The North Florida Ospreys baseball team represents the University of North Florida in the sport of baseball. The Ospreys compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), in the ASUN Conference (A-Sun). They play their home games in Harmon Stadium on the university's Jacksonville, Florida campus. The Ospreys were founded in 1988 as members of the NAIA. They moved to the NCAA Division II level in 1994, and began their Division I transition in 2006. They became fully eligible at the Division I level in 2010. Most recently, the Ospreys won their first Atlantic Sun regular season championship in 2015.[2]
| North Florida Ospreys baseball | |
|---|---|
 2024 North Florida Ospreys baseball team | |
 | |
| Founded | 1988 |
| University | University of North Florida |
| Head coach | Joe Mercadante (1st season) |
| Conference | ASUN |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Home stadium | Harmon Stadium (Capacity: 1,000) |
| Nickname | Ospreys |
| Colors | Navy blue and gray[1] |
| College World Series runner-up | |
| Division II: 2005 | |
| College World Series appearances | |
| NAIA: 1989, 1991 Division II: 2000, 2001, 2005 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| Division II: 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 | |
| Regular season conference champions | |
| Division I: 2015 Division II: 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 | |
History
editNorth Florida's baseball program was founded in 1988. The team was established under the leadership of Dusty Rhodes, who served as head coach from 1988 to 2010. Since its inception, the Ospreys baseball team has won 13 conference titles: six in the NAIA, six in NCAA Division II, and one in NCAA Division I and has made a total of 16 playoff appearances: six in the NAIA and ten in NCAA Division II. They went to the NAIA World Series in 1989 and 1991 and the NCAA Division II World Series in 2000, 2001, and 2005, advancing to the final in 2005.[3][4]
Notably, the team's former logo is similar to the New York Yankees logo. It was designed in 1986 at the urging of Dusty Rhodes and continued, and brought extra attention to the baseball program.[5] It was discontinued after Rhodes' retirement in 2010 and replaced with a new logo for the 2011 season.
[6][7] The Ospreys won their first Atlantic Sun regular season championship in 2015.[2] Star outfielder Donnie Dewees, a redshirt sophomore, was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and Laval was the conference's Coach of the Year. Dewees led the nation in runs (81), runs per game (1.51), hits (101) and total bases (178) at the conclusion of the regular season and posted a 31-game hit streak.[8] Dewees was also named one of 21 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award.[9] The Chicago Cubs selected Dewees in the second round, with the 47th overall selection, of the draft.[10] He was UNF's highest-drafted player since they transitioned to Division I in 2005.[11]
Facilities
editThe Ospreys play their home games on campus at Harmon Stadium. It was built in 1988 and has a capacity of 1,000 fans. The playing field and batting facility are named for former Ospreys baseball coach Dusty Rhodes.[12]
Head coaches
edit| Baseball head coaches | Seasons |
|---|---|
| Dusty Rhodes | 1988–2010 |
| Smoke Laval | 2011–2017 |
| Tim Parenton | 2018–2023 |
Year-by-year results
edit| College World Series appearance | NCAA Tournament appearance | Conference regular season champions | Conference tournament champions | Conference regular season and tournament champions |
| Season | Head coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 25 (NAIA) | |||||
| 1988 | Dusty Rhodes | 47–17 | 18–6 | 1st | Area V Tournament, 1–2 |
| 1989 | Dusty Rhodes | 53–18 | 25–3 | 1st | NAIA World Series, 3rd place |
| 1990 | Dusty Rhodes | 43–20 | 19–3 | 1st | District 25 Tournament, 2–2 |
| 1991 | Dusty Rhodes | 57–13 | 23–1 | 1st | NAIA World Series, 3rd place |
| 1992 | Dusty Rhodes | 51–12 | 27–3 | 1st | Area V Tournament, 2–1 |
| District 7 (NAIA) | |||||
| 1993 | Dusty Rhodes | 45–12 | 28–4 | 1st | District 7 Tournament, 1–2 |
| NAIA Total: | 296–92 (.763) | 140–20 (.875) | |||
| Sunshine State Conference (NCAA Division II) | |||||
| 1994 | Dusty Rhodes | 33–19 | 15–6 | 2nd | NCAA South Regional, 1–2 |
| 1995 | Dusty Rhodes | 36–16 | 15–6 | 1st | NCAA South Regional, 0–2 |
| 1996 | Dusty Rhodes | 26–29 | 10–11 | 4th | |
| 1997 | Dusty Rhodes | 39–17 | 13–8 | 3rd | NCAA South Regional, 0–2 |
| Sunshine State Total: | 134–81 (.623) | 53–31 (.631) | |||
| Peach Belt Conference (NCAA Division II) | |||||
| 1998 | Dusty Rhodes | 32–21 | 15–11 | 2nd | |
| 1999 | Dusty Rhodes | 43–17 | 22–8 | 1st | NCAA South Atlantic Regional, 3–2 |
| 2000 | Dusty Rhodes | 49–14 | 26–4 | 1st | D-II World Series, 3rd place |
| 2001 | Dusty Rhodes | 47–17 | 25–5 | 1st | D-II World Series, 3rd place |
| 2002 | Dusty Rhodes | 40–16 | 23–7 | 2nd | NCAA South Atlantic Regional, 0–2 |
| 2003 | Dusty Rhodes | 39–18 | 18–9 | T-1st | NCAA South Atlantic Regional, 2–2 |
| 2004 | Dusty Rhodes | 41–18 | 23–7 | 1st | NCAA South Atlantic Regional, 2–2 |
| 2005 | Dusty Rhodes | 48–16 | 23–7 | 1st | D-II World Series, runner-up |
| Peach Belt Total: | 339–137 (.712) | 175–58 (.751) | |||
| ASUN Conference (NCAA Division I) | |||||
| 2006 | Dusty Rhodes | 34–21 | 20–10 | 2nd | |
| 2007 | Dusty Rhodes | 24–32 | 13–14 | 6th | |
| 2008 | Dusty Rhodes | 29–26 | 18–15 | 4th | |
| 2009 | Dusty Rhodes | 23–31 | 15–15 | T-6th | |
| 2010 | Dusty Rhodes | 30–28 | 14–12 | 4th | A-Sun Tournament, 1–2 |
| 2011 | Smoke Laval | 27–27 | 13–17 | 8th | |
| 2012 | Smoke Laval | 31–24 | 12–15 | 8th | |
| 2013 | Smoke Laval | 40–19 | 18–9 | 3rd | A-Sun Tournament, 2–2 |
| 2014 | Smoke Laval | 22–31 | 11–16 | 8th | A-Sun Tournament, 0–2 |
| 2015 | Smoke Laval | 45–16 | 16–5 | 1st | A-Sun Tournament, 3–2 (Runner-up) |
| 2016 | Smoke Laval | 39–19 | 15–6 | 2nd | A-Sun Tournament, 2–2 |
| Atlantic Sun Total: | 344–274 (.557) | 166–136 (.550) | |||
| Total: | 1,113–584 (.656) | ||||
Conference championships
edit| Season | Coach | Overall record | Conf. record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Smoke Laval | 45–16 | 16–5 |
Awards
editConference awards
edit- Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year
- Smoke Laval (2015)
- Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year
- Donnie Dewees (2015)
References
edit- ^ "UNF - Marketing and Publications - Official Athletic Logos and Identifying Marks". 24 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ a b "@OspreyBSB Sweeps Upstate, Win 2015 A-Sun Regular Season Championship". UNFOspreys.com. University of North Florida. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ "2011 North Florida Baseball" (PDF). unfospreys.com. University of North Florida. 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ "University of North Florida Athletics – 2008 Baseball Coaching Staff". Unfospreys.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "Baseball logo brings fans together". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ "Coach Dusty Rhodes optimistic entering final season at North Florida". jacksonville.com. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "University of North Florida Athletics – Ospreys hush red-hot No. 11 Hurricanes". Unfospreys.com. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "@ASunBSB All-Conference Awards: Laval, Dewees Earn Top Honors". UNFOspreys.com. University of North Florida. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ "Dewees Named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist". UNFOspreys.com. University of North Florida. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ "Cubs select CF Donnie Dewees in the 2nd round". chicagonow.com. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Timothy Bee (9 June 2015). "UNF's Donnie Dewees goes 47th overall to Chicago Cubs". FCN First For You. Retrieved 9 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium". UNFOspreys.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.