Scouting the Columbia Regional opponents: North Florida Ospreys

The South Carolina softball team is hosting a regional for the first time since 2018. The Gamecocks will try to continue a historic season this weekend, starting with a game against Elon. South Carolina faces off against the Phoenix on Friday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN Plus.

Leading up to the postseason, GamecockCentral will be breaking down the other teams in the Columbia Regional. North Florida, the three seed, will be facing Virginia in the first round on Friday.

How North Florida got here

The Ospreys are making their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance after compiling a 45-13 record this season. The program got its start in 1992, but didn’t move up to the Division I level until 2005.

Following a 22-2 conference record in the ASUN regular season, North Florida won three consecutive one-run games in the ASUN Tournament to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. This is the fourth straight season with a different Atlantic Sun champion than the year before.

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The stiffest competition the Ospreys faced in the tournament was Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels (38-16) took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning of the championship game before the Ospreys swooped in and took the momentum back. Three runs in the bottom of the fifth proved to be the difference.

How North Florida stacks up against NCAA Division I teams

North Florida has played six games against high-major opponents this season. In those games, it is 0-6 with a combined run differential of -43. Its best result against a ranked team was a 5-3 loss to Florida State. However, the Ospreys mostly made quick work of ASUN opponents. Their only conference losses were a defeat to West Georgia in April and a loss to Florida Gulf Coast in the first week of May.

The Ospreys are in the top 50 nationally with a .310 team batting average. That’s just .01 behind South Carolina’s mark of .311. North Florida doesn’t have a ton of power in its lineup, ranking 129th nationally with 33 homers. The Ospreys, however, are one of 45 D-I programs with an OBP of .400 or higher.

On the mound, the Ospreys are 22nd nationally with a 1.23 WHIP and 11th with a 2.35 ERA. That’s quite good, though it’s worth noting the team has played mostly low-major competition in the ASUN.

North Florida’s key players

Allison Benning is the team’s MVP. Not only is she first on the team with a .409 batting average, but she also leads the team with 24 wins on the mound. Of the 58 games played, Benning has started 29 of them, and she has a 1.51 ERA. Benning broke the school record for home runs in a season this year with 19 long balls. The previous record holder? Benning, who hit 16 last year. This season, Benning has more home runs than the rest of the team combined.

The Minnesota native has an OBP of .611 this season, a program record. No previous Osprey had ever eclipsed the .500 mark prior. Part of that has to do with a program record of 70 walks. No other player in North Florida history has recorded 40 in a season before.

Elsewhere, Lauren Brock leads the team with 59 hits on the season. Kirsten Caravaca is second behind Benning with a .355 average at the plate. Caravaca is also one of three Ospreys with 10-plus doubles this season. Chloe Culp (10) and Kelsey Vogel (12) are the others. Culp is second on the team behind Benning with 36 RBI this year.

On the mound, Kylah Berry is leading the team with a 1.02 ERA. In just six starts this season, she’s had six wins, including two complete games. Berry also leads the team with six saves.

North Florida’s previous history with South Carolina

South Carolina has previously played North Florida eight times. The Gamecocks are 7-1 in those games, with the lone loss being a 3-2 defeat in 2008. The two teams haven’t met since 2015, and South Carolina has won the past five meetings.

Game one details

North Florida will play its first NCAA Tournament game against Virginia at 3 p.m. on Friday. The game will be streamed on ESPN Plus.

South Carolina will play against one of those teams on Saturday, regardless of the Gamecocks’ outcome against Elon.

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