DELAND, Fla. (Interstat) — seed North Florida (31-23) and seed Florida Gulf Coast (35-21) open the ASUN Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon at Melching Field, with the winner taking a significant step toward the league title.

The Ospreys and Eagles split their six-game regular-season series this spring, but recent form heavily favors Florida Gulf Coast after it won the last two meetings by a combined 18-6. North Florida dropped its tournament opener 11-4 to North Alabama on Thursday, while Florida Gulf Coast split a Thursday doubleheader, losing 4-1 to Lipscomb and beating Central Arkansas 4-3.

Ospreys shortstop Matthew Farner enters the tournament in a powerful groove. Over his past five games, the junior has collected seven hits, two home runs and eight RBIs, including a 2-for-4, three-RBI performance in a 5-1 win over West Georgia on Friday. He homered again Saturday in a 4-1 victory and delivered the walk-off RBI in Thursday’s 6-5 win over the Wolves.

Florida Gulf Coast counters with two-way standout Evan Dempsey. The right-hander turned in a dominant outing on the mound Thursday, tossing six innings of four-hit, 10-strikeout ball against Central Arkansas while allowing no earned runs. At the plate, Dempsey also went 2-for-4 in that game and has six RBIs over his last five contests.

The Eagles’ bullpen has been resilient, with Chris Diaz (4.1 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 3 K) and Jordan Vera (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER) combining for scoreless relief work Thursday despite the loss.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Florida Gulf Coast victory in a tight, high-scoring affair. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.