During the 2025 season, the UNF softball team broke all kinds of school records, winning the program’s first ASUN tournament and advancing to a regional final. 

With a new season on the horizon, coaches and players weigh in on reproducing past success with new, returning, and transfer players.

Positives and Negatives of Success

Head coach Jeff Conrad said the 2026 team is ready to write their own magical story. He credits this mindset to the seniors, who are guiding the younger players.

“Our seniors coming back have done a really good job of making sure this team understands last year’s team did what last year’s team did and this team hasn’t done anything yet,” Conrad said. 

With such a successful 2025 season, Conrad said his team is embracing the pressure from heightened expectations.

“Pressure is a good thing,” he said. “If you have pressure, it means that your expectations are high and you’ve done some things well.”

To help combat the additional pressure, the Ospreys signed a top 10 transfer class by total WAR added, according to 643 Charts. Bringing in 12 transfer players, Conrad feels he replaced key losses, including two-way player Allison Benning and catcher Kirsten Caravaca. 

“There are kids that are coming here because they want to win,” Conrad said. “So keeping them motivated has been very easy.”

Conrad attributes the team’s success last year to the massive influx of transfers. Previously, UNF softball would be the one searching for hidden talent. But now players are reaching out to the coaching staff. 

“[The tournament run] definitely unlocked a whole other level of player,” Conrad said. “We’ve traditionally done very well in the portal. Usually that equates to us hitting refresh every 15 minutes and seeing who’s [in the portal]. Now all of a sudden these kids are starting to find us.”

The fourth-year head coach said these new transfers are blending in well with the returners. 

Impact Transfers

With the influx of transfer players, Conrad said there are three players who have a chance to steal up to 35 bases. Additionally, the entire lineup has good table setters who can start innings with walks or singles and plenty of power to bring them home, according to Conrad.

Specifically, Conrad touted Mercer transfer Hallie Langford, who will be the Ospreys’ leadoff hitter. 

“Just a complete player,” Conrad said. “She competes on the offensive end and is constantly on base.”

Continuing the praise, Conrad said Langford could score 70-80 runs this season and is player of the year potential. 

Infielder and Arizona State transfer Ayden Allen could be an under-the-radar piece for UNF, according to Conrad, who said “she’s been really impressive” since arriving on campus. 

Additionally, Conrad commended Troy transfer Caiden Oliva, who will be fulfilling the catching position. 

“Probably as good an offensive catcher as we’ve had in the 10 years that I’ve been here,” Conrad said. “She put up really big numbers as a freshman at Troy.”

On the mound, Conrad mentioned Purdue transfer pitcher Kadyn Camper and highlighted her potential. 

“She’s kind of a freshman in a lot of ways where she didn’t get a lot of run at Purdue and she’s still trying to figure things out,” Conrad said. “But she’s somebody we think has a really high upside.”

Kelsey Vogel’s Leadership Role

One of the returners, senior Kelsey Vogel, said it took some time to build this year’s team chemistry.

At practices, Vogel said they would practice communicating with each other on the field as they would during a game. 

“I think we’ve done a really good job putting effort in that and making [team chemistry] a priority,” the infielder said.

After suffering an injury last year, Vogel is one of the key returners Conrad expects to immediately impact the team. 

“She’s someone that’s really obviously stepped into a leadership role but somebody who was competing at a very high level for us prior to injury,” Conrad said. “We’re expecting a lot of big things out of her.”

Being a senior and returning to her position, Vogel hopes to have a higher fielding percentage at second base.

“I didn’t really have the best defensive year [last year at shortstop],” Vogel said. “But I’m looking forward to flipping that switch and just doing the best I can over there.”

Vogel also attributes her leadership role to last year’s seniors.

“The seniors around me, we all have each other’s backs,” Vogel said “We’re all here for the same reason, trying to get to another ASUN Championship and regional.”

Vogel is looking forward to seeing her team’s defensive communication pay off, whether it be outfield throws or executing double plays.

“We’re just really trusting in each other and listening to what our catcher says, where to throw the ball,” Vogel said. “I’m excited to see that in the season and how it plays out.”

Over time, Vogel said she’s seen the team grow in her four years as an Osprey. She attributes this growth to the two new assistant coaches, Amber Fiser and Mario Hernandez, who both organize and plan out practices. 

“They really truly care for us as people, not just players,” Vogel said. “They really bought into us so we bought into them.”

Returners, transfers, and new faces

A team full of transfers, returners, and new players will be warming up on the diamond and preparing for days with back-to-back games. Early in the season, many teams, like UNF, will be playing in lengthy classics against several opponents.

Conrad noted the 2026 softball team’s competitive nature for the upcoming season. 

“In today’s day and age, it’s kind of rare to find a team top through bottom that has that competitiveness,” Conrad said. “That fights one through 25.”Something Conrad wants his team to work on is “focusing on the little things” that are “very easy to overlook.”

“We want to be able to ace the details and make sure that when we get into tough situations and stuff we can rely on our group to be able to execute the small things,” Conrad said. 

Head coach Jeff Conrad believes his team has plenty of pieces to compete against this season’s opponents.

“[The roster is] deeper, it’s more athletic, it’s more balanced,” Conrad said. “The length one through nine is really good. It’s going to be a very hard lineup for opposing pitchers to navigate.”

Schedule Outlook

Picked to finish first in the ASUN, Conrad believes his team can play with anyone.

“We can compete in these games,” Conrad said, referring to facing Power Four teams. “Why can’t we win? We go into every game thinking so.”

UNF softball is also eighth in the preseason mid-major power rankings, according to Softball America.

UNF softball faces five different Power 4 schools, beginning with Auburn on Thursday, Feb. 4, at the UNF Softball Complex. First pitch is at 4 p.m. and the game will not be streamed. 

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