HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team opens the Atlantic Sun Conference portion of its 2015 schedule with a three-game series at North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.
 
First pitch from the Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium on Thursday and Friday is set for 6 p.m.  Saturday's series finale has been moved up to 11:30 a.m. to accommodate NKU's travel schedule.  .  Links to live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com, and Thursday's contest will be available for viewing on ASun.TV.  Fans can look for updates as each game progresses by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
 
NKU fell to 9-15 overall on Tuesday night as the Norse dropped a 15-4 decision to Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Kentucky.  The Colonels jumped out to an early 11-0 lead after the first two innings, and the Norse were unable to overcome the deficit.
 
Logan Spurlin paced the Norse offense, going 2-for-4 from the plate with the lone NKU double of the night, and he drove in a pair of runs.  Cole Bauml and Kyle Colletta recorded the other two RBIs as Colletta, Cody Kuzniczci, Conor Ledger and Caleb Lonkard each scored for the Norse.
 
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA: The Ospreys bring a 20-11 overall record and 1-2 mark in the Atlantic Sun into the weekend after dropping their first conference series to Florida Gulf Coast a week ago.  FGCU jumped out to a 7-2 lead before North Florida put up four runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Eagles scored two insurance runs in the eighth to hold on for a 9-7 victory in the opener.  FGCU then posted a 7-4 win on Saturday before the Ospreys avoided the sweep with a 6-5 walk-off victory in the finale.
 
Donnie Dewees leads the North Florida offense, boasting a conference-leading .407 batting average with six doubles, five triples and eight home runs, which ranks sixth nationally.  He leads the NCAA in runs scored with 41 and is second with 50 hits, and he tops the Atlantic Sun with 36 RBIs, which lands sixth in the national as well.  He has stolen 16 bases in 18 attempts to land in the top 10 nationally.  Trent Higginbothem is batting .364 with a team-leading eight doubles and four home runs, while Nick Karmeris is hitting .333 with five doubles, one triple and three home runs for the Ospreys. 
 
The Norse are expected to face right-handed pitcher Evan Incinelli in Thursday's opener.  Incinelli is 2-2 on the year and holds a 4.18 earned run average, and he has struck out 19 batters and walked six over 23.2 innings of work.  Friday's starter will be left-hander Tyler DuPont, who is 4-1 on the year with a 4.32 ERA and 22 strikeouts.  Righty Matt Vaka will take the mound on Saturday, and he boasts a 2.11 ERA over six starts to go along with nine strikeouts.
 
NKU-NORTH FLORIDA SERIES: North Florida holds a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series with NKU.  The Ospreys topped the Norse, 8-1, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs on March 15, 1992, in Jacksonville, Florida.  In NKU's inaugural NCAA Division I season, North Florida swept a three-game series to take a 4-0 lead in the series.
 
One year ago, the Ospreys handed the Norse a 14-4 defeat on March 21 at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex before the Norse rebounded with an 8-6 come-from-behind victory.  North Florida scored five runs over the final two innings to take an 8-1 win in the last meeting between the two on March 23, 2014.
 
LAST SEASON AGAINST NORTH FLORIDA: Josh Myers went 6-for-12 (.500) with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored over the three-game series last season for the NKU offense, while Caleb Kellogg also batted .500 (5-for-10) with two doubles, one home run, six RBIs and two runs scored.  Zac Asman finished the series 5-for-11 (.455) with four runs, three RBIs and two stolen bases, while David Head went 3-for-7 (.429) over two games.
 
Wendell Wright pitched eight innings in the lone Norse victory of the weekend, allowing five runs on 13 hits with two strikeouts and two walks.  Adam Jafine gave up five runs, three earned, on eight hits in 7.1 innings of work in the finale, and he struck out five batters and walked two.
 
Drew Weeks paced the North Florida offense, going 8-for-13 (.615) from the plate with one triple, two RBIs and six runs scored.  Kyle Brooks batted .583 (7-for-12) with three doubles, one RBI and six runs, while Alex Bacon went 7-for-15 (.467) with a pair of doubles and runs, and he batted in six runs for the Ospreys.
 
Corbin Olmstead allowed just one run on eight hits with five strikeouts in a complete-game victory in the final game of the series.  David Trexler earned the win in the opener, surrendering four runs on 10 hits over eight innings of work.  Trexler struck out five batters and walked two.
 
REACHING BASE: Six NKU players hold on-base streaks of five or more games, led by Cole Bauml's 35, which dates back to last season.  Bauml, who saw his hitting streak come to an end against Xavier last weekend, is the only Norse to reach base in every game this season. 
 
Cody Kuzniczci has reached base in each of the last nine games for NKU, while Kyle Colletta has recorded a hit in seven straight games to stretch his on-base streak to eight.  Dominic Mercurio and Josh Myers have both made it to at least first base in their last six appearances, and David Head has reached in five consecutive contests.
 
ATLANTIC SUN TOP 10: A pair of NKU pitchers sit among the top 10 hurlers in the Atlantic Sun in several categories.  Matt Jefferson's eight starts leads the conference, while he ranks seventh in innings pitched at 42.1.  He has also struck out 32 batters, which is ninth in the Atlantic Sun.  Evan Korson boasts a team-leading 2.63 ERA, which ranks sixth among conference pitchers.
 
UP NEXT: NKU returns to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex for a four-game homestand next week.  The Norse welcome Eastern Kentucky to Highland Heights at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, looking to avenge Tuesday's 15-4 loss in Richmond.  NKU then hosts reigning Atlantic Sun champion Kennesaw State for a three-game conference series.