JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The time has come for the ASUN softball world to collide, with the Bears holding the No. 2 Seed for the ASUN Championship. With all of the previous games having gone final, the stage is set for the Bears to take on the hosting North Florida Ospreys. Game time is set for 9 a.m. CT at the UNF Softball Complex.
 
The Bears (33-18, 17-7 ASUN) enter the Championship on a three-game winning streak after sweeping Jacksonville State last weekend. Jordan Johnson was dynamite in the series, winning two games and coming in for a save. She recorded 13 strikeouts while allowing just one run. In game two, Johnson threw her second no-hitter of the season, and the fourth of her career, blanking the Gamecocks in an 8-0 win.
 
Central Arkansas claimed the No. 2 Seed in its first season in the ASUN, winning six of its eight conference series, four series ending in a sweep. The Bears were the only team in the conference to hold a top-two batting average and a top-three team ERA, batting .310 as a team while allowing just 2.55 earned runs on average. Behind the bats of first-team all-conference selections Tremere Harris and Mary Kate Brown, the Bears were able to rack up the runs throughout the regular season. In the circle, pitchers Johnson and Kayla Beaver routinely shutdown opponents, allowing one or fewer runs in 21 games.
 
The one team, however, that gave the Bears trouble was North Florida. Just the second road series of the conference schedule for Central Arkansas, the Ospreys proved to be one of the best pitching staffs that the team would face all season. In the three-game set, the Bears only recorded two runs on 12 hits.
 
North Florida's strength all season has been its pitching, and that has carried the Ospreys to a 40-15 record, including a Wednesday win over Kennesaw State in their first game of the ASUN Championship. The staff is headlined by first-team all-conference pitcher Morgan Clausen. On the year, Clausen holds a 13-4 record, with a 1.28 ERA and 106 strikeouts. Also making an all-conference team, Halle Arends tossed her way to a 19-5 record, delivering a 1.79 ERA while striking out 163. As a staff, the Ospreys allow opponents to bat just .215.
 
At the plate, the Ospreys were led in average by Shannon Glover, who hit .345. A couple spots below her was all-conference selection Kayla Harper, who hit .305 with 50 hits and 30 stolen bases, both numbers that were a shade behind Central Arkansas hitters. As a team, North Florida hit .276, with 35 home runs and 76 stolen bases.
 
The winner on Thursday will advance to the quarterfinal on Friday. Thursday's game starts bright and early, with a 9 a.m. first pitch at the UNF Softball Complex. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats available here.