Florida Sports Wire

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks announced Wednesday that kicker Marco Capozzoli has been assigned to the Jacksonville Sharks on a one-year contract.   The 28-year-old Capozzoli returns to Jacksonville for his fourth season with the Sharks and fifth season in the AFL. Capozzoli’s most memorable kick on Sea Best Field came during the 2012 season, when he drilled a 51-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to send the Sharks past the Georgia Force in the first round of the playoffs. Capozzoli was also a part of Jacksonville’s ArenaBowl XXIV championship team in 2011, finishing that season with seven field goals made in 11 attempts, and converted on 121 of his 155 point-after tries. Prior to joining the Sharks, Capozzoli began his AFL career with Tulsa in 2010, going three-for-three on field goals and hitting 44 of 53 extra points (83 percent). Over the course of his time in the AFL, Capozzoli has converted 26 of 38 field goals (68.4 percent) and 371 of 454 PATs (81.7

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After hosting Pro Day and taking Tuesday off, the Florida State football team returned to practice on Wednesday at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Now into the third week of spring practice, the Seminoles are continuing to show signs of improvement in all areas but head coach Jimbo Fisher would like to see those improvement happen on a more consistent basis. “We’re getting things done,” said Fisher. “We’ve just got to do them better. (Today was) A good hard day. We got a lot of situations worked. A lot of run, pass, two-minute, a lot of third down stuff. Hopefully, we’ll look at the film and try to get better and go on from it. (It’s) the middle of spring, we’re getting a little better. We just got to keep grinding.” Jesus ‘Bobo’ Wilson was one of the bright spots during Wednesday’s practice as the rising senior wide out returned to practice on Monday after missing the first two weeks. Wilson is coming off a junior campaign in which he set sing

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman right-hander Jackson Kowar limited No. 8 Florida State to one run over five innings as No. 3 Florida notched a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. A crowd of 9,035 fans watched the Gators secure the regular-season series and emerge victorious for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between the Sunshine State rivals.  The teams will meet again on April 12 in Tallahassee. Kowar (3-0) scattered five hits, registered four strikeouts and allowed one walk before freshman Brady Singer entered the game with a runner aboard in the sixth. The righty totaled three strikeouts, yielded two hits and an unearned run in three innings and junior Shaun Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth in which he had a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Cal Raleigh had given the Seminoles a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out homer to right field. Sophomore Mike Rivera moved the Gators in front, 2-1, the following inning

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – You never forget your 1000th. A walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning propelled head coach Jim Morris to his 1,000th career victory as skipper of the Hurricanes Saturday night, as Edgar Michelangeli lifted fourth-ranked Miami to a series-clinching 5-4 victory over No. 17 Clemson. The win was the second milestone reached in a little over a week for Morris, who became just the sixth coach to win 1,500 games as a Division I head coach last Friday in similar walk-off fashion against Louisville. “A crazy way to get your 1000th win. In the competition of the game, I had no thoughts about the 1,000 [wins] until we won,” Morris said. “We’re competing to try to win a game, and a series.” When asked to reflect on his 23 seasons at the University of Miami, and if he ever thought he could reach 1,000 wins in Coral Gables, Morris paused. “I really didn’t. It was the furthest thing from my mind,” he said, fighting back tears. “I was following, to me, the mos

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State’s freshman duo of Cal Raleigh and Jackson Lueck combined for five RBI and were vital in helping the Seminoles (18-5, 6-1) establish a six-run lead in the first inning as they topped NC State (16-8, 3-4) 8-5 on Friday evening. Friday night's win was the first of three games in the next 24 hours for the Seminoles as the series was adjusted for the remainder of the weekend. The two teams will now play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12:00 pm. As of now, the plan is to play game three of the series (game two of the day) 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. In the series opener, FSU relied on Raleigh (2-3, 2 RBI, HR) and Lueck (1-2, 3 RBI), who each had a double in the contest. They were joined among the Seminole offensive leaders by Dylan Busby, who capped off a 1-for-3 outing with two RBI. On the mound, FSU starter Mike Compton pitched 3.1 innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs while striking out two. He was follow

GREENVILLE, N.C. – JJ Gould belted his fourth home run of the season and Jacksonville totaled eight hits, but the Dolphins fell to East Carolina, 6-3, Thursday at Clark-LeClair Stadium. “I thought Nathan Disch had good stuff tonight but made a couple of mistakes that a nationally-ranked team will make you pay with,” said Head Coach Tim Montez. “I think these guys understand how close they are to being a good, solid ball club. We need to be a mentally tougher now that we’re on the road, because we were in that right until the last pitch, and this series is a good test for all of our club.” Gould’s long ball was a solo shot that came with two-outs in the first inning. ECU (15-7) answered with an RBI single by Eric Tyler in the second. The Pirates took the lead in the fourth on a two-run home run by Bryce Harman. Jacksonville (14-7) scored two runs in the fifth inning thanks a two-out rally. Nathan Koslowski ripped a line drive single and Seth DeWitt reached on infield error. D

LAS VEGAS – The Tampa Bay Storm will host the Orlando Predators at Amalie Arena in Tampa for the Arena Football League’s 3,000th game to kick off the League’s 29th Season on April 1 at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN3/Watch ESPN.  The Storm-Predators rivalry dates back to 1991. “The longevity and perseverance of the Arena Football League is a testament to the high-quality, action-packed and authentic nature of the sport,” said AFL Commissioner Scott C. Butera.  “It also recognizes the quality of our athletes, coaches and operational professionals.  Having Tampa Bay and Orlando involved in our 3,000th game could not be more appropriate.  The rich history of both teams is symbolic of our great game.  The combined total of 17 Hall of Famers between the two speaks volumes to what this rivalry has meant to our history.” A rivalry that has been brewing almost since the inception of the League, the “War on I-4” officially began on June 1, 1991, in Tampa Bay.  The expansion Predators dr

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Before hosting a Jacksonville Suns game for the first time April 7, the team’s new ownership, along with the City of Jacksonville and SMG, are enhancing guest areas around the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.  The team announced the projects at a press conference Tuesday afternoon near the construction site of a left-field Tiki Terrace. The Suns’ major additions to the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville are a group picnic area directly behind the Suns bullpen and a Tiki Terrace near the left-field foul pole. Improvements include the renovation of all 12 private Suites and the expansion of the suite-level Sundowner Lounge to give all fans a climate-controlled space to overlook the playing field.  These and other projects total more than $1.8 million invested by Suns ownership, Jacksonville Baseball, LLC, and are scheduled for completion by Opening Day.   “Fans will see a fresh look at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, as the renovations and facility impr

NEW YORK - North American Soccer League (NASL) action returns to national sports network ONE World Sports in 2016 as part of a multi-year broadcast television partnership. Beginning on Saturday, April 2, ONE World Sports will be home to the NASL Game of the Week, as well as NASL This Week, a 30-minute highlight show featuring action from around the league. "We're proud to continue our great partnership with ONE World Sports," said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. "They were the first national broadcaster to partner with us and they have done a fine job of producing some very exciting television. We're looking forward to the new streaming component that will allow anyone in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico to watch our ONE World Sports matches." ONE World Sports will carry 11 Saturday games - one per week - during the NASL Spring Season and 12 games during the Fall Season. Broadcasting veterans JP Dellacamera, Ed Cohen, Shep Messing, and Janusz Michalli

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brittany Force raced to her first career victory and took control of the Top Fuel point standings Sunday at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also victorious at the third of 24 events in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Force powered her Monster Energy dragster to a 3.772-second run at 318.77 mph to outlast Terry McMillen’s 3.981 at 266.90 in his Amalie Motor Oil XTERMIGATOR dragster. This was Force’s eighth career final round appearance and first ever at Gainesville Raceway.  After also racing to the finals three weeks ago in Phoenix, Force became the first female Top Fuel racer to appear in back-to-back finals since Melanie Troxel in 2006. As the No. 5 qualifier, Force defeated Morgan Lucas, Tripp Tatum and Dave Connolly before beating McMillen in the final. “It feels good to finally bring home the win,” said Force, daughter of 16-

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - - Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings. Top Fuel -- 1. Richie Crampton, 3.698 seconds, 319.37 mph  vs. 16. Chris Karamesines, broke; 2. Clay Millican, 3.722, 326.71  vs. 15. Ike Maier, 3.937, 301.00; 3. Antron Brown, 3.729, 319.07  vs. 14. Terry McMillen, 3.895, 308.57; 4. Leah Pritchett, 3.744, 325.69  vs. 13. Tripp Tatum, 3.862, 317.05; 5. Brittany Force, 3.745, 320.81  vs. 12. Morgan Lucas, 3.810, 315.64; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.754, 315.12  vs. 11. Shawn Langdon, 3.783, 318.84; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.757, 325.22  vs. 10. J.R. Todd, 3.779, 323.35; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.761, 324.05  vs. 9. Dave Connolly, 3.762, 325.45. Funny Car -- 1. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.879, 329.26  vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Solara, 11.1

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sidnei Frigo claimed the No. 1 qualifying position and first round victory Saturday during the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. T This weekend’s Pro Mod racing, co-presented by the Pro Line Racing and Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Inc., is the first of 10 events on the season. Frigo’s second-session pass of 5.839 seconds at 240.47 mph in his late model Artivinco Racing/FuelTech Chevy Corvette held up for his first career No. 1 qualifier. In the first round of eliminations, Frigo outran Kevin Fiscus, of Jacksonville, Fla., with a 5.810 pass at 254.04. Fiscus ran an 8.643 at 85.99 in his 2012 Ford Mustang. Frigo will face Chip King in the second round of eliminations on Sunday. Robert Patrick Jr.’s second round pass of 5.850 at 242.58 kept him qualified at second in his Purvis Ford Mustang. Patrick Jr. fell in the first round of eliminations to No. 15 qualifier Danny Rowe, of

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Junior Peter Alonso delivered a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning to bring home sophomore Nick Horvath as No. 1 Florida defeated Missouri, 4-3, on Friday night at McKethan Stadium.  With their 13th consecutive victory, the Gators (19-1) claimed their SEC opener after the Tigers (14-7) had tied the game on a two-out single in the ninth. Sansone Highlights 17-4 Seminole Win Over Pitt PITTSBURGH, Pa. – For the eighth time this season and second time in ACC action the Florida State baseball team scored double-digit runs, this time as it downed Pittsburgh 17-4 in Friday night’s series opener at Charles L. Cost Field. The Seminoles, who moved to 14-4 overall and 4-0 in league play, were led at the plate by Pennsylvania native John Sansone (2-5, run, double) who established a new single-game career-high in RBI with five. Joining him at the plate with multiple hits were Gage West (2-4, RBI, double) and Matt Henderson (2-3) who also tallied two runs and two RBI

GAINESVILLE, Fla.  – Brittany Force raced to the qualifying lead in Top Fuel at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on Friday. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders at the third of 24 events in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season. Force powered her Monster Energy dragster to a 3.745-second pass at 309.56 mph to earn the qualifying lead at Gainesville Raceway. Force, who was the runner-up in Phoenix three weeks ago, has four No. 1 qualifiers in her career. She is chasing her first career victory. “Coming out here, we didn’t know what we were going to get with the weather conditions,” Force said. “We were at least hoping to get one good run in and we did that our first run today and then we really stepped it up on the second run. When I got out and they told me that we were number one and what we ran, I was blown away.” 2015 Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown pushed his Matco Tools d

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Andrew Hines will start the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Motorcycle season firmly focused on going after his third straight world championship. But another major accomplishment and one of the great, noteworthy NHRA milestones remains in the form of the first 200 mph pass in Pro Stock Motorcycle. That mark appears within reach in 2016 and Hines predicts fans won’t have to wait long to see it. That adds another exciting layer to this weekend’s 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, where Hines will also be trying to win for the second time on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. “I think we'll see that sitting on a scoreboard somewhere early in this year,” Hines said in reference to the 200 mph speed. “It could be one session where you might see two, three, maybe even four motorcycles run over that 200 mph mark and it might just stack up on who goes out first that qualifying session.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A remarkable 10 different drivers won races during the 2015 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season, meaning not a single racer won more than one. Of those 10 winners, none were Troy Coughlin, something he hopes to change in 2016 and as soon as this weekend’s season opener as part of 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.  This weekend’s Pro Mod racing is presented by Pro Line Racing and Jerry Bickle Race Cars. One thing Coughlin would like to keep, however, is the finish, as he claimed his second NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Series world championship a year ago in his late model JEGS.com Chevrolet Corvette. “It's been a pretty remarkable run these last four years," said Coughlin, who also claimed the 2012 title. "You don't think about it as it's happening because you're generally focused on the next round, the next race, but it's neat when you do have time to reflect to see ho

Jimbo Fisher TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State opened spring practice Wednesday afternoon with plenty of familiar faces hungry for the opportunity to get the Seminoles back atop the Atlantic Coast Conference and into a fifth consecutive New Year’s Six bowl game. The Seminoles enter the spring returning 57 lettermen including 17 starters – tied for the fifth most nationally.  In fact, Florida State returns all 11 starters on offense from last year including rising junior tailback Dalvin Cook, rising redshirt senior quarterback Sean Maguire and three wide receivers (Travis Rudolph, Bobo Wilson and Kermit Whitfield) that each caught 50 or more passes.  On the defensive side, FSU welcomes back five of its top 10 leading tacklers including rising freshman defensive back Derwin James, who finished his first season in Tallahassee with the second most tackles on the team at 91. Despite all the familiarity and starting experience on both sides of the ball, one thing is certain – no

JACKSONVILLE - - North Florida fell victim to some torrid 3-point shooting in the first half by visiting Florida as the Ospreys saw their 2015-16 season come to an end with a 97-68 loss to the Gators Tuesday night in a first round NIT game in front of a packed house at the UNF Arena. The Gators placed six players in double figures, led by Dorian Finney-Smith's 15 points. Florida coach Mike White announced after the game that center John Egbunu will undergo season-ending surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.  Egbunu suffered the injury in practice on March 8, but played two SEC Tournament games and tonight’s game with heavy tape and a brace on the hand. The Ospreys finished with a 22-12 overall mark, including a program-best 14-3 at home. Florida shot lights out from beyond the arc in the opening half, hitting on 12-of-18 shots from that distance. The shots weren't falling for the Ospreys from that range as they managed just four long-range b

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday night proved to be a coming out party of sorts for both Matt Fondy and Alex Dixon in the Jacksonville Armada FC’s dominating 3-0 win over Jacksonville University at Southern Oak Stadium. The Armada, which improved to a 4W-2D-2L record in the preseason, had a handle on possession all night and had a 14-6 shot advantage. JU was able to get three on goal, but Armada goalkeeper Sebastian Evers saved all three. After a myriad of just-missed chances so far during the preseason, the flood gates finally opened for Fondy, who was named United Soccer League MVP and was that league’s Golden Boot winner a year ago with 22 strikes.  His two goals set a club preseason record, with his first coming in the seventh minute on a header. The assist came from midfielder Junior Sandoval, who whipped it in close to goal on a sidekick. Fondy found the back of the net again in the 14th minute when got behind the defense, ran down a long ball and finished with a chip over c

JACKSONVILLE -- The North Florida Men's Basketball team is making history again in 2016 as the Ospreys will host in-state foe the Florida Gators in opening round action of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at 9 p.m. Tuesday in UNF Arena. UNF secured a spot in the prestigious NIT by virtue of winning the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title after going 10-4 in league play and posting a 22-11 overall mark. The Ospreys were tabbed the No. 7 seed in one of the tournament's four regionals while the Gators (19-14, 9-9 SEC) were seeded No. 2, but were unable to host the game due to renovations at UF's O'Connell Center.  The two programs have met four times before with all the previous games played in Gainesville. UF has won all four of the meetings including a 77-69 decision in the 2013-14 season opener. "It's a tremendous honor to play in the postseason," said seventh-year head coach Matthew Driscoll, who has led the Ospreys to back-to-back

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Jacksonville University women's basketball team won its first-ever Atlantic Sun championship and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament Sunday as sophomore Brandi Buie hit a jumper with three seconds to play to nail down a 56-54 victory over the two-time defending champions, Florida Gulf Coast. JU (22-10) fought back from a 13-point deficit to make it was a one-point game, the Dolphins down, at the 6:24, 4:40 and 1:10 marks of the fourth quarter, before freshman Jasmyn Brown split a pair at the free-throw line to tie the game at 54-all with 37 seconds left in regulation. Buie, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored the game-winning basket as time ran down. Buie finished the evening with a team-high 16 points while Sherranda Reddick added 11 and Briona Brown 10. All three were named to the Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team.

Jacksonville SportsDay The Jacksonville Sharks announced that veteran defensive back David Hyland was acquired from free agency. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hyland (6’0”, 190) comes to Jacksonville from the SaberCats where he helped lead the team to an ArenaBowl Championship last season. Hyland devastated the Sharks in ArenaBowl XXVIII after recording five tackles, a fumble recovery and a pick-six that came from a deflected Tommy Grady pass.  Hyland ended the night as the Defensive Player of the Game and Playmaker of the Game. During his time with the Saber Cats last season he recorded 95 tackles, 76 solo tackles, five fumble recoveries, five interceptions, one forced fumble and was awarded the Al Lucas AFL Pulse Hero Award for his community service efforts.  The five-year veteran has played for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, Utah Blaze and San Jose SaberCats. Hyland amassed 374.5 total tackles, 302 solo tackles, 25 interceptions, 15 fumble recoveries

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The most affordable regular ticket in the history of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville will be available for the first time on Wednesday, March 16, at 10 a.m., when single-game tickets go on sale for the Jacksonville Suns’ first season under new ownership. In November, the Suns announced new single-game ticket prices for all 70 home games, beginning with $5 general admission. Reserved tickets comprising the majority of individual seating at the ballpark are $9 each. Dugout box seats, the closest to game action between the two dugouts, are $18 each. Fans may purchase single-game tickets beginning Wednesday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville box office or over the phone at (904) 358-2846. Beginning at noon Wednesday, fans may also purchase single-game tickets online at www.jaxsuns.com.

Jacksonville SportsDay The Tim Tebow Foundation is hosting its 6th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic presented by American Residential Services this Saturday, March 12 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.  The Celebrity Golf Classic serves as the signature fundraising event for the Tim Tebow Foundation and promises to bring a marquee list of celebrity participants to the First Coast. Celebrity commitments for the weekend include: Tim Tebow, The Band Perry, Urban Meyer, Chipper Jones, Billy Horschel, Zach Johnson, Duck Dynasty members, Archie Griffin, Marcus Allen, Ashley Benson, Chris Tomlin, Tom Rinaldi, Hugh Freeze, Ashley Greene, Paul Finebaum, Danny Wuerffel and many more! Over the course of the event’s five years, it has raised more than $5.5 million. But, that isn’t the most important narrative. The Celebrity Golf Classic not only raises money for the foundation’s initiatives, but it also provides a unique atmosphere for the North Florida region unmatched by other events.