Team finds its swing in D-I play

By Brittinee Phillips
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Media Relations

Junior shortstop Ashley Parenteau led the Ospreys against James Madison University, hitting her first home run of the season. The Ospreys won 3-2.

The University of North Florida softball team has already improved from last season, finishing 3-2 at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C. The Ospreys finished 1-3 at the tournament in 2006.

North Florida defeated James Madison University with a 3-2 win Feb. 18, a finish that pleased head coach Sonya Wilmoth.

After taking third place Feb. 11 at the FAU Miken Invitational, the Ospreys had a different challenging element to worry about in Charleston: cold weather.

"We had Florida kids playing in 30 degree weather," Wilmoth said.

Besides the cold weather, the Ospreys' preparation for the tournament wasn't any different from preparing for the FAU Miken Invitational. Wilmoth believes the teams at the FAU Invitational were harder due to their different pitching techniques.

The Cougar Classic did start out a little rough for the Ospreys, however.

On day one of the tournament, the Ospreys lost to the College of Charleston and North Dakota State. The Ospreys opened the second day with a 6-1 win against Manhattan and then repaid North Dakota State with a 6-5 win.

"Friday was horrible," Wilmoth said. "Nothing was done right or well. But North Dakota State wasn't taking two wins from us."

This turnaround in performance was contributed to the commitment of the team.

Junior shortstop Ashley Parenteau, junior pitcher Tori Ahern and freshman pitcher Devyn Findley played with better energy, Wilmoth said. Freshman Heather Hyde hit her first home run as an Osprey, and senior Christina Evans hit her first home run this season.

Wilmoth said she felt the team did a better job of keeping fight in them the entire game. As a team, the Ospreys chose to forget about the losses during the first day and stayed focused.

"Beating teams like James Madison was the highlight for the team this tournament," Wilmoth said.

The challenges don't stop with James Madison, however. The Ospreys will face more top contenders as the season progresses, including their next challenge with the University of Florida Gators.

"We'll be prepared to fight and play what we know how to do," Williams said.

Wilmoth is expecting the team to be fundamentally sound for the Gators, knowing the Ospreys can't come out unprepared against a contender like Florida.

The team agrees.

"I expect it to be a close game," Hyde said.

The Ospreys face Florida Feb. 21 in Gainesville before picking back up with two additional tournaments.

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Ospreys continue losing streak: Men's basketball

By Holli Welch
SPORTS EDITOR

James Fernandez

Sophomore guard Cortez Riley scored 10 points against Stetson.

Despite two strong offensive performances by a University of North Florida junior point guard, the men's basketball team lost 74-63 to Stetson University Feb. 15 and 69-59 to Mercer University Feb. 18.

Chris Timberlake scored a season-high 21 points against Stetson and followed with 16 points against Mercer during the final road trip for the Ospreys.

Timberlake was joined by freshman guard Germaine Sparks and sophomore guards Aaron Caruthers and Cortez Riley, who all scored double-digits against Stetson. Sparks totaled 13, Caruthers scored 12, and Riley finished with 10.

The losing factor for the Ospreys came in turnovers, however, with 17 throughout the game.

Stetson's A.J. Smith also stayed close to Timberlake, scoring 22 points for the Stetson Hatters.

Against Mercer, the game showed similar results, with Mercer's senior Hrvoje Pervan scoring 25 points against UNF.

Offensively, the Ospreys stayed close to the Bears for the first 30 minutes, leading the game 48-46 with 8 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the game. But with Timberlake scoring only two points during the second half and the team shooting just 33 percent, Mercer pulled away and handed UNF its 15th consecutive loss.

"We had another one of those stretches where we couldn't finish on the offensive side," head coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We got good looks, but the ball wouldn't drop. We played hard but couldn't overcome our mistakes at critical times."

The Ospreys face Lipscomb University Feb. 22 and Belmont University Feb. 24 at the UNF Arena.

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Ospreys continue losing streak: Women's basketball

By Joshua E. Woods
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The University of North Florida women's basketball team lost 61-58 in the final minutes to East Tennessee State University Feb. 17, recording its fifth consecutive loss.

The game was marked by trends and tendencies that have accrued throughout the season, including two scoreless droughts in the second half.

Senior guard Cecilia Woolfolk led the team with 17 points, while sophomore guard Jennifer Bowen scored 15 points, including all eight of her free throw attempts. Freshman point guard Shandrea Moore led the Ospreys defensively with six rebounds.

Three points behind East Tennessee, Woolfolk was sent to the free-throw line and missed the basket -- on purpose.

Senior point guard Denisia Andrews grabbed the rebound and passed to Bowen for the 3-point shot to tie the game. Bowen missed the shot, however.

The close game was evident in more than just the final score, with both teams posting similar stats across the board.

The Ospreys grabbed 35 rebounds during the game, while the East Tennessee State Bucs had 37. The Ospreys also turned the ball over 25 times, compared to the Bucs' 24.

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Baseball team surprises fans with losing record

From the Cheap Seats

By Ryan Clarke
FRESHMAN, JOURNALISM

The men's basketball team wins a game. We get more parking lots. John Delaney runs for president. Canada invades the U.S. Steve Irwin comes back from the dead. The Red Sea parts again.

We thought for sure all of this would happen before the University of North Florida baseball team lost its first six games.

I guess we got that one wrong.

Through week one of the schedule, UNF baseball is 0-7. Think of circles or doughnuts, no matter how you slice it this team is one zero away from being the star in the next Bond movie.

Outscored by a 68-18 margin, the Ospreys have either misplaced their bats or need to cork the ones they already have.

Sure, this team has 20 freshmen, the most in the history of the program, but it's not the wide eyes of the new comers that's been the problem - it's the seniors.

"We have to get help from our seniors, they're not playing well," said head coach Dusty Rhodes.

Senior right-hander Derek Bell assisted in a brutal top of the ninth against Georgia Southern, where the Ospreys surrendered six runs.

"It's us seniors that aren't getting the job done," Bell said.

In fairness, it's not just Bell, nor is it just the seniors. It's also the death-row schedule that is lined up for the Ospreys. Trips to Virginia and a weekend series at Tulane University is not exactly cupcake season opener.

It is a miscalculation, a blunder - one that kills morale and siphons off support from a student body that is reliant on a successful baseball program to help facilitate some level of school spirit and pride.

North Florida was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference this season, but from the looks of things, that may have been too generous.

Senior Brad Johnson went 9-1 a year ago, with an earned run average of 2.65, and garnered pre-season All-Conference honors. Two appearances in, he's 0-2 and his ERA is 7.15.

Dusty Rhodes has never seen anything like this.

There is some solace early on, knowing some of the best seasons in UNF history have sprung up from atrocious starts, but for a coach that has won 802 games in his career, you have to wonder how long will it take for 803.

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Tulane Green Wave drowns Ospreys

By Scott Dye
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Media Relations

Senior Renzo Sheppard offered little assistance as the University of North Florida lost 5-1, 20-5, and 5-1 in a three-day series against Tulane University.

Media Relations

Freshman George Lott was one of the five freshmen to line up for the Ospreys during the series. Head coach Dusty Rhodes played more freshmen against Tulane than in any other game over the past 19 years.

The Tulane University Green Wave (4-2) proved to be too much this past weekend for the young Ospreys as it swept the University of North Florida (0-7) with scores of 5-1, 20-5, and 5-1 respectively over the three- day series.

Senior left-hander Brad Johnson took the mound Feb. 16, throwing 115 pitches in his 6 1/3 innings of work. Johnson surrendered 11 hits total but gave up only two runs through the first four innings before allowing the hard-hitting Green Wave a run in each of the next three innings.

Second baseman Chad Knight went 2 for 3 and drove in UNF's only run with his fifth inning single to score Jon Dandridge.

The Ospreys had trouble getting anything else going as the Tulane pitching staff racked up 15 strikeouts.

Tulane jumped out to a large lead early on in the second game, scoring 16 runs in the first three innings, including a 12-run third inning outburst. While the lead proved to be insurmountable, the Ospreys offense showed signs of life with five runs, their second highest total of the season thus far.

North Florida's scoring production was highlighted by Brandon Diaz's ninth inning bases-clearing 3 RBI double. The hit had no effect on the outcome of the game but may be just the thing the Ospreys need to break out of their early season offensive slump.

"Hitting is contagious," Diaz said. "Hopefully we can use a hit like that as momentum."

The Ospreys' starting pitcher, freshman John Atteo, helped to keep the Ospreys close with his solid 4 1/3 inning outing, allowing only two earned runs in the final game.

The Ospreys totaled seven hits but pushed across one run of support for their pitching staff.

Most of the offense was provided by senior right fielder Jon Dandridge who went 2 for 4 with a double, and senior catcher James Belyea who drove in the Ospreys lone run with a sixth inning single. Dandridge said he believes his team can and will play better.

"We're capable of producing more," Dandridge said. "We need to learn to win as a team, but we're just looking for a spark."

North Florida has had a tough road early on, battling some of the best teams in the country while having a great deal of inexperience on its roster.

The Ospreys youth was best exemplified by the use of five freshmen in the lineup during one point of the series. That number marked the most freshmen to play together at the same time in any game during coach Rhodes' 19-year tenure at UNF, according to Rhodes.

"We have a really young team and our young bats are inexperienced," Belyea said. "But since, I've been hearing our batting usually starts a little slowly."

The Ospreys will now set their sights on a much-anticipated lengthy homestand.

North Florida will play 16 of its next 17 games at home starting Feb. 23 with a three-game series againstTowson University. The Ospreys hope their return to Harmon Stadium will bring about some winning baseball.

"It will be good to get home," Rhodes said. "I think this weekend we'll start to pick it up."

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