TAMPA, Fla. – The device looks like something you’d wear as part of a Wolverine costume for Halloween. I slipped on the FlexPro Grip, which enveloped my right hand. A black box sits on the back, with five rods extending outward, complemented by adjustable straps to secure it to a pitcher’s hand and wrist, along […]
TAMPA, Fla. – The device looks like something you’d wear as part of a Wolverine costume for Halloween.
I slipped on the FlexPro Grip, which enveloped my right hand. A black box sits on the back, with five rods extending outward, complemented by adjustable straps to secure it to a pitcher’s hand and wrist, along with grips for each finger.
I visited a new Driveline Baseball training facility in March to learn about this new technology in a place that experiments with everything. Phillies minor-league pitcher Josh Hejka was my guide.
Inside this high-tech warehouse, Hejka instructed me to place each finger into separate compartments within the device. These compartments can adjust to isolate various segments and joints of the fingers: the tips, mid-finger, and proximal joints. Each grip slot is connected to the Wolverine-like rods, which are tied to sensors in the device.
Few possess the skills to pitch in professional baseball while working as a part-time researcher at Driveline, but the 28-year-old Hejka is one of them. He graduated with a degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University, compiling skills that allow him to answer his pitching-related questions through data collection and coding.
Travis Sawchik / theScore
Hejka is interested in helping tame the sport’s injury scourge, a quest that will continue whether he makes it to the majors as a submarine-style pitcher or not. He believes the device fixed to my right hand might be part of the solution.
Hejka was introduced to the new technology while rehabbing at Driveline after Tommy John surgery in 2023.
There remains something of a defeatist attitude around injury prevention. Many accept today’s high rate of pitching injuries as inevitable, a natural consequence of the stress placed on arms. But Hejka believes the industry lacks understanding – and hasn’t done nearly enough exploration or innovation – to be so certain.
He doesn’t even believe the industry is looking in the right place.
“There’s not enough of a discussion of what is actually happening in the arm,” Hejka said, “and what can be done.”
I hear this sentiment more often, most recently from the Pirates’ Paul Skenes and Atlanta’s Spencer Strider. A growing number of pitchers are no longer satisfied with the old beliefs and want to find new solutions to why arms break down.
To understand the FlexPro Grip’s aim, Hejka explained how the tendons of fingers connect to the forearm muscles. We’re testing the mid-finger since it’s “more specific to stabilizing the (elbow) joint,” he said.
Similarly, strengthening the fingertips has the potential to increase spin rate, Hejka added.
He monitored the screen of his smartphone. When the app synced to the device around my hand, he instructed me to squeeze.
Travis Sawchik / theScore
The FlexPro Grip supports different training regimes: some focused on speed, some on endurance. This was a max-effort test: How hard could I squeeze?
I immediately learned how difficult it was to gauge the amount of flexion force I was generating – the force needed by muscles to contract a joint. It felt like trying to squeeze against a hydraulic press.
“You can tell other training doesn’t hit these muscles because you do it once, and you’re like … ” Hejka said.
Driveline pitching coordinator Matthew Kress said of his first experience: “I felt a burning sensation, ‘Holy … .’ It’s a muscle (contraction) you have never felt before.”
Hejka looked at my numbers on his phone. “He’s pulling more than me,” Hejka said. “He got like 170 in his mid-finger.”
“A rock climber,” an actual athlete nearby joked.
What did the FlexPro score mean? “You are prepared to throw 80 (mph),” Hejka said.
My grip strength pleasantly surprised me, especially since my top-recorded fastball was a meager 62 mph.
“Maybe the calibration was off,” I suggested.
“Too humble,” Hejka said.
The app estimates a safe velocity range for pitchers using its scoring system based on the player’s grip strength. Data collected by the FlexPro team has found that a 90th-percentile grip should result in a 90th-percentile fastball velocity. If grip strength is below throwing velocity, say 50th-percentile grip strength and 90th-percentile velocity, that suggests a pitcher is at risk for injury.
The device is telling me that I should be safe to unleash a max-effort throw.
––––––––––
One way of attacking a problem is to consider what cannot change.
What are the limits of physics and human biology?
Matt Brown / Getty Images Sport / Getty
In the case of the sport’s Tommy John epidemic, there’s nothing that can be done to strengthen the ulnar collateral ligament.
The tiny triangular band of tissue measures about 25 mm in length and 5 mm in width, yet it plays a key role in stabilizing the pitching elbow.
The UCL connects to the upper and lower bones in the arm and is consistent in size across all pitchers, regardless of their height or weight.
The issue plaguing pitchers is that the ligament can’t always handle the immense stress it’s subjected to.
Dr. Christopher Ahmad, a Columbia University professor and orthopedic surgeon in New York, wrote last year that the UCL can withstand a torque force of 32 Newton-meters. The problem? Pitchers routinely produce a torque exceeding 60 Newton-meters on the ligament.
Without support from the surrounding arm structures, the ligament would fail.
The UCL is considered a passive stabilizer. It provides support and fights hyperextension, but it can’t change. It cannot strengthen, flex, or alter itself. It’s like a door hinge.
In contrast, the UCL is assisted by what are known as dynamic stabilizers: muscles. Muscles can contract, adapt, and – a key point – strengthen.
Since the UCL can’t be strengthened, the creators of FlexPro Grip, Hejka, and others at Driveline have turned their attention to what is around the ligament.
Travis Sawchik / theScore
Initially, the FlexPro Grip was used as a part of Driveline’s rehab protocols after surgery, but Kress wondered if it could also serve a preventative role.
Hejka and Kress are interested in a specific group of muscles and their connective tissues. The forearm contains eight flexor muscles, and the FlexPro Grip targets three of them. One muscle of particular interest is the flexor digitorum superficialis, as it’s often tied to elbow injuries. This long muscle runs the length of the forearm and is connected to the index, middle, ring, and small fingers.
Grip exercises have been around for years, and Hejka had used them. But what had been missing was technology capable of isolating the flexor muscle groups, strengthening them in training, and quantifying progress.
That’s where FlexPro Grip comes in, a device launched in 2021 by a New Orleans-based company co-founded by CEO Daryl Moreau.
Hejka saw the magic firsthand. “The first time I did it ever, it was around 120,” Hejka said of his score. “Now, I am pulling over 210 – that’s with fingertips. With my mid-finger, I have gone from 100 to 190. So, it’s massive.”
In its December report on pitching injuries, Major League Baseball concluded that reducing injury rates may require incentives to lower pitch velocity.
But Hejka agrees with players like Skenes and Strider: pitchers will never pursue lower skill levels just to stay healthy.
“The question should not be, ‘How do we de-incentivize velocity, disincentivize performance because the individual incentives will never change,” Hejka said. “It’s always to my advantage to throw harder, to try and reach the major leagues. And if I get hurt after a month (in the majors), that’s better than me not being good enough to even make the major leagues.
“The question should be, ‘How do we incentivize proper preparation of the arm to handle stress?’ We would never tell Usain Bolt, ‘Hey, running that fast places a lot of stress on your hamstring.’ No, we would say, ‘How do we train Usain Bolt to make sure he can make his top speeds safely?’ And that’s where the track and field world is so far ahead of MLB.”
While much research has gone into identifying the causes of injuries in baseball, far less attention has been given to rethinking how to prevent them. Kress said it was frustrating that MLB’s injury study didn’t mention the role of flexor muscles.
Yet, Driveline is viewed by many as playing a role in the injury scourge because of the velocity-building programs that put it on the map.
However, Kress said injury prevention is a major priority within Driveline, hence the company’s efforts with Pulse, a wearable tracking device, and experimentation with products like FlexPro Grip.
“If you’ve read any Driveline blog, we know the harder you throw, the more stress you are going to place on your elbow,” Kress said. “That’s an inevitability you cannot change. It’s about how you prepare yourself for that stress.”
Kevin D. Liles / Getty Images
Strider is one major leaguer using Driveline’s Pulse and believes that improving player health should and will be the focus of much more attention.
“I don’t think it is the way it has to be, or is going to be, ” Strider told theScore of today’s injury rates. “I think different parts of the baseball industry have moved at different speeds and evolved at different speeds.”
The Phillies have half a dozen FlexPro units at their minor-league complex in Clearwater, though there’s no mandatory training regimen. The Padres have also experimented with the device.
Hejka believes there should be much more investment.
“I am not worried at all about injury,” Hejka said. “Who knows? Maybe it could happen. But it’s not something I can control. I can pitch with a clear mind knowing I am as prepared as I can be.”
Travis Sawchik is theScore’s senior baseball writer.
Conway, Garman, Mylan, Patterson, and Wells Honored with CSC Men’s Track & Field Academic All-District Team Selection
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GLASSBORO, NJ — Matthew Conway, Nick Garman, Cole Mylan, Colin Patterson, Ryan Wells all were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on its Men’s Track & Field Academic All-District Teams. Eligible nominees are be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination. Nominees must […]
GLASSBORO, NJ — Matthew Conway, Nick Garman, Cole Mylan, Colin Patterson, Ryan Wells all were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on its Men’s Track & Field Academic All-District Teams.
Eligible nominees are be based off of TFRRS performance list rankings at the time of nomination. Nominees must have a top 50 regional time/result in a single event (indoor or outdoor) that originates from an individual performance, not a relay. Academically, undergraduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and graduate student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don’t have an established graduate GPA to be eligible in the nomination process.
Conway, a Chemical Engineering major, earned All-NJAC Second Team Cross Country honors as well as winning the 5000 meters at the NJAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The recent graduate is a member of the NJAC All-Academic First Team and was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic. He also a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship as well.
Garman, a Mechanical Engineering major, set personal bests during the outdoor season in both the 200 and 400 meters.
Mylan, who majors in Radio, Television & Film, had a breakout cross country season, where he was 16th overall at the NJAC Championships.
Patterson, a Finance major, earned a spot on the All-NJAC Cross Country First Team while being named USTFCCCA All-Academic.
Wells is a Law & Justice Studies major, who turned in a personal best time in the 1500 meters this spring.
Texas Athletics claims 2024-25 Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup
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AUSTIN, Texas — On the strength of two National Championships and seven NCAA top-three finishes, The University of Texas has won the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup for the second-straight year and the fourth time in the last five years, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Thursday morning. During the […]
AUSTIN, Texas — On the strength of two National Championships and seven NCAA top-three finishes, The University of Texas has won the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup for the second-straight year and the fourth time in the last five years, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Thursday morning. During the current 2024-25 season, the Longhorns amassed 1,255.25 points, while USC placed second with 1,253.75 points and Stanford took third with 1,251.0 points.
UT snapped Stanford’s 25-year stronghold on the Directors’ Cup during the 2020-21 season by scoring 1,252 points, while the Cardinal posted 1,195.75 points. That victory ended an impressive run by Stanford that began in 1994-95 and went through 2018-19 (no Cup was awarded in 2019-20 due to COVID-19). North Carolina won the first Cup in 1993-94. The Longhorns finished second in the standings three times during the Cardinal’s 25-year run, earning runner-up honors in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05.
During the 2021-22 season, the Longhorns amassed 1,449.50 points to claim the Cup again, while Stanford placed second with 1,352.25 points. UT joined the Cardinal as the nation’s only programs to win it in back-to-back years. The Longhorn have won consecutive Cups twice now and only a runner-up finish in 2022-23 separated Texas from a run of five-straight titles.
Texas finished runner-up in the Cup standings to Stanford during the 2022-23 season. The Cardinal won the Cup with 1,412.00 points, while the Longhorns posted 1,370.50 points. The Longhorns reclaimed the Cup during the 2023-24 season, as UT amassed 1,377.00 points while Stanford placed second with 1,312.75 points.
During the 2024-25 season, Texas registered NCAA team titles in Men’s Swimming Diving and its first-ever national championship in Softball, which marks the fifth-straight year the Longhorns have won multiple national titles in the same academic season. Excluding the COVID-shortened year of 2019-20, Texas has won at least one NCAA team title in 10-straight seasons.
Over the last five years, the Longhorns have won 13 NCAA team championships by eight different programs, while seven additional programs have either made the Final Four or finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships. Texas sponsors 21 intercollegiate sport programs, and with Softball earning its first NCAA title, 15 of those 21 programs have now claimed a National Championship. The Longhorns have captured 68 all-time National Championships (64 NCAA titles).
Texas produced 10 top-five and 13 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships during the recent academic year. The 10 top-five performances marked a tie for the second-most in school history, trailing only the 12 recorded in 2021-22. The 13 top-10 efforts also tied for the second-most in school history, just one shy of the record 14 in 2021-22. The Longhorns have registered a total of 49 top-five NCAA team finishes and 65 top-10 NCAA team finishes during the last five years.
In addition to the pair of National Championship performances, the Longhorns recorded NCAA top-five team showings in Women’s Swimming and Diving (third), Rowing (third), Football (tied for third in the College Football Playoff, advancing to semifinals), Women’s Basketball (tied for third/NCAA Final Four), Men’s Tennis (tied for third/NCAA Semifinals), Beach Volleyball (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals), Women’s Golf (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals) and Men’s Golf (tied for fifth/NCAA Quarterfinals). Texas added NCAA top-10 finishes in Volleyball (tied for ninth/NCAA Round of 16), Women’s Tennis (tied for ninth/NCAA Round of 16) and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field (tied for 10th).
The Longhorns qualified 20 of their 21 NCAA eligible sports for their respective NCAA Championship events. Texas was the ONLY school in NCAA Division I to have its Football, either Men’s or Women’s Basketball, and either Baseball or Softball programs reach the Final Four of their NCAA Tournaments this season. Additionally, Texas Men’s and Women’s Golf were one of only two schools that saw both of its programs advance to the match play round of the NCAA Championships.
In addition to its success on the national level, UT earned a league-best eight Southeastern Conference titles during the 2024-25 season: Soccer (tournament), Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Basketball (regular season), Men’s Tennis (regular season and tournament), Rowing and Baseball (regular season). Of note, the eight championships doubled the next closest member institution, as South Carolina had four. With Beach Volleyball also winning the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) tournament title, the Longhorns won a total of nine conference championships in 2024-25 and have now claimed 663 all-time league titles in school history.
Since UT Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte arrived on the Forty Acres in December 2017, the Longhorns have claimed a total of 15 National Championships, 30 NCAA top-two finishes, 59 NCAA top-five finishes, 85 NCAA top-10 finishes and 82 total conference championships. Texas also has reached two CFP Semifinals, claimed four LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup crowns and posted six top-five Directors’ Cup finishes.
The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. A revised scoring system was implemented for the 2024-25 season. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships. Division I schools can score points in a maximum of 19 sports, five of which must be baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.
Texas recorded its seventh-straight top-five Director’s Cup finish after a fifth-place showing in 2017-18 and a fourth-place effort in 2018-19. There was no award in 2019-20 due to COVID-19. UT also was the top-ranked institution in the Southeastern Conference in the Directors’ Cup standings and has been the top-ranked school in its respective league (SEC, Big 12 or Southwest Conference) for 11 consecutive years and 24 times in the 32-year history of the Directors’ Cup.
Texas has now recorded a top-10 finish a total of 25 times in the 32-year history of the Directors’ Cup: 1st (2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25), 2nd (2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05 and 2022-23), 3rd (2005-06), 4th (1995-96 and 2018-19), 5th (2007-08 and 2017-18), 6th (2008-09, 2011-12 and 2013-14), 7th (1993-94, 1996-97 and 2016-17), 8th (2006-07), 9th (1999-2000, 2014-15 and 2015-16) and 10th (1994-95 and 2003-04).
2024-25 Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings (Top 3 schools)
Rank
School
Total Points
1.
TEXAS
1,255.25
2.
USC
1,253.75
3.
Stanford
1,251.00
Texas in the Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Final Standings
College Bests:
Pole Vault: 4.50m 2024-2025: Opened indoors at Yale Season Opener, placing third with height of 4.20 meters in pole vault… Followed up with third-place finish at Y-D-C, jumping 4.25 meters in pole vault… Improved to 4.35 meters at Coach Greg Roy-al Rumble, where he placed seventh… At Giegengack Invitational, placed eighth overall, jumping […]
2024-2025: Opened indoors at Yale Season Opener, placing third with height of 4.20 meters in pole vault… Followed up with third-place finish at Y-D-C, jumping 4.25 meters in pole vault… Improved to 4.35 meters at Coach Greg Roy-al Rumble, where he placed seventh… At Giegengack Invitational, placed eighth overall, jumping 4.40 meters in pole vault.
2023-2024: Opened up outdoors at the UConn Dog Fight in pole vault, placing seventh… At Yale vs. Harvard Dual, placed first with collegiate PR of 4.50m… Placed first in pole vault at Mark Young Invitational… Closed out his year with a first place in pole vault at Yale Springtime meet.
2022-23: Competed at Yale Season Opener in pole vault, placing eighth overall.
High School: Two-time coach’s award recipient in track and field… Captain of track and field team junior and senior year… School record holder.
Personal: Brother (Addison Wessel) is a Dartmouth ‘22, captain of fencing team, won men’s épée national club title 2022… Played varsity basketball… Avid insect collector, as well as a musician… Plays drums, bass, and guitar, and has even played at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
Why Yale: “When I visited Yale, above all else I noticed how it felt like a home. It goes without saying that the academic environment, competitive athletics, and culture of this school are incredible, but the feeling of warmth that I got walking around campus stood out over all else.”
Corvallis’ Hunter Loesch named Gatorade track and field player of the year | Montana High School Sports
Corvallis High’s Hunter Loesch made history on Wednesday as the first Blue Devil ever to be named the Gatorade player of the year for boys track and field. Loesch is coming off a terrific javelin season in which he was not only the class A state champion and owned the best mark in the state, […]
Corvallis High’s Hunter Loesch made history on Wednesday as the first Blue Devil ever to be named the Gatorade player of the year for boys track and field.
Loesch is coming off a terrific javelin season in which he was not only the class A state champion and owned the best mark in the state, but was also one of the top throwers in the country.
The 6-foot-4 senior won the state meet in Kalispell with a toss of 209 feet and 4 inches. His top throw of the season came at the Western A divisional meet, where he aired one out 219-11 for a new personal record and the fourth best toss by any high school athlete this season. That mark also ranks as the top throw in the history of Montana javelin under the current format, which was altered back in 2002.
Loesch recently earned All-American recognition by placing third with a throw of 217 feet, 4 inches at Nike Outdoor Nationals and USATF U20 Championships at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
“Hunter has matured immensely as an athlete, person and student over the past four years,” Corvallis coach Spencer Huls said in a Gatorade news release on Wednesday. “His dedication to his craft has been second to none. He is a role model for all student-athletes.”
Outside of athletics, according to the release, Loesch maintained a B average in the classroom while also volunteering to help the elderly in his community and serving as a youth T-Ball coach and football camp instructor.
Loesch will continue his athletics career with the Montana Grizzlies track and field program starting in the fall.
5 members of the NMU Cross Country/Track and Field team named CSC Academic All-District | News, Sports, Jobs
Pictured from left: Ellyse Wolfrath, Beverly Harper, Gianna Hoving, Lamar Gordon and Ahna Larson. They have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for their success in the classroom and on the track. (Photo courtesy of Northern Michigan University) MARQUETTE — Lamar Gordon, Beverly Harper, Gianna Hoving, Ahna Larson and Ellyse Wolfrath […]
Pictured from left: Ellyse Wolfrath, Beverly Harper, Gianna Hoving, Lamar Gordon and Ahna Larson. They have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for their success in the classroom and on the track. (Photo courtesy of Northern Michigan University)
MARQUETTE — Lamar Gordon, Beverly Harper, Gianna Hoving, Ahna Larson and Ellyse Wolfrath of the Northern Michigan cross country and track and field teams have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for their success in the classroom and on the track.
Lamar Gordon holds a 4.0 GPA as a Biology major. From Two Harbors, Minnesota, Gordon competed in six cross country races and nine track meets throughout the season. In cross country, she finished 38th at the GLIAC Championships and 7th in the region. At the track & field GLIAC Championships, she placed 8th in the indoor mile and 6th in the outdoor 1500m.
Holding a 3.99 GPA, Beverly Harper is majoring in Health and Physical Education. In cross country, she set a PR at regionals to place 80th. On the track, Harper had multiple victories in the Distance Medley Relay and the 800m.
With a 3.91 GPA, Gianna Hoving is a Spanish major. She excelled in cross country this past season, earning All-Region accolades after an 18th place finish at the Midwest Regional Championship. She was also named to the All-GLIAC First Team after placing 10th at the GLIAC Championships. Hoving added three wins in the mile during the indoor track season.
Ahna Larson graduated with a 3.84 GPA in Biology. She participated in 16 meets throughout the track season. Larson hit an NCAA provisional mark and set a school record of 1:01.04 in the 400m hurdles at the GLIAC Championships to take 4th. She also claimed victories in seven events and was named the 2024-25 Wildcat Awards Humanitarian of the Year.
A Nursing major with a 3.65 GPA, Ellyse Wolfrath dominated the track for NMU this past season. During the indoor season, she advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 60m hurdles, placing 13th in the nation. She was named All-Region by the USTFCCCA in the 60m hurdles and set a school record at the GLIAC Championships, finishing at 8.46 to be crowned GLIAC Champion. She’d run it back during the outdoor season, winning the GLIAC title in the 100m hurdles. She was named NMU’s Female MVP of the Year.
Today
American Legion baseball
Post 44 Blues vs. Big Rapids Post 98, at Shepherd, 9:30 a.m.
Post 44 Blues vs. …
Today
Youth golf
U.P. Junior Tour, at Marquette Golf Club (Heritage course), Marquette, 9 a.m.
American …
Today
American Legion baseball
Post 44 Reds at Menominee (doubleheader), 6 p.m. EDT
Story Links 2025 Schedule 2025 Season Tickets JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida women’s soccer and head coach Eric Faulconer released the 2025 schedule on Thursday ahead of the 30th season in program history. “We are looking forward to building on the momentum of a successful 2024 campaign this fall,” Faulconer said. “The non-conference portion presents an immediate challenge. […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida women’s soccer and head coach Eric Faulconer released the 2025 schedule on Thursday ahead of the 30th season in program history.
“We are looking forward to building on the momentum of a successful 2024 campaign this fall,” Faulconer said. “The non-conference portion presents an immediate challenge. We open at NCAA Tournament participant Howard, which will be a very good test right off the bat. We will take on another NCAA Tournament program in our home opener against FIU and follow that stretch with consecutive SEC opponents on the road at Florida and Georgia before a home match with another Power Four opponent UCF prior to the start of ASUN Conference action.”
“The divisional format that the conference implemented will introduce a new challenge. Playing matches against the same teams in close proximity of each other will make things interesting. We were in the mix last fall for our program’s first ASUN Regular Season title and believe that we have a team that can make another run this season.”
The 19-match slate includes nine non-conference and 10 ASUN Conference matches with eight at Hodges Stadium and 11 on the road.
The ASUN Conference announced Tuesday that it will transition to a divisional schedule format in 2025. Under the new format, North Florida is one of six teams in the Graphite Division, which includes West Georgia, Queens, Jacksonville, Stetson and FGCU. North Florida will face each division opponent twice in that order in a snake-style schedule in which it will repeat the same slate in reverse order to compose the 10-match conference slate.
Marquee non-conference matches include road trips to Florida and Georgia in the early portion of non-conference, in addition to a home date with UCF. North Florida will face four teams – Howard, FIU, Georgia and Lipscomb – that advanced to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The season kicks off with consecutive road matches at Howard on Aug. 14 and Campbell on Aug. 17. In the midst of five of its initial six matches on the road, North Florida hosts FIU for its home opener on Aug. 21.
North Florida starts one of its two three-game road stints at Florida on Aug. 24, Georgia on Aug. 28 and former conference opponent Kennesaw State on Aug. 31. North Florida closes out its non-conference road slate at College of Charleston on Sept. 7.
North Florida will battle Georgia Southern on Sept. 4. The Eagles are a familiar opponent that the Ospreys have faced each of the last three seasons.
The non-conference home finale comes against UCF on Sept. 11, which will start a four-match homestand that runs into conference action. North Florida looks to defeat a Power Four program in consecutive seasons after it defeated Miami (Fla.) in its opener in 2024.
ASUN Conference action starts at home against West Georgia on Sept. 18 and Queens on Sept. 21. The longest home stretch of the season will conclude with the first of two River City Rumble matches against crosstown rival Jacksonville on Sept. 28.
It will be the first time that North Florida and Jacksonville will play each other more than once in the regular season since the condensed spring 2021 season.
The initial slate of conference matches ends at Stetson on Oct. 2 and Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 5. The next stretch flips for the second half of the conference slate with a quick rematch against FGCU on Oct. 9 followed with the home finale against Stetson on Oct. 12.
North Florida hosts Jacksonville Oct. 19. The Ospreys have defeated their rival in seven of the last 10 matches. The regular season concludes at Queens on Oct. 22 and West Georgia on Oct. 25.
The 2025 ASUN Women’s Soccer Championship will take place on Oct. 30-Nov. 9 with matches hosted by the higher seed in each of the four-round postseason tournament.
Season tickets are on sale now for $60 through the link above or through contacting the North Florida Athletics Ticket Office at (904) 620-BIRD (2473). Fans can secure a complete fall-sports package that includes women’s soccer, men’s soccer and volleyball season tickets for $100.
| June 19, 2025
