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College baseball: Five things to watch as 2023 season begins

garry smits, florida times-union
·6 min read
Aidan Sweatt of the University of North Florida is the Ospreys' top returning hitter for the 2023 season. He played high school baseball at Fernandina Beach.
Aidan Sweatt of the University of North Florida is the Ospreys' top returning hitter for the 2023 season. He played high school baseball at Fernandina Beach.

One thing’s certain about the college baseball fortunes of Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida: they’re not facing high expectations given their quick exits from the ASUN tournament last year and preseason predictions.

JU is eighth and UNF ninth in the preseason ASUN poll, with Liberty the clear favorite, receiving 10 of the 14 first-place votes.

The Dolphins and Ospreys face unknowns in different areas.

College baseball 2022 recap

Hollow victory: UNF routs JU 9-3 but both eliminated from pool play in ASUN tournament

35 years, 1,000 victories and counting: Flagler baseball coach Dave Barnett celebrated for a career that isn't over yet

National champions:Edward Waters baseball eyes 'championship culture' after Black College World Series win

JU (27-28 overall, 13-16 in the ASUN last year) has a solid group of position players returning but needs to rebuild its starting rotation to get the game to right-handed reliever Bryce Fisher, the team’s only member of the preseason All-ASUN team.

UNF (22-33, 11-18) has a clear-cut No. 1 starter in junior left-hander Peter Holden, veteran depth in seniors Tony Roca of Ponte Vedra and Dominick Madonna and a good reliever in senior Stephen Halstead. But junior second baseman Aidan Sweatt is the only returning starter among position players.

Both teams open with three-game sets at home Friday through Sunday, the Dolphins facing Kent State and the Ospreys taking on Murray State.

Sweatt UNF’s offensive leader

The North Florida Ospreys will have to rely on a veteran pitching staff to carry the team until coach Tim Parenton knows what kind of offense he has. Sweatt, the team's only preseason All-ASUN player (.329, 32 runs, 38 RBI), and catcher Dallen Leach (.263) are the only returning position players who had 150 or more at-bats last season.

UNF 2023 baseball schedule

Holden (4-3, 3.41) is the top returning pitcher, and hopes are that hard-luck lefty Roca of Ponte Vedra Beach (0-6, 5.91) will get more run support. Roca had six starts lasting five or more innings in which he held opponents to three or less runs, but got the loss or a no-decision every time.

Right-handers Halstead (3-4, 3.66 five saves) and Madonna (5.06) add to the experience on the mound.

UNF had a nice recruiting haul from the First Coast with right-handed pitchers Finn Howell of St. Johns Country Day and Brandon Adams of Clay, middle infielder Alex Lodise of Bartram Trail, catcher Eric Fouraker of Trinity Christian, first baseman/third baseman Cal Leonard of Bishop Kenny and catcher Eli Maddox of Paxon.

JU outfield is fast, deep

Jacksonville University will have one of the best outfields in the ASUN, defensively and potentially offensively, returning junior Blake DeLamielleure in right (a team-high .283 average last season), senior Cam Ridley in center and either sophomore Clayton Hodges or junior Elias Flowers in left. Senior Tommy Joseph also adds experience.

JU 2023 baseball schedule

The Dolphins also return senior Chase Malloy at shortstop (.274, a team-leading 15 doubles).

Jacksonville University right-hander Bryce Fisher is the only member of the Dolphins named to the preseason All-ASUN team.
Jacksonville University right-hander Bryce Fisher is the only member of the Dolphins named to the preseason All-ASUN team.

JU knows who the main arm will be coming out of the bullpen: Fisher (3.03, 39 strikeouts in 38 innings). Starting pitching will be an early unknown quantity but coach Chris Hayes has some young local talent in right-handers Divine Valle and Isaac Williams of Fleming Island and lefty Dakota Stone of Sandalwood.

Also expected to contribute is Bartram Trail graduate Justin Nadeau at third.

Big games

JU will play eight non-conference games against in-state opponents and UNF 10, with two in common, Florida and Florida State:

JU in-state non-conference games

  • Feb. 21: FSU, 6 p.m.

  • Feb. 28: Florida, 6 p.m.

  • March 1: at Florida, 6 p.m.

  • March 8: at Miami, 4 p.m.

  • March 14: at Bethune-Cookman, 6 p.m.

  • April 4: at FSU, 6 p.m.

  • May 2: Bethune-Cookman, 7 p.m.

  • May 9: at FSU, 6 p.m.

UNF in-state non-conference games

  • Feb. 28: at Florida A&M, 4 p.m.

  • March 7: at UCF, 6 p.m.

  • March 14: at Florida, 6 p.m.

  • March 21: UCF, 6:05 p.m.

  • April 4: at South Florida, 6 p.m.

  • April 11: Florida A&M, 4:05 p.m.

  • April 18: South Florida, 6:05 p.m.

  • April 19: FSU, 6:05 p.m.

  • April 2: at Florida, 6 p.m.

  • May 2: at UCF, 6 p.m.

UNF will have three games against UCF (March 7 on the road, March 21 at home and May 2 on the road) and home-and-home sets against South Florida (April 4 on the road, April 18 at home) and Florida A&M (Feb. 28 on the road, April 11 at home). With the exception of the road game against FAMU (4 p.m.), those road games are at 6 p.m. and the home games at 6:05 p.m.

JU’s first ASUN series is at Lipscomb on March 17-19. UNF’s first ASUN set is on the same weekend, at Austin Peay. The River City Rumble closes the regular season with the two teams playing at JU’s Sessions Stadium May 18-20, with game times at 7 p.m. for the first two and 1 p.m. for the final meeting.

P.S.: Florida and Florida State will play their annual game in Jacksonville at 121 Financial Ballpark on March 28, at 6 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting taxslayergatorbowl.com/baseball.

Hungry Tigers are back for more

Edward Waters won the HBCU national championship last year for the second time under coach Reginald Johnson (they won it in 2011) and the Tigers return seven starters and a one-two punch on the mound in junior right-handers Will Valenti and Alexader Davila.

The offense will center around Ridgeview graduate Anthony Roman at catcher (.283 last season) and graduate senior Payton Shubert at shortstop (team-high .293 and 40 RBI in 2022).

Edward Waters 2023 baseball schedule

The Tigers beat Kentucky State in the championship game of the Black College World Series. They’re a full member of the SIAC this season but went 13-5 in the conference last season, playing a full schedule but still ineligible for the SIAC championship.

They will be this year. And Robinson, who began the season with 284 victories, likely won’t have to wait long to reach No. 300. He's at 288 after EWU's 4-2 start entering this weekend's SIAC opening series at home against LeMoyne-Owens.

Working on the next 1,000

Flagler College coach Dave Barnett began his 36th season on Feb. 3 and is 12th on the all-time career NCAA Division II victories list. He reached 1,000 victories last season in April and the Saints were picked to finish sixth in the Peach Belt.

Flagler College baseball coach Dave Barnett was honored last year for winning 1,000 career baseball games with the Saints.
Flagler College baseball coach Dave Barnett was honored last year for winning 1,000 career baseball games with the Saints.

Helping Barnett get a start on his next 1,000 victories will be senior pitcher Gage Vorhees (7-2, 3.41 in 2022), junior third baseman Jaiden Warde (.331 to lead the team last year) and junior second baseman Matthew Burke (.297), who led the conference in assists last season.

Flagler 2023 baseball schedule

The Saints began their season on Feb. 3 and are off to an 0-7 start entering this weekend's Peach Belt opening series at Columbus State.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: College baseball 2023: UNF's Aidan Sweatt, JU's Bryce Fisher, on the spot