Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, February 7, 2007]

With the start of baseball season just days away, the University of North Florida baseball team plans to prove that its successful rookie campaign in Division I last season was anything but a fluke. Various obstacles stand in the way of UNF's high hopes this season, including a difficult schedule, a highly competitive Atlantic Sun Conference, and the departure of several key players from last year's 34-21 team.

The Ospreys' aspiration to succeed is not unwarranted though, as expectations for the team have extended beyond the UNF locker room and into the national media. The Ospreys received several votes in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll of the top Division I baseball teams in the country, showing that their past performances and current roster have not gone unnoticed.

Head coach Dusty Rhodes, who returns for his 19th season at the helm of the baseball program, will lean heavily on four experienced senior players for a successful season and leadership for the young team.

"We're going to need them to be consistent, and to help the younger guys to be better players," Rhodes said. "We really want them to go out there and get off to a good start."

The four seniors that have stepped up on and off the field are starting pitcher Brad Johnson, first baseman Jimmy Glanville, catcher Brandon Diaz and right fielder Jon Dandridge.

Brad Johnson
The Ospreys' starting pitcher Brad Johnson returns to the team after leading UNF in 2006 with a 9-1 record and posting a 2.65 earned run average.

"I want to go out there and pitch well, but more importantly give the team a chance to win every game," he said.

The 6-foot-4-inch left-hander was named to the 2007 Preseason A-Sun All-Conference first-team after being honored with a selection to the A-Sun first-team a year ago.

Johnson will have a role in helping the Ospreys' young pitchers as he tries to instill knowledge through his actions on the field.

"I try to give a good example and show them the right way to play the game," he said.

Jimmy Glanville
As the Ospreys' starting first baseman, Jimmy Glanville wants to contribute to the team any way he can.

"I just want to do whatever I can possibly do to help our team win games this season," he said.

Glanville led the team with 20 multi-hit games and had a 17-game hitting streak en route to a .333 season average. He also proved to have sure hands at first base with 452 putouts and a .990 fielding percentage. The success of last year's team proved one thing in Glanville's mind.

"It shows that we can hang with anybody," he said.

Brandon Diaz
Catcher Brandon Diaz will have the task, in part, of handling the many young pitchers on the team.

While the Ospreys count on Diaz to lead offensively again this season, it will be his relationships with the underclassmen pitchers that will be most important to their success, Rhodes said.

"I try to take time with them to get them ready for the season," Diaz said. "This is a lot different than high school baseball but I think we can win. We have the ability to beat every team on our schedule at least once."

Jon Dandridge
Right fielder Jon Dandridge finished with a batting average of .292, to go along with 49 outfield putouts. He did his best work in the clutch however, hitting over .500 (7 for 12) with a runner on third base and less than two outs.

The 6-foot-6-inch left handed hitter has his sights set clearly on the Ospreys' ultimate goal for this season.

"The only thing we can do is win the conference, so that's what we're shooting for," he said.

Entering his second season at UNF, Dandridge knows the responsibilities that come with being an upperclassman on the team.

"We have a young team so we have to make sure the new guys know what's expected of them," he said.

North Florida's 56-game schedule includes games against four teams ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll.

The Ospreys will start the season Feb. 9 in the Coastal Carolina tournament against the University of Virginia (ranked No. 9) and Elon College.

The Ospreys will also make trips to visit national powerhouses University of Miami (No. 3), Tulane University (No. 16) and Florida State University (No. 17).

"The idea is to play a tough schedule so we can be ready and play well in the conference, Rhodes said. "We're giving these guys an opportunity to play somebody that's going to go to the World Series."

Although UNF is not eligible for postseason play until 2010 - as required by its transition to Division I - the team still has plenty to play for.

"We made up our minds," Rhodes said. "Every year we can't go to postseason play we're going to take these guys and find the best teams we can find, and try to go play them."

Basketball team needs to win

By Ryan Clarke
FRESHMAN, JouRNALISM

Win or lose - a binary set of circumstances with enough power to make careers or end them; a result that has the power to crush the morale of millions, while at the same time lifting the hearts of millions more.

These two words possess enough strength to each render their own excellent and sometimes terrible consequences.

And are two words, that before this year, I had not fully been able to appreciate.

In the collegiate and professional levels, success in sports is measured by one thing: winning.

Prior to coming to the University of North Florida, I had been raised on winning franchises. The Yankees, Gators and Jaguars spoiled me throughout my childhood, giving me experiences emblazoned into my memory for a lifetime.

Needless to say, sitting through what has so far been a two-win basketball season has been a little bit of a readjustment for me. Maybe not a readjustment. How about shock?

The team's top-scoring player Rashad Williams was dismissed from the team for a set of unknown academic circumstances. Williams led the team in eight of his 10 games in action. It's fair to say that his presence, or better yet, lack there of has cost the Ospreys valuable victories, and instead given them agonizing defeats:

- A terrific comeback finished inches short against Florida A&M University.

- A red-hot Osprey offense went Russian-winter cold in overtime against Stetson University.

- A "technically" painful loss to Campbell University.

After the first heart-breaker against Florida A&M, Matt Kilcullen praised his team's effort, saying he could take positives away from the game and build upon those.

But whose job is it to ensure success on the court, to push the players far beyond their limits and help them achieve things that they couldn't accomplish in their wildest imaginations?

It's easy to point fingers at coach Kilcullen, but he works them as hard as anybody in practices, makes them run suicide after suicide after every missed free throw.

This team has hit a roadblock, a losing roadblock. It has lost 26 of its last 28 games.

So what do the Ospreys need to believe?

"I can coach till I'm blue in the face, and I can tell the kids what we need to do to win, but until you win that game, you're going to struggle," Kilcullen said.

So it's simple: win.

It would be a monumental step in the right direction during the transition into Division I. It would give a glimmer of hope, a prospect of optimism, a chance to right wrongs.

Contact Ryan Clarke at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE

Sophomore's career-high earns Ospreys' third consecutive win

Team wins 74-73 in close game during last seconds with free throws

A top offensive performance by a University of North Florida sophomore guard assured a 74-73 win over Campbell University Feb. 1.

Jennifer Bowen scored a career-high and game-high 28 points against Campbell. The score offset Octavia Blackwell's career-high 24 points for Campbell.

Sophomore forward Jennifer Guldager followed Bowen with 12 points, while senior guard Denisia Andrews contributed nine points and freshman point guard Shandrea Moore added eight points and eight assists.

The close game was tied at 6-6 early on and North Florida led Campbell 37-35 at the half.

Back-to-back layups in the opening minutes of the second half by Bowen and Guldager increased the Osprey lead 41-35.

However, Campbell fought back and tied the score 44-44.

With 1 minute and 5 seconds left in the game, UNF lead 69-68. The Ospreys sealed a 1-point victory with free throws and layups by Bowen and Guldager.

After a competitive victory over Campbell, the Ospreys suffered a close 57-54 loss against Gardner-Webb University Feb. 3.

Bowen continued to lead offensively, scoring 18 points.

Gardner-Webb's Shamika Smith also finished with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Tamara Hubbard contributed 11 points for the Ospreys, while Guldager scored nine points and shared a team-high eight rebounds with Moore. Willonda Windham scored five points and six rebounds against Gardner-Webb.

The teams were tied 13-13 with 10:41 left in the first half, but Gardner-Webb made five free throws and took control.

The Ospreys responded with a 5-0 scoring run and continued to finish the first half with a 28-26 advantage.

The second half proved to be just as close.

With under a minute remaining in the 54-54 game, Gardner Webb scored three free throws, ending UNF's three-game winning streak.

The match, which included 13 ties and 12 lead changes, brought the Ospreys record to 6-15 overall and 5-6 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The team will face the University of Virginia Feb. 6 and Jacksonville University Feb. 10.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE

Ospreys refuse to be intimidated by conference

The University of North Florida softball team launches into its second season in Division I committed to finishing ahead of the predicted Atlantic Sun Conference poll.

Picked to finish fifth, UNF head coach Sonya Wilmoth has high expectations for her players and their tough schedule.

"Right off the bat we're hitting some tough competition," Wilmoth said. "We can play with anybody, it's how we prepare to play that is going to be the key."

Last season the Ospreys finished sixth in the conference. Wilmoth believed the Ospreys went in blind, not knowing who the other teams were. The same was true for the opponents' knowledge of UNF, she said.

Wilmoth is expecting the team to perform better this season. She said many new freshmen and junior college transfers will bring offensive power and defensive stability to the lineup.

"We've brought in kids who can just flat out hit," Wilmoth said.

Even with their talent, the head coach is looking to seniors Christina Evans and Kelli Rutenbar to shape the freshmen class into Ospreys. The two, along with juniors Tori Ahern, Ashley Parenteau and Gwen Williams, have stepped up to the plate and taken leadership roles, mentally preparing their new teammates for the level of play they will face.

Despite the 2007 A-Sun preseason poll, Wilmoth believes the team will compete for a top spot in the conference.

"We can hang with them [Stetson University and Kennesaw State University, 1st and 2nd in the A-Sun poll, respectively]," she said. "We're better than fifth, and we'll prove that to people throughout the year."

The Ospreys will have that chance during the Arizona State Tournament in March where they'll play against the fifth- ranked team in the nation, Arizona State University.

To get to the top, the Ospreys are committed to making a change. Knowing they will have to compete everyday at a high level, and that they can't cling to the excuses from last year, the team created the "We Refuse" list.

"We reflected on what happened last year and then, as a group - especially the girls that are returning - decided how we are going to change things to make sure the same doesn't happen this year," Wilmoth said.

There are 11 refusals on the list, one of which is the refusal to be satisfied with mediocrity.

This season, the Ospreys' eyes are wide open to big things, Wilmoth said.

The Ospreys take on the University of South Carolina at the Florida Atlantic University Invitational Feb. 9 in their first game of the season.

Team stumbles in 'Rumble'

The University of North Florida men's basketball team recorded another unsuccessful result against cross-town rival Jacksonville University Feb. 3 in its second match-up of the season.

Free throws, second chance points and 3-point shooting continued to be a problem for the Ospreys as they lost 75-59 to the Dolphins.

The Ospreys trailed 41-35 at the half, with the Dolphins shooting 90 percent at the free- throw line. The Dolphins out-rebounded the Ospreys 15-10 in the first half.

"I think they [Jacksonville University] are very strong with their dual-penetration offense," head coach Matt Killcullen said. "That's the one thing we tried to work on to prevent, but unfortunately they got more of the offensive rebounds."

Sophomore guard Aaron Caruthers led UNF with 13 points in the first half, including a last minute run of 3-point shots alongside junior guard Chris Timberlake.

The Ospreys continued in the second half from outside the arc, shooting two 3-pointers to bring the lead within one. Jacksonville produced several back-to-back plays, however, including two 3-point shots and a layup to take control for the rest of the game.

"I thought it was a hard fought game though we didn't make some open shots," Killcullen said. "We have to learn how to fight through it."

Caruthers and Timberlake led the team with 18 points against the Dolphins, while junior center James Grimball scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Five Jacksonville University players scored double-digits, and the Dolphins added 23 points off the bench compared to UNF's five.

"You have to play with the hand you're dealt with," Timberlake said. "Regardless of short numbers, we have to play."

The Ospreys' next game is at 7 p.m., Feb. 8 at UNF arena when they host Kennesaw State University.

Print Edition

SPORTS

Headed back on the mound

Basketball team needs to win

Sophomore's career-high earns Ospreys' third consecutive win

Team wins 74-73 in close game during last seconds with free throws

Ospreys refuse to be intimidated by conference

Team stumbles in 'Rumble'

Ospreys not scoring against top opponents

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