batting Average

FSU (.299) UNF (.282) JU (.255)

Fielding Percentage

FSU (.987) UNF (.963) JU (.946)

ERA

FSU (1.26) UNF (1.18) JU (5.59)

More to know

Kathryn Sandercock and Michaela Edenfield entered D1Softball.com’s pitcher and catcher power rankings for week 7. Sandercock was ranked No. 2, behind UCLA’s Megan Faraimo, for her 15-0, 0.82 ERA, 86 K, 11 BB, .173 B/AVG, 93.2 IP.

Edenfield ranks No. 5, behind the catchers of Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi State. Up to this point in the season Edenfield has .346 BA, 1.341 OPS, 3 2B, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 22 BB, 3 CSB, 9 SBA, 4 PB, 1.000 FLD%.

How to Watch

FSU will square off with UNF at 3 pm on the UNF livestream, followed by JU at 5:30 on ESPN+

Games will take place at Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex at JU