DELAND, Fla. (May 19, 2025) – The University of North Alabama baseball team travels down to DeLand, Fla. for the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship tournament this week, starting against Jacksonville on Tuesday, May 20 at 8 a.m. CT.
The Lions will make their first all-time appearance in the ASUN tournament, representing the ASUN Gold Division.
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast, while live video will be streamed on ESPN+.
#3 North Alabama vs. #2 Jacksonville
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
8:00 a.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+
NOTES
THE RUNDOWN: The University of North Alabama baseball team swept its first series of the season against the Central Arkansas Bears. The Lions had never won in Conway until this past weekend. UNA won 8-7, 8-4 and 7-5 respectively. Matthew Delgado claimed the Division I single season record for runners caught stealing with 18 for the season. Petey Craska launched three home runs in two games, but most notably added his 17th double, tying the Division I single season record for doubles in a season. Jayden Sloan also doubled four times on the weekend as the lead-off batter. Both Ethan Walker and Charlie Cochran hit their first collegiate home runs in the final game.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs dating back to 2019. The Lions and Dolphins have only met during the Division I era — all in the state of Florida. Two series have been played with one in 2019 and one in 2024. The Lions took the first two games in 2019 and took one in the 2024 series with the final game going to a 10th inning as Jacksonville won 5-4. Four times has the winner scored exactly nine runs in this matchup. Anthony Pingeton, Jonathan Lane, Bryant Loving and Leighton Jenkins are the only returning starters from that game.
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS: Jacksonville finished with a 28-24 overall record and 17-13 in conference play. When playing at home, the Dolphins went 20-9 but only 8-15 on the road. JU is seventh in the ASUN as a team in batting (.268), third in pitching (5.10 ERA) and eighth in fielding (.962). If one were to look at conference-only statistics, Jacksonville would be sixth and North Alabama would be seventh in batting average — .279 to .271. The Dolphins are first in conference play pitching with a 3.64 ERA. Jacksonville has played ranked opponents such as West Virginia, Florida and Florida State this season, losing three of those eight games by two runs or less. JU is 2-8 in the month of May, losing all three in its previous series to Queens, Stetson and North Florida. They beat the Ospreys 15-4 in seven innings in game two of their final home series.
DELGOT'EM: Senior catcher Matthew Delgado is finishing up his first season as a North Alabama Lion after transferring in from Pasadena City College. In his first year, he is second on the team in every major statistical offensive category. However, the most notable accomplishment may be his 18 runners caught stealing this season, which ranks second in the ASUN. This number also marks the most during the North Alabama Division I era surpassing Levi Jensen's 17 set in 2023.
SEASON OF FIRSTS: North Alabama has celebrated many "firsts" within the athletic department, and baseball adds to the list. This season, the Lions accomplished 23 wins, the first 20 win season for the Division I era. During those 23 wins, 16 came in the ASUN conference which is also the most in a season. The cherry on top? Clinching the first appearance at the ASUN Championships in DeLand, Fla. in program history.
DOUBLE DOSAGE: Redshirt freshman first baseman Petey Craska is batting .347 with 58 hits to lead the UNA offense. Craska hit for his 18th double this season, which ties the Division I single-season record set by Andrew Knight in 2023. The last player to double 20 or more times in a single season at UNA was Dylan Boston in 2015 with 21 doubles. Craska's 18 doubles is third-best in the ASUN Conference.
ROOKIE TRIFECTA: The Lions have had a myriad of different arms step to the mound this season. However, a trio of freshman pitchers have made a stamp on the season. Left-handers Tripp Patterson and Reese Young and right-hander Luke Davenport have combined for 152.6 innings pitched — over a third of the season. The trio has 115 total strikeouts with a 10-9 record and three saves. Patterson typically gets the Friday night start while Young and Davenport gets midweek or relief opportunities.
LEGACY OF SUCCESS: The North Alabama Lions are competing in the ASUN Conference tournament for the first time in 2025. Since joining the Division I ranks in 2019, the team has finished no higher than sixth in the ASUN standings. However, not long ago, UNA was a powerhouse at the Division II level. North Alabama was a 10-time Gulf South Conference division winner, five-time Gulf South Conference league champion and made 12 total NCAA Division II playoffs spanning from 1984-2012. North Alabama constructed 30 consecutive winning seasons from 1984-2013.
UP NEXT: The winner of UNA and Jacksonville will play the winner of the Austin Peay and North Florida game on Thursday, May 22 at 2 p.m. The losers of those games will play in an elimination game on Wednesday, May 21 at 2 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
