Over the week, there were only two UNF sports in action, with one stealing the show. 

While UNF Baseball won its series against Queens, the university’s other diamond team made school history. For the first time in the program’s 20-year Division One history, the University of North Florida softball team can call itself Atlantic Sun Champions. 

Guided by three gritty, one-run victories in the ASUN tournament, the one-seeded Ospreys used strong pitching from senior Allison Benning, who was named ASUN Tournament MVP, and junior Kylah Berry, who was added to the ASUN All-Tournament team. 

On the hitting side, junior Kirsten Caravaca and senior Lauren Brock combined to go 9 for 20 in the tournament. Overall, four different Ospreys were added to the All-Tournament team, including Caravaca and Brock. 

With the championship originally scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time, North Florida and Eastern Kentucky were forced to wait four additional hours due to inclement weather. Since North Florida defeated EKU in the semifinals, the Ospreys were rested because they didn’t have to play two games on Friday. 

How UNF won the championship

EKU opened the scoring with a run in the first inning, but UNF tied the game on a Caravaca triple. Despite EKU retaking the lead once again in the fourth, UNF answered back in the bottom half of the inning. 

In between a nearly 30-minute-long rain delay, the Ospreys built a productive inning. Sophomore Addyson Bruneman doubled in freshman Grace Shaw-Rockey to tie the game. Even though UNF acquired two more hits, the Ospreys failed to take the lead this inning.

However, the Ospreys had other plans for the next inning. Three straight singles by Caravaca, Shaw-Rockey, and Hadlee Reichert gave UNF the lead, while also setting up two runners in scoring position. 

North Florida added to its scoring barrage with two RBI singles by Kalyn McCarthy and Brock. Now up 5-2, the Ospreys likely weren’t expecting EKU to go down quietly. 

They didn’t silently succumb to its loss, as the Colonels doubled in a pair of runs. Holding onto a slim 5-4 lead, the Ospreys failed to add an insurance run. Ultimately, though, UNF didn’t need an extra run. 

Berry, who relieved Benning, got all three outs and UNF did indeed finish the job. 

NCAA Regionals on the Horizon

After winning the ASUN tournament, the Ospreys awaited their designation for the NCAA softball regionals. During Sunday’s selection show, the selection committee announced that North Florida will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, over the weekend. 

North Florida, the three seed in the Columbia Regional, will face two-seeded Virginia on Friday at 3 p.m. If the Ospreys upset the Cavaliers, UNF will face the winner of South Carolina against Elon on Saturday. 

Because the Regional round is double elimination, the Ospreys will face the loser of that matchup if UNF falls to Virginia. 

Recaps of North Florida softball’s other two ASUN tournament wins can be found here.

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