Jacksonville Dolphins at North Florida Ospreys

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Jacksonville Dolphins and North Florida Ospreys open a three-game ASUN series at 6 p.m. Friday at John Sessions Stadium under cloudy skies and 85-degree heat.

Jacksonville (25-18) holds a slight edge in the standings over North Florida (24-19), but the Ospreys have dominated the season series, sweeping a three-game set March 27-29 in Jacksonville. North Florida outscored the Dolphins 27-12 in those games, winning 4-2, 11-4 and 12-6.

Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-5 Jacksonville victory, with the Dolphins carrying a 53.2 percent win probability per the organization’s ELO system.

Dolphins right-hander Kyle Powers is a player to watch. The senior has been effective in his last four appearances, allowing one earned run over 12.2 innings. He threw four scoreless innings in a 6-2 win over Queens (N.C.) on April 26, striking out three. Powers also worked 3.2 scoreless innings in a 9-8 win over West Georgia on April 19, and fired three shutout frames in a loss at Florida Gulf Coast on April 12.

North Florida counters with right-hander Trevor Nikolis, who has shown flashes of dominance. He tossed five scoreless innings with three strikeouts in a 13-3 loss at Florida Gulf Coast on April 26, allowing no hits. That followed a 4-inning, three-earned-run outing against Stetson on April 19. Nikolis also threw 3.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a loss at West Georgia on April 12.

Both teams enter the series on opposite trajectories. Jacksonville has won seven of its last nine, including a three-game sweep of Queens and a 7-5 win at Florida. North Florida has dropped four of five, with its only win in that stretch a 5-3 decision at Florida Gulf Coast on April 24.

The Dolphins offense was productive in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Queens, with designated hitter Derek Bermudez going 2-for-5 with three RBIs and reliever Ayden Phillips tossing a scoreless inning.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday, both at John Sessions Stadium.