The UNF softball team is entering the 2025 season with high expectations, boasting its deepest and most competitive roster in years. 

The Ospreys are currently 5-2. After losing to UF on opening night, the team returned home for the River City Leadoff classic. UNF bounced back with three wins over Western Carolina and one win over Jacksonville State and on Wednesday, defeated Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach.

Pitching Staff Strength

Despite losing nine players from last season’s team, the Ospreys return a proven pitching staff, including two players who’ve won double-digit games, and a more versatile offense. 

More specifically, on the pitching side, North Florida returns Preseason ASUN Player Of The Year Allison Benning, and senior Ashley Connor, seeking a bigger role this season. Benning won 19 games last season, garnering many awards because of her two-way ability, while Connor won 13 games two years ago. 

“She’s a unique talent,” said head coach Jeff Conrad, referring to Benning. “You don’t see as many people like her anymore that do the pitching, the hitting, that play defense and impact the game in many ways.”

It’s safe to say UNF’s pitching will be its strength this season, with Conrad touting the group as the “best pitching staff we’ve had since I’ve been here.” It’s not just the upperclassmen Conrad is impressed with; the third-year head coach has high expectations for his freshman pitchers. 

“We really like the two freshman arms we have, you know,” Conrad said. “Taylor Cook, a freshman from California, super competitive kid, really high spin rate.”

Depth and Competitive Spirit

Conrad said this is UNF’s deepest team ever, emphasizing a strong competitive spirit among the players. While the team is young, Conrad said they don’t act like a young team. 

“There’s not a lot of complaining, and it’s just putting your head down and ‘go to work,’ which I think is a really positive mindset that we have with this group,” said Conrad. 

On the offensive side, Conrad said his lineup will be “much more complete this year.” Last year, UNF depended on the home run, leading the ASUN in long balls. While Conrad still believes this team has power, he also thinks they will be more versatile on offense. This includes more speed on the bases and a higher on-base percentage. 

“We’ve added a lot of speed, high on-base type kids, which I think is really going to make our offense a lot more challenging to compete against,” Conrad said. 

New Transfer Class

UNF added three players over the offseason: utility player Lauren Brock, outfielder Lauren Bevis, and Arizona State transfer Kalyn McCarthy. According to Conrad, these players bring experience and versatility to this young UNF team. 

More specifically, Conrad said Bevis is a Jacksonville native and is excited to return home. Conrad said UNF attempted to recruit McCarthy out of high school but reached out to her “a little too late.”

“We really think with those three kids, they just have the ability to create a lot of havoc on the bases and really set the table for the {middle of our lineup},” Conrad said. 

Conrad believes these transfers will lower the Osprey’s reliance on the home run and make UNF a threat on the bases. With an increased on-base percentage and a similar power production, the Ospreys have the potential to score more runs this season. 

Navigating Expectations and Program Evolution

UNF joins two other teams predicted to finish first in the ASUN standings. In contrast, the Ospreys were picked to finish 6th in 2024. Because of these changes, Conrad said the Ospreys have shifted from being the hunter to being “the hunted.”

“We’ve embraced it,” Conrad said. “This was kind of the vision to kind of elevate the program to this level.”

Conrad admits that UNF’s jump to the top happened “quicker than we thought.” He said the transfer portal has helped make these turnarounds quicker and more feasible, giving the program a reloading mindset instead of a rebuilding mindset. 

“I think, obviously, going on a run like that made it appealing to some of the transfers,” Conrad said, referring to UNF’s run to the ASUN tournament championship last year. 

Conrad emphasized the importance of making the narrative about the current players rather than those who have graduated. 

Team Goals

Conrad said UNF aims to compete for ASUN championships every team, with a team goal of making it to the NCAA Regionals. 

“We know what our mindset is,” Conrad said. “It’s NCAA regionals or bust.”

Conrad acknowledges the Ospreys’ tough non-conference schedule, which includes top opponents like Florida, Florida State, and Arkansas. Thankfully, the Ospreys face all three of those teams at home. Conrad said the team isn’t afraid of playing tough teams. 

“We’re diving in,” Conrad said, referring to UNF opening the season against top-ranked UF. “We’re not dipping our toes in the water.”

Conrad hopes North Florida’s difficult non-conference schedule prepares them for ASUN play. 

“We’re not going to shy away from competition in our league,” Conrad said. “You really can’t, because the league is so good you have to do everything you can do to build up and be ready for the ASUN.”

The Ospreys non-conference slate is underway as the Ospreys play in the UNF-JU Invitational on Feb. 14-16. UNF will face UConn and Cleveland State in a doubleheader on Friday starting at 4:30 p.m. 

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