For the Stetson baseball team, the final series of the 2019 regular season is all about one thing – getting into the ASUN Tournament.
 
That event will be played next week on the Hatters' home field, but for Stetson to have a spot in the field, the team will have to win its way in. The Hatters enter play this weekend against North Florida with a half-game lead over Kennesaw State for the final spot in the field.
 
Stetson could finish as high as fourth in the ASUN standings. A sweep of North Florida would move the Hatters past the Ospreys in the standings. A sweep by North Alabama of Lipscomb in addition to a sweep of UNF would move Stetson to fourth.
 
But, the bottom line for the Hatters is they have to defeat UNF as many times as Kennesaw State beats Jacksonville to guarantee a spot in the field.
 
Stetson (22-29, 9-11) has recent history on its side in the series against UNF (30-21, 11-9). The Hatter have won eight straight games from the Ospreys and lead the all-time series 29-23, including 15-11 in DeLand.
 
The Hatters come into the game off a victory over FIU on Tuesday night. Senior Jacob Koos and sophomore Eric Foggo led the way as both drove in three runs, combining for five hits, in the game. In ASUN play, Stetson has alternated sweeps over the last three weeks. The Hatters were swept on the road at Lipscomb and at Jacksonville, but swept a rain-shortened two-game series from league-leading FGCU in between.
 
Tuesday's win improved the Hatters to 17-13 at home this year. Stetson carries a modest four-game home win streak into the series against UNF and the Hatters have won nine of their last 11 games at home this year. Stetson is 6-2 in ASUN play at home this season.
 
The Hatters had their best offensive game of the month on Tuesday night in completing a second straight season sweep of FIU. Stetson's six runs in that game were the most since a 9-8 loss in the series opener at Lipscomb on April 26. The nine hits on Tuesday were the most for the Hatters since the final game of that series in Nashville.
 
When Andrew MacNeil and Koos opened Tuesday's game with consecutive doubles, the Hatters scored in the first inning for the first time since the April 30 game against USF. Stetson has scored in the first inning of games just 11 times this year, posting a 6-5 record in those outings. The Hatters opponents have scored in the first inning of games 24 times, with Stetson posting a 7-17 record in those games.
 
Defense was a key to the win as well. Koos made two diving catches in center to prevent three potential runs from scoring and also made a running catch in the gap to prevent another run. Kyle Ball had the play of the night for the final out, leaping high into the air to snag a line drive - a play that earned the No. 3 spot on ESPN's Top 10 for the night.
 
Stetson will shuffle its rotation slightly for the weekend series, with freshman Daniel Paret (4-3, 3.82) making the start in the opener on Thursday night. He will be opposed by UNF senior right-hander Brad Depperman (6-3, 2.27) who leads the ASUN with 98 strikeouts this year. Paret is tied for third in the league with 88 strikeouts in his rookie season.
 
Depperman has pitched against Stetson three times in his career, working a total of 7.1 innings, allowing eight runs (three earned) on 14 hits with five strikeouts.
 
Friday's game will feature Stetson sophomore Chris Gonzalez (7-2, 3.27) against UNF senior Nick Marchese (6-0, 2.93), who has been a breakout star for the Ospreys after working out of the bull pen last year.
 
The series finale on Saturday will pit Stetson sophomore Robbie Peto (1-9, 4.48) against UNF junior Brandon Reitz (4-5, 4.52). A native of Ocala, Reitz is in his first season at UNF after attending Florida State (2017) and Tallahassee Community College (2018).
 
Prior to Friday's game the Stetson baseball program will take a few minutes to thank the Hatters' five senior players for their contributions to the program. Those seniors include Koos, Baylen Sparks, Bruce Martin, Vlad Nunez and Jeremy Orbik.
 
The games against North Florida are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.