11 Conference Championships | 13 NCAA Regional Appearances | 103 MLB Draft Picks B E T H E T R E E
2019 UCF BASEBALL GAME NOTES
february 6-2
15 siena W, 2-1
16 siena W, 5-1
17 siena W, 7-1
19 stetson W, 10-2
22 #15 auburn L, 4-1 23 #15 auburn W, 6-1 24 #15 auburn L, 13-9
27 florida W, 12-9
march 4-3
1 jacksonville L, 8-5 2 jacksonville W, 3-0 3 jacksonville W, 6-4 6 ball state W, 9-8 (13)
8 penn state L, 5-2
9 penn state W, 5-3
10 penn state L, 11-5
12 yale 6 pm
13 yale 6 pm
15 vcu 6 pm
16 vcu 6 pm
17 vcu 1 pm
19 florida state 6 pm
22 ecu* 6 pm
23 ecu* 4 pm
24 ecu* noon
27 north florida 6 pm
29 uconn* 6 pm
30 uconn* 6 pm
31 uconn* 1 pm
april 0-0
2 stetson 6:30 pm
5 south florida* 6 pm 6 south florida* 6 pm 7 south florida* 1 pm
9 jacksonville 7 pm
12 cincinnati* 6 pm
13 cincinnati* 4 pm
14 cincinnati* noon
16 fau 6 pm
18 wichita state* 7 pm 19 wichita state* 3 pm 20 wichita state* 11 am 23 bethune-cookman 3 pm
26 memphis* 6 pm
27 memphis* 6 pm
28 memphis* 1 pm
30 north florida 6 pm
may 0-0
3 tulane* 7:30 pm
4 tulane* 3 pm
5 tulane* 2 pm
7 bethune-cookman 3 pm
8 miami 7 pm
14 fau 6:30 pm
16 houston* 6 pm
17 houston* 6 pm
18 houston* 6 pm
21-26 The American Championship
31-6/3 NCAA Regionals
6/7-6/9 NCAA Super Regionals
6/15-6/26 College World Series
Home games in bold
* Denotes games in The American All game times are EST.
2019 SCHEDULE GAME INFORMATION
Date: March 12-13 Times: 6 PM | 6 PM Site: Orlando, Fla.
Stadium: John Euliano Park Watch: UCFKnights.TV Listen: N/A
Live Stats: UCFKnights.com
A WIN WOULD
• Be better than a loss.
RECORD: 3-7 RANKING: Ivy LAST SEASON: 22-21
HEAD COACH: John Stuper, La Roche ‘80 CAREER RECORD: 517-588-4
SCHOOL RECORD: 517-588-4
BULLDOGS YALE
SERIES NOTES
UCF OFFENSE YALE
.267 Batting Avg. .277
.376 Slugging Pct. .371
.366 On-Base Pct. .355
22 Doubles 17
1 Triples 2
10 Home Runs 4
68 Walks 36
25/34 Stolen Bases/Att 21-24
UCF PITCHING/DEF. YALE
3.82 ERA 8.75
0 Complete Games 1
4 Saves 2
162/77 Strikeout/Walks 63/49
.228 Opp. BA. .322
18 Errors 9
14 Double Plays 13
.969 Fielding Percentage .976
YALE 1-4-2
H: 1-4-2, A: N/A, N: N/A, PS: N/A 1979 H L 13-11 (10) 1979 H L 9-6 (10) 1981 H T 21-21 (7)
1982 H L 8-9
1983 H L 11-16
1983 H T 7-7
3/14/1989 H W 7-4
TALE OF THE TAPE
GAME 16-17
RECORD: 10-5
CONFERENCE: The American LAST SEASON: 35-21
HEAD COACH: Greg Lovelady, Miami ‘01 CAREER RECORD: 209-104
SCHOOL RECORD: 85-48
KNIGHTS UCF
STARTING ROTATION
Tuesday Jordan Spicer - RHP Rohan Handa - LHP
1-0, 3 App, 2 GS, 8.59 ERA, 7.1 IP 0-0, 2 App, 0 GS, 19.64 ERA, 3.2 IP
Wednesday TBA TBA
-- --
KNIGHT NOTES
leading off
• UCF enters its first multi-game midweek series of the year with a 10-5 record, the second best non-conference mark in The American.
• Starting Tuesday, the Knights will play five games in six days.
• The Knights trail the all-time series against Yale 1-4-2. This will be the first meeting since 1989.
a look back
• The Black and Gold is looking to bounce back after dropping its weekend series to Penn State.
• The Knights evened the series with a 5-3 win on Saturday night, but the Nittany Lions rallied to win the series finale on Sunday.
• UCF moved to 2-2 in weekend series with the loss.
ray rakes
• Ray Alejo nearly hit for the cycle against Penn State on March 9, just missing a single to complete the feat.
• The redshirt junior hit the first triple of the season for the Knights, as well as his third homer of the year.
• The last player to hit for the cycle was Tommy Williams vs. Fairfield on March 15, 2015.
the long ball
• The Knights have 10 home runs on the season, which ranks sixth in The American.
• Ray Alejo leads the team with a trio of dingers, two of which were leadoff homers.
• UCF has hit multiple homers in a game twice this season, including a season-high four against Auburn on Feb. 24.
turning two
• UCF ranks 18th in the nation with 14 double plays turned.
• Grant Schuermann has induced the most with four, followed by three from Jordan Spicer.
• Matthew Mika has been the most active when turning two with a team-high 12.
beaver bash
• Dallas Beaver leads the team with 13 RBI this season.
• He made a huge jump from 1 RBI as a freshman to 30 last season and is on pace to set a new career high.
• The junior is hitting .750 this year with a runner on third and less than two outs.
• Beaver has split time between catcher (9 starts) and first base (6 starts).
yo soy kemp
• Kyle Kemp continued his impressive run out of the bullpen over the weekend with a season-high five strikeouts.
• He is the lone bullpen arm not to give up an earned run, due largely to an .030 opponent batting average.
• Kemp is one of two graduate transfers on the team this season, along with Grant Schuermann.
A SERIES WIN WOULD
• Give the Knights their third series win on the year.
A SWEEP WOULD
• Be the ninth sweep in the Greg Lovelady era.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
OPP GP AVG R H SB-AT ERA BB K TOP PITCHER TOP HITTER
SIENA 3 .310 15 31 10-10 1.00 16 41 HELSEL, 2 IP, 6 K BERNARDO, .455 BA, 2 RBI, 3 XB
AUBURN 3 .248 16 25 3-3 5.33 19 24 HOLLOWAY, 5 IP, 5 K, 0 R OSIK, .417 BA, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 2 2B
JACKSONVILLE 3 .236 14 21 4-8 2.33 11 29 WILLIAMS, 6 IP, 8 K OSIK, .364 BA, 3 R, .364 SLG
PENN STATE 3 .217 12 20 1-2 5.67 10 25 KEMP, 2 IP, 5 K OSIK, .375 BA, 2 RBI, 2 R
YALE
VCU
ECU
UCONN
SOUTH FLORIDA
CINCINNATI
WICHITA STATE
MEMPHIS
TULANE
HOUSTON
MIDWEEK SNAPSHOT
OPP AVG R H SB-AT ERA BB K TOP PITCHER TOP HITTER
STESTON .314 10 11 0-0 2.00 4 11 KEMP, HAKANSON - 3 K, 1 IP ALEJO, 2-3, 4 RBI, 1 HR
FLORIDA .341 12 14 5-6 1.00 7 10 HAKANSON, 4 K, 2.2 IP OSIK, 3-5, 2 RBI
BALL STATE .275 9 11 2-5 3.46 8 12 HAKANSON, 4 K, 2.2 IP MIKA, 2-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
FLORIDA STATE
NORTH FLORIDA
STETSON
JACKSONVILLE
FAU
BETHUNE-COOKMAN
NORTH FLORIDA
BETHUNE-COOKMAN
MIAMI
FAU `
Feb. 15-17 Siena Orlando, Fla. UCF starts the year 3-0 for the 18th time in
UCF leads 54-4 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 3-0 program history.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
Feb. 19 Stetson Orlando, Fla. Knights use a 11-hit, 10-run, 11-strikeout
UCF leads 72-48 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 1-0 night to win first midweeker of the year Feb. 22-24 No. 15 Auburn Orlando, Fla. UCF throws two five-hitters but can’t win
Auburn leads 4-1 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 1-2 home series against the No. 15 Tigers Feb. 27 at No. 5 Florida Gainesville, Fla. No return trip needed for this series after the
Florida leads 20-27 McKethan Stadium SEC Network + 1-0 Knights made it four straight wins
March 1-3 Jacksonville Orlando, Fla. UCF bounces back from a series opening loss UCF leads 43-38 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 2-1 as Chris Williams makes his 2019 debut
March 6 Ball State Orlando, Fla. The Knights needed 13 innings and three
Tied 1-1 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 1-0 multi-run rallies to beat the Cardinals March 8-10 Penn State Orlando, Fla. Knights drop series finale after giving up seven
First Meeting John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 1-2 runs in the seventh inning.
March 12-13 Yale Orlando, Fla. The Knights will face the Bulldogs for the first Yale leads 4-1-2 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM, 6 PM time since 1989
March 15-17 VCU Orlando, Fla. This will be the second series in history
UCF leads 2-2 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM, 6 PM, 1 PM between the two programs
March 19 at Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. The Knights will look to snap a five-game FSU leads 35-6 Dick Howser Stadium ACC Network Extra 6 PM skid against the Seminoles
March 22-24 at ECU Greenville, N.C. UCF opens play in The American against
ECU leads 34-14 Clark-LeClair Stadium ADN 6:30 PM, 4 PM, Noon the reigning tournament champs
March 27 North Florida Orlando, Fla. After a season off, the two clubs will play the UNF leads 11-9 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM first of a two-game series in 2019
March 29-31 UConn Orlando, Fla. It’s going to be like a 70-degree difference
UConn leads 11-9 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM, 6 PM, 1 PM from last year’s series in the North Pole
April 2 Stetson DeLand, Fla. The Knights are 6-1 over their last seven games
UCF leads 72-48 Conrad Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM in Deland
April 5-7 South Florida Orlando, Fla. It’s the War On I-4
USF leads 71-66 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM, 6 PM, 1 PM Nothing else need be said
April 9 at Jacksonville Jacksonville, Fla. First trip to Jacksonville for the Knights since UCF leads 43-38 John Sessions Stadium 7 PM 2017
April 12-14 at Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Support staff already planning their Skyline UCF leads 54-4 Marge Schott Stadium 6 PM, 4 PM, Noon Chili orders
April 16 FAU Orlando, Fla. The Knights are 2-8 against the Owls over
UCF leads 43-35 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM the last 10 contests
April 18-20 at Wichita State Wichita, Kan. Is it warm enough to play north of the UCF leads 54-4 Eck Stadium 6 PM, 6 PM, 1 PM Mason-Dixon line yet?
April 23 Bethune-Cookman Orlando, Fla. The 81 wins are the most for UCF against any UCF leads 81-17 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM opponent in its history
April 26-28 Memphis Orlando, Fla. UCF has won its last three series against the Memphis leads 22-20 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM, 6 PM, 1 PM Tigers but without a sweep
April 30 at North Florida Jacksonville, Fla. For the first time in two seasons, the Knights UCF leads 43-38 Harmon Stadium 6 PM will head to North Florida
May 3-5 at Tulane New Orleans, La.
Tulane leads 23-22 Turchin Stadium 7:30 PM, 3 PM, 2 PM The support staff is v,v excited for this trip May 7 Bethune-Cookman Orlando, Fla. After a late cancellation during the offseason,
UCF leads 81-17 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM the Knights will face the Wildcats
May 8 at Miami Miami, Fla. Lovelady will go up against his friend and
Miami leads 29-9 Mark Light Field ACC Network Extra 7 PM mentor Gino DiMare for the first time
May 14 at FAU Boca Raton, Fla. The final midweek trip of the year comes
UCF leads 43-35 FAU Baseball Stadium 6:30 PM after the first off-weekend of the year
May 16-18 Houston Orlando, Fla. UCF sends off 10 seniors in their final games
UCF leads 29-22 John Euliano Park UCFKnights.tv 6 PM, 6 PM, 6 PM at John Euliano Park
May 21-26 AAC Tournament Clearwater, Fla. The Knights go for their first tournament title
UCF is 5-7 Spectrum Stadium ADN in the American
general information
School Name: University of Central Florida Location: Orlando, Fla.
Founded: 1963
Enrollment 68,000+
Nickname: Knights Colors: Black and Gold Affiliation: NCAA Division I
Conference: American Athletic Conference, The American President: Dr. Dale Whittaker (Texas A&M ‘83) Athletics Director: Dr. Daniel J. White (Notre Dame ‘02) Baseball Administrator: David Hansen (Florida ‘92) Faculty Representative: Dr. Manoj Chopra (Birla I.T. ‘85) Athletics Department Phone: (407) 823-3213 Ticket Office Phone: (407) 823-1000 Athletics Website: www.UCFKnights.com UCF Baseball on Social Media:
Facebook /UCFBaseball
Twitter @UCF_Baseball
Instagram @UCF.Baseball communications department
Associate A.D./Communications: Andy Seeley BASEBALL CONTACT
Assistant Director/Communications Ian MacDougall Office Phone: (407) 823-5395
Cell Phone: (317) 313-7486 Email: [email protected] Mailing Address:
PO Box 163555 Orlando, FL 32816 Physical Address:
UCF Spectrum Stadium 4465 Knights Victory Way Orlando, FL 32816 program information
First Year of Baseball: 1973 (47th Season) All-Time Record: 1,566-1,048-10 (.599)prior to 2019 season
Division I Record: 1,234-777-1 (.614) Postseason Record: 16-24 (.400) Record in The American: 53-66 (.445) Championships in The American: 1 (2017) Tournament Championships in The American: 0 Record in The American Tournament: 5-9 (.357) Conference Championships: 11 (Last 2017) NCAA Regional Appearances: 11 (Last 2017) NCAA Regional Titles: 0
NCAA Super Regional Appearances: 0 NCAA Super Regional Titles: 0 College World Series Appearances: 0 National Championships: 0 stadium information
Name: John Euliano Park (Renamed 2018) Capacity: 3,841
Field Dimensions: LF - 320, CF - 390, RF - 320 Alleys: LCF - 360, RCF - 360
Surface: Natural Grass
Record at John Euliano Park: 410-207 (.667) staff information
Head Coach: Greg Lovelady (Miami ‘01) Record at UCF: 75-43 (.636)/3rd Season Career Record: 199-99 (.668)/6th Season Contact Info for Coach Lovelady: Ian MacDougall Baseball Office Phone: (407) 823-4869 Asst. Coach: Ryan Klosterman (Vanderbilt ‘04)/8th Asst. Coach: Nick Otte (Indiana ‘02)/1st Asst. Coach: Ted Tom (Shawnee State ‘04)/2nd Director of Operations: Drew Roberts (Xavier ‘07) Student Managers: Peter Amalbert and Peter Duros 2018 team information
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 17/12 Position Starters Returning/Lost: 6/2 Position Players Returning/Lost: 10/6 Pitchers Returning/Lost: 9/6 Newcomers: 17
Newcomers Pitchers/Position Players: 8/9
UCF KNIGHTS... that’s it...that’s who we are... call us that Please refer to the University of Central Florida as UCF when shortening the title. Derivatives such as C. Florida, Cent. Florida and C. Fla., should not be used.
Also only call UCF the Knights, not the Golden Knights.
REPEAT - NOT. THE. GOLDEN. KNIGHTS... it’s been over a decade.
UCF KNIGHTS
(Please don’t make the SID come talk to you during the game.)
QUICK FACTS
taking their chances
• A quintet of young Knights made the most of opportunities on against Penn State on March 10.
• Gephry Pena and Jay Lyons both picked up their first career base hits.
• Adams Torres drove in a run with his first at-bat of the year.
• Ben McCabe also brought in a run in his lone at-bat against the Nittany Lions.
• Zack Hunsicker went 1 1/3 innings without allowing a run and striking out one.
honored by the american
• Chris Williams needed just one start to make his impact felt across the conference, as we was named The American Pitcher of the Week after the Jacksonville series.
• Jeffrey Hakanson earned a spot on the league’s Honor Roll with three saves, including his first of the season against No. 1 Florida.
• Tyler Osik hit .438 and drove in a pair of runs over the last four games to earn a spot on the weekly Honor Roll as well.
benny the babe
• Ben McCabe entered the season as the third choice catcher, but has made the most of his opportunities.
• The rookie catcher recorded his first career RBI, extra base hit and multi-hit game against Ball State.
• The freshman is also 2-for-2 as a pinch hitter.
jeff jams
• Reliever Jeffrey Hakanson has embraced his role as the go-to arm out of the pen with a 1.69 ERA and an opposing batting average of .088 in 10 2/3 innings of work through the first three weeks of the year.
• The sophomore has extended to a career-long 2 2/3 innings twice this year, including a save against No. 3 Florida.
• The righty was tied for the national lead in strikeouts with fewer than 12 innings pitched this season.
it’s his year
• Matthew Mika has continued to enhance his reputation as a terror on the base paths, swiping seven bags to lead the conference.
• The senior has 6 RBI and a .369 on-base percentage to start the year.
• Mika has 64 career stolen bases, just two away from breaking into the career top 10.
• Prior to the season, Mika claimed 2019 as his year.
oh no, o yeah
• Tyler Osik has one of the top bats for UCF with a team-high .333 clip at the dish.
• Osik has the team’s longest on-base streak at 13 games.
• The redshirt senior is doing his damage early with a .478 batting average in the first three innings.
• He is the son of Keith Osik a 10-year Major League player, spending seven with Pittsburgh.
stealing made easy
• The Knights have continued to be active on the base paths, going 25-34 to start the year, which ranks 38th in the country
• Mika has a team-high eight steals, and the six other hitters who have started every game have at least one.
• The Black and Gold posted a season-high seven against Siena on Opening Weekend.
• UCF is going for its third straight 100-steal season for the first time since a five-year stretch from 1984-88.
coming home
• Mika stole home against Florida on Feb. 27.
• The Knights have now stolen home four times since the start of 2018, led by Ray Alejo with two.
• Prior to Jackson Webb doing it against Wichita State last year, the last time the Knights swiped home came back in 2013 with James Vaszquez against Texas Tech on Feb. 23.
power pitching
• The Knights have recorded at least 10 strikeouts in 11 games this season, topped by a season-high 15 against Siena on Opening Weekend.
• UCF is 29th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings with 10.5.
• While the Knights have struck out 162 batters, they’ve surrendered 94 free passes.
• The bullpen has fanned at least nine batters on five occasions.
left side, strong side
• Third baseman Griffin Bernardo earned a spot on The American Honor Roll after Opening Weekend.
• The sophomore hit .455 with a pair of RBI and two doubles.
• Shortstop Brandon Hernandez launched his second career homer for UCF to put the Knights ahead 9-8 No. 3 Florida.
el chopper
• Ray Alejo had a solid start to his redshirt junior campaign, going 6-for-13 over the first four games.
• The Orlando native drove in a career-high four RBI in the win over Stetson.
• He leads the team with 10.06 runs created.
• Alejo finished the 2018 campaign ranked fifth nationally with 34 stolen bases.
• He is also the subject of a parody account on Twitter @ElChopperTheGod.
UCFACTS
THE AMERICAN
W L T Pct W L T Pct Last 10 Streak
ECU 0 0 0 .000 12 5 0 .706 7-3 W 4
UCF 0 0 0 .000 10 5 0 .667 6-4 L 1
Tulane 0 0 0 .000 10 6 0 .625 5-5 L 3
UConn 0 0 0 .000 7 6 0 .538 5-5 L 1
USF 0 0 0 .000 7 6 0 .538 5-5 L 1
Memphis 0 0 0 .000 7 7 0 .500 6-4 W 3
Houston 0 0 0 .000 7 7 0 .500 5-5 W 3
Wichita State 0 0 0 .000 5 9 0 .357 4-6 L 4
Cincinnati 0 0 0 .000 3 9 0 .250 3-7 W 2
LAST 5 OFFENSE LAST 10 Batting Avg.
Slugging Pct.
On-Base Pct.
Doubles Triples Home Runs
Walks Stolen Bases/Att
LAST 5 PITCHING/DEF. LAST 10
ERA Complete Games
Saves Strikeout/Walks
Opp. BA.
Errors Double Plays Fielding Percentage
All Conf. Lovelady
Overall 10-5 - 85-48
Sweeps 1-0 - 8-1
at Home 9-5 - 65-23
on the Road 1-0 - 19-19
at Neutral Sites - - 2-5
Ranked Teams 2-2 - 18-23
Top-10 Teams 1-0 4-5
Day Games 2-2 - 28-24
Night Games 8-3 - 57-24
Midweek Games (Tue-Wed) 2-0 - 21-14 Weekend Games (Thur-Sun) 7-5 - 63-34
1-Run Games 2-0 - 18-14
2-Run Games 2-0 - 12-4
5+ Run Games 3-1 - 37-12
Extra-Inning Games 1-0 - 8-2
Shutouts 1-0 - 15-4
Starter lasts 5+ innings 6-4 - 59-26 Starter lasts <5 innings 4-1 - 26-22 Staff strikes outs <10 1-2 - 30-21 Staff strikes out 10-14 7-1 - 47-24 Staff strikes out 15+ 1-0 - 7-1 vs. RH Starters 8-4 - 61-33 vs. LH Starters 2-1 - 25-14 When UCF scores first 7-2 - 55-14 When Opp. scores first 3-3 - 30-34 Scoring 0-2 runs 1-2 - 6-15 Scoring 3-5 runs 3-2 - 22-28 Scoring 6-9 runs 4-1 - 33-5 Scoring 10+ runs 2-0 - 24-0 Opponent scores 0-2 runs 6-0 - 51-2 Opponent scores 3-5 runs 2-2 - 24-17 Opponent scores 6-9 runs 2-1 - 10-24 Opponent scores 10+ runs 0-2 - 0-7 Outhit opponents 9-0 - 66-9 Outhit by opponents 1-4 - 12-36
Tied hits 0-1 - 6-3
Made no errors 2-2 - 34-11
Made 1 error 2-1 - 33-7
Made 2 or more errors 6-2 - 18-28 Leading after 7 innings 8-0 - 65-7 Trailing after 7 innings 0-5 - 9-36 Tied after 7 innings 2-0 - 11-2
Walk-offs 2-0 - 11-3
On Tuesday 1-0 - 11-10
On Wednesday 2-0 - 7-5
On Thursday - - 2-0
On Friday 1-3 - 24-9
On Saturday 4-0 - 22-14
On Sunday 2-2 - 17-12
Series Openers 2-3 - 25-10
Middle Games 4-0 - 19-12
Series Finales 2-2 - 21-14
In February 6-2 - 19-6
In March 4-3 - 30-14
In April - - 20-13
In May - - 16-13
In June 0-2
Televised Games 0-0 2-5
Artificial Turf Playing Surface 0-0 0-0 - Natural Grass Playing Surface 10-5 0-0 - The Pins (Pinstripes) 3-1 - -
The Camos 1-1 - -
The Whites (White Knights) 2-2 - - White Heat (Pegasus) 1-1 - - Black Ice (All Black) 2-0 - -
The Greys 1-0 - -
The Skinners (#SkinnerStrong) 0-0 -
Two-Button Black 0-0 - -
RECORD RUNDOWN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+ Total
UCF 8 13 13 12 7 6 11 6 7 5 88 OPP. 5 6 10 8 12 4 12 0 11 4 72
THE SCORING UCFFACTS
name school age
1. Greg Lovelady UCF 39
2. Jeff Duncan Davidson 39
3. Matt Riser Southeastern Louisiana 34
4. Shawn Stiffler VCU 39
5. Jeff Mercer^ Indiana 33 6. Justin Blood Hartford 39
7. Ben Orloff UC Irvine 31
8. T.J. Bruce Nevada 36
9. Joe Vazquez Alabama State 39 10. Rucker Taylor Davidson 34 d1baseball’s coaches under 40
• Lovelady was named D1Baseball’s Top Head Coach Under 40 back in December
• Check out some of the top up-and-comers that Lovelady bested
• * D1 Baseball’s list came out on Dec. 6, 2018, prior to Lovelady’s 40th birthday on Jan. 11, 2019
• Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer was an assistant on Lovelady’s staff for three seasons at Wright State and took over the head job of the Raiders when Lovelady departed for UCF in 2016
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+
UCF SCORES 0-0 0-1 0-1 2-0 0-0 2-2 2-0 1-0 0-0 1-1 2-0 OPP SCORES 1-0 3-0 2-0 1-0 1-1 0-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-0 0-2
RECORD WHEN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UCF LEADS AFTER 3-2 5-3 7-3 8-2 6-1 7-1 8-0 9-0 UCF TRAILS AFTER 2-0 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 1-4 0-5 0-5 GAME IS TIED AFTER 5-3 3-1 1-0 0-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 1-0
RECORD WHEN
four straight against florida
• UCF knocked off the Gators for the fourth straight time in the series.
• The winning streak is tied for the longest against Florida.
• Tyler Osik went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while Brandon Hernandez chipped in a 3-for-4 outing with an RBI.• The bullpen totaled 11 strikeouts against the Gators.
• No return trip was necessary.
power rankings
• Entering the year, several Knights were tabbed in DIBaseball’s Preseason Position Rankings.
• First baseman Dallas Beaver and second baseman Matthew Mika were ranked 21st and 27th, respectively.
• Outfielders Tyler Osik (57th) and Ray Alejo (60th) were joined on the list by starting pitchers Trevor Holloway (124th) and Chris Williams (186th).
adding to the park
• Prior to the season, the Knights unveiled a renovated locker room, made possible by the generous contributions of sereval basebal alumni, including Matt Rhodes ‘05
• The $140,000 project features new lockers, LED light fixtures, graphics on the baseboards and a UCF baseball light fixture in the middle of the room that houses LEDs synced for a light show
• The Premium Club is also completed for its first full season, including bar service, air conditioning and 240 seats.
otte box
• When pitching coach Justin Parker departed for Indiana in July, Lovelady turned to a familiar foe that he had met during his time at Wright State in Xavier associate head coach Nick Otte
• After a record setting career at Indiana from 1998 to 2002, Otte spent time on staff at IPFW, Georgetown College, and Miami (Ohio), before moving to Xavier in 2010
• During nine seasons in Cincinnati, Otte guided the Musketeers to a trio of Big East titles and three NCAA Regional appearances
• Otte brings a distinct coaching style that helps the pitching staff prepare and perform with a strong mentality. In addition to mentoring the hurlers to shake off any bad pitches, Otte utilizes footage and advanced analytics to help the pitching staff improve
special knights
• John Euliano Park will be the place to be this spring, as the Knights will not only have some of the most exciting collegiate baseball in the nation, but several fun promotions for the entire seaosn
• UCF will host Wrestling Knight on March 29, paying homage to Central Florida’s close ties to professional wrestling
• The Black and Gold will sport special Citronaut hats on April 5 for Citronaut Knight
• UCF will thank the local suburbs for their support with Orlando’s Hometown Team Games: Oviedo (March 2), Downtown Orlando (March 3), Winter Park (March 15), Baldwin Park (March 16), Avalon Park (March 30), and Winter Springs (April 27)
to the draft
• UCF sent six players to the 2018 MLB Draft, five of whom elected to forgo their remaining collegiate eligibility
• A pair were picked on Day Two, including 5th Round selection Thad Ward to Boston.
• The six selections was the most since 2006 and is tied for the third most in program history
#builtbyucf
• Entering the 2019 season, the Knights have 18 former players among the professional ranks,
• Seven Knights received invitations to Spring Training,
• Two Knights have a chance to make their MLB debuts in 2019. Dylan Moore was signed to the Mariners’
40-man roster during the offseason, and Jason Bahr will look to continue moving up with the Texas Rangers.
lovelady back for third season
• Head coach Greg Lovelady returns for his third season at UCF with a career record of 205-101
• Lovelady has changed the culture quickly in Orlando, setting the program record for most wins by a first- year head coach and becoming the fastest coach to 75 victories in UCF history
• He recorded his 200th career victory against Siena on Opening Knight.
.261 .358 .380 8 1 2 27 4-9 4.78 0 2 60/25 .257 4 1 .980
.260 .375 .362 15 1 7 45 15-24 4.88 0 4 105/52 .261 11 10 .972
No. Name B/T Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
1 David Litchfield R/R RHP 6-0 175 RSo. Longwood, Fla. (Lake Mary Prep/St. John’s River State) 2 Ray Alejo R/R INF 6-0 170 RJr. Orlando, Fla. (Boone/Ole Miss/Northwest Florida State) 3 Tyler Osik R/R INF/OF 6-0 195 RSr. Shoreham, N.Y. (Shoreham Wading River/ Chipola) 4 Jay Lyons R/R IF 5-8 215 Fr. Tampa, Fla. (King)
6 Adams Torres R/R INF 5-9 176 So. Santiago, Dominican Republic (Celebration) 7 Brandon Hernandez R/R INF 5-10 180 Sr. Royal Palm Beach, Fla. (Royal Palm Beach/Santa Fe) 10 Anthony George R/R C/INF 5-10 190 RJr. Oviedo, Fla. (Hagerty)
11 Griffin Bernardo R/R INF 5-11 210 So. Longwood, Fla. (Lake Brantley) 12 Jack Sinclair R/R RHP 6-4 170 So. Coral Springs, Fla. (J. P. Taravella)
13 Jordan Spicer R/R RHP 6-3 210 Sr. Hialeah, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas/Polk State) 14 Matthew Mika R/R INF 5-10 180 Sr. Lake Worth, Fla. (Park Vista)
15 Trevor Holloway R/R RHP 6-2 200 Jr. Venice, Fla. (Venice High School/High Point/Chipola) 16 Zack Helsel R/R RHP 6-1 195 RJr. Altoona, Fla. (Altoona Area Senior High/Miami Dade/Liberty) 17 Kyle Kemp R/R RHP 6-2 215 RSr. Port Charlotte, Fla. (Port Charlotte High/Lipscomb) 19 Joe Sheridan L/L LHP 6-0 180 Jr. Oviedo, Fla. (Hagerty)
20 Jaylyn Whitehead L/L LHP 6-0 165 RJr. Ocoee, Fla. (Olympia/Northwest Florida State) 21 Luis Ferrer L/L LHP 6-0 195 RSr. Cape Coral, Fla. (Mariner/Polk State ) 22 Chandler Robertson L/R OF 6-1 185 Sr. Ancaster, Ontario (Ancaster/Murray State ) 24 Garrett Westberg R/R RHP 6-2 200 Sr. Federal Way, Wash. (Decatur/Tacoma) 25 Chris Williams R/R RHP 5-11 180 RSr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons)
27 Tom Cheshareck L/R RHP 6-1 185 RJr. Morris, Ill. (Morris Community/Illinois State/Parkland) 28 Ryan Saltonstall R/L LHP 6-0 195 Jr. Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunnyslope/South Mountain CC) 29 Pedro Castellano L/R IF 5-11 185 Jr. Davenport, Fla. (Faith Baptist Christian/South Florida State) 30 Jeffrey Hakanson R/R RHP 6-0 185 So. Tampa, Fla. (Jesuit)
31 Gephry Pena R/R OF 6-0 165 Fr. Santiago, Dominican Republic (Florida Prep Academy) 32 Ben Rushing R/R UTL 6-0 205 Fr. Weston, Fla. (Cypress Bay)
33 Zack Hunsicker R/R RHP 6-4 230 Fr. Wentzville, Mo. (Francis Howell)
34 Jordan Rathbone R/R UTL 5-11 200 RJr. Spokane, Wash. (Gonzaga Prep/Gonzaga/South Mountain) 35 Dalton Wingo R/R OF 6-1 190 So. Plant City, Fla. (Plant City)
36 Nolan Lepkoske R/R RHP 6-5 240 Fr. Jacksonville, Fla. (Mandarin)
37 Grant Schuermann L/L LHP 6-2 200 RSr. Cincinnati, Ohio (Lakota West/Furman) 38 Dallas Beaver L/R C/INF 6-2 219 Jr. Kissimmee, Fla. (Osceola)
39 Connor Allen L/L IF 6-4 225 RFr. Merritt Island, Fla. (Merritt Island/Miami) 40 Ben McCabe R/R C 5-11 170 Fr. Sarasota, Fla. (Sarasota High School) 42 Ty Crittenberger R/R OF 5-11 170 Fr. Lighthouse Point, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons) 43 Liam Silvagnoli R/R RHP 6-2 200 Jr. Orlando, Fla. (East River/Seminole State)
No. Name Pos.
2 Ray Alejo OF
39 Connor Allen INF 38 Dallas Beaver C/INF 11 Griffin Bernardo INF 29 Pedro Castellano INF 27 Tom Cheshareck RHP 42 Ty Crittenberger OF
21 Luis Ferrer LHP
10 Anthony George C 30 Jeffrey Hakanson RHP
16 Zack Helsel RHP
7 Brandon Hernandez INF 15 Trevor Holloway RHP 33 Zack Hunsicker RHP
17 Kyle Kemp RHP
36 Nolan Lepkoske RHP 1 David Litchfield RHP
4 Jay Lyons INF
40 Ben McCabe C
14 Matthew Mika INF
3 Tyler Osik INF/OF
31 Gephry Pena OF
34 Jordan Rathbone UTL 22 Chandler Robertson OF
32 Ben Rushing UTL
28 Ryan Saltonstall LHP 37 Grant Schuermann LHP 19 Joe Sheridan LHP 43 Liam Silvagnoli RHP 12 Jack Sinclair RHP 13 Jordan Spicer RHP
6 Adams Torres INF
24 Garrett Westberg RHP 20 Jaylyn Whitehead LHP 25 Chris Williams RHP
35 Dalton Wingo OF
KNOW THE LINGO
LEAVING A LEGACY
One of the mantras that Coach Lovelady has instilled in the program is Leaving a Legacy. Each player realizes that they are a part of a larger picture that encompasses the entire history of UCF Baseball.
In order to leave their legacy, players must reach the bar that former teams have set for them, then raises it for future generations of Knights. Players are reminded of this phrase on the dugout card on game days.
TODAY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF THE SEASON Another of Coach Lovelady’s mantras directs players to not take a day off or for granted.
The team hears that phrase before every practice and game. It also appears on the dugout card.
#BUILTBYUCF
Heading into the 2018 season, the Knights will have 15 former student-athletes competing at various professional levels, including five in the Major Leagues.
This hashtag is used when praising their professional accomplishments.
#UCFast
First used by UCF Track & Field and later adopted by UCF Football, #UCFast has come to describe those blessed with the gift of speed. Teammate constantly compete for the title of fastest player for UCF Baseball.
BOX SQUAD
A select few on the team are members of a group called the Box Squad. The squad consists of players with a stockier physique, led by Dallas Beaver and Tyler Osik.
The 2019 Box Squad roster includes Dallas Beaver, Tyler Osik, Griffin Bernardo, Adams Torres, Jay Lyons and Garrett Westberg.
#SKINNERSTRONG
In December of 2015, Joe Skinner signed a National Letter of Intent to play for UCF. He never got the opportunity, as he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and passed away in April of 2016.
Close with other members of the Knights 2016 signing class, UCF honors Skinner with special wrist bands and by raising money for his foundation every year.
Dallas Beaver, Skinner’s best friend growing up, wears No. 38 to honor his lifelong friend. Beaver also dons a
#SkinnerStrong wrist band every day.
QUIZ TIME
Here’s a quick Q&A for broadcasters to make sure they’ve read the notes:
How should you refer to the Knights?
A) The UCF Knights B) The UCF Knights C) The UCF Knights
D) Other (almost ensuring a visit from the SID in game) Head Coach: Greg Lovelady, 23 (3rd, Miami ‘01) - 2nd mound visit
Assistant Coach: Ryan Klosterman, 8 (8th, Vanderbilt ‘04) - 3rd base Assistant Coach: Nick Otte, 41 (1st, Indiana 02) - 1st mound visit Assistant Coach: Ted Tom, 9 (2nd, Shawnee State ‘04) - 1st base Director of Operations: Drew Roberts
Assistant Sports Performance Coach: Jeremy Fradin Athletic Trainer: Sam Wichael
Equipment Manager: Bryan Hill
Tyler Osik - said after rad skateboard trick Adams Torres- S at the end of Adams Matthew Mika - Boston accent “My Car”
Luis Ferrer - LEW-is Fuh-RARE
Tom Cheshareck - Don’t miss that second H Jeffrey Hakanson - HAY-can-son
Gephry Pena - Jeffrey PAIN-ya Grant Scheurmann- SHER-man Nick Otte - ought-EE
UCF ROSTER UCF ROSTER
COACHING STAFF HOW TO SAY IT
MLB Chase Bradford Seattle Drew Butera Philadelphia*
Ben Lively Kansas City
Dylan Moore Seattle*
Eric Skoglund Kansas City
Beau Taylor Oakland*
Dan Winkler Atlanta
AAA AA A Advanced
Jason Bahr Down East (TEX) A Andrew Deramo Lansing (TOR) Jordan Scheftz Lake County (CLE) A Short
Eric Hepple Boise (COL) JJ Montgomery Aberdeen (BAL) Thad Ward Lowell (BOS) Rookie
Jordan Scheftz AZL Indians (CLE) Andy Rohloff AZL Giants (SF) Bryce Tucker AZL Giants (SF) Cre Finfrock Bluefield (TOR)
Independent
Darnell Sweeney Kansas City T-Bones
* - Spring Training Invite
#BUILTBYUCF
position 13, rhp 5, lhp 10, inf 5, c 7, of class 8, fr 6, so. 12, jr.
8, sr. 2, gr.
how they bat 14, right 4, left how they throw 17, right 1, left how they pitch 13, right 5, left letterwinners 17, returning 12, lost position starters 6, returning 2, lost pitchers 9, returning 6, lost newcomers 8, fr. 6, jr. 2, gr.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
A UCF BATTER HAD
Pinch Hit Home Run Brody Wofford, vs. Chicago State, 3/17/18 Pinch Hit Grand Slam Brody Wofford, vs. Chicago State, 3/17/18
Leadoff Home Run Eli Putnam vs. Siena, 2/17/17
Back-to-Back Home Runs Eli Putnam, Kyle Marsh vs. Tulane, 5/25/17 Back-to-Back-to-Back Home Runs
Darnell Sweeney, Ronnie Richardson, Beau Taylor, 7th inning, vs. Marshall, 5/21/11 Inside the Park HR Blaine Schulte vs. Monmouth, Game 2, 3/1/03 Two Home Run Game Rylan Thomas, vs. Central Michcigan , 3/10/17 Three Home Run Game Chad Ehrnsberger at Samford, 4/6/01
Grand Slam Tyler Osik, vs. Cincinnati, 4/14/18
Walk-Off Home Run Rylan Thomas, vs. Wagner, 3/2/18
Walk-Off Hit Pedro Castellano, vs. Ball State, 3/6/19
Walk-Off Sac Fly Max Wood, vs. Tulane, 5/18/18
Walk-Off BB BB, Derrick Salberg vs. Presbyterian, 3/20/15 Walk-Off WP WP, Dylan Moore vs. #9 Louisville-2, 4/17/14 Walk-Off FC FC, David Phrathep vs. LIU Brooklyn, 3/11/16
Walk-Off Error E6T, Ray Alejo, vs. Siena, 2/15/19
Five-Hit Game Ryan Crile vs. Cornell, 3/27/16
Six-Hit Game Tommy Williams at B-CU, 3/17/15
Four-Double Game Shane Brown at Tulane, 5/22/10
Three-Triple Game Wayne Gardner vs. Florida Memorial, 1979
Two-Triple Game Drake Wade vs. Wagner, 3/17/04
Five-Run Game Matthew Mika vs. Siena, 2/20/16
Six-Run Game D.J. Hicks at UAB, 4/24/09
Eight-RBI Game George Cox vs. Charleston Southern, 2/26/02 Seven-RBI Game Rylan Thomas, vs. Central Michcigan , 3/10/17
Six-RBI Game Tyler Osik, vs. Siena, 3/11/18
Five-RBI Game Austin Griffin, vs. LIU Brooklyn, 3/13/16 Hit for the Cycle Tommy Williams vs. Fairfield, 3/13/15
Stole Three Bases Ray Alejo, at Houston, 5/6/18
Stole Four Bases Ray Alejo, at Houston, 5/6/18
Stole Home Matthew Mika, vs. Florida, 2/27/19
Home Run in 3-Straight Games Rylan Thomas, vs. Central Mich., 3/10/17 Home Run in 4-Straight Games Jonathan Griffin, April 8-12, 2011 Hit by a pitch twice in one inning Ronnie Richardson vs. UMass, 3/9/12 A UCF Pitcher Had
A Complete Game JJ Montgomery, at UConn, 4/8/18
At Home Robby Howell vs. UConn, 4/21/17
On Road JJ Montgomery, at UConn, 4/8/18
By a Freshman Cre Finfrock vs. USF, 5/2/15
Consecutive Complete Games 3, Zach Rodgers at Cincinnati, 4/4/14 vs. UConn, 4/12/14 at Tulane, 4/18/15
A Shutout Robby Howell vs. JU, 3/17/17
At Home Robby Howell vs. JU, 3/17/17
On Road Zach Rodgers at Tulane, 4/18/15
By a Freshman Mitch Houck at South Florida, 4/4/06 Consecutive Shutouts, 3, Kyle Bono vs. Gardner-Webb, Game 1, 3/13/04 at Campbell, Game 1, 3/20/04, vs. Stetson, Game 2, 3/27/04 10 Innings Pitched Jason Arnold vs. Florida Atlantic, 3/18/01
17-Strikeout Game Tim Bascom vs. Siena, 3/5/05
15-Strikeout Game Matt Fox at Campbell, 3/19/04
14-Strikeout Game Brett Bordwine vs. Northeastern, 3/7/07
13-Strikeout Game Mitch Houck vs. Wagner, 3/17/08
12-Strikeout Game Mitch Houck vs. Pittsburgh, 3/11/08 11-Strikeout Game JJ Montgomery, vs. Chicago State, 3/19/18 10-Strikeout Game JJ Montgomery, vs. Chicago State, 3/19/18 5 HBP in a Game 6, Mitch Houck vs. #5 Missouri, 2/25/08
Solo No-Hitter Pete MacLaughlin vs. Columbia, 4/73
Combined No-Hitter Mitch Houck, 7.0 IP and Austin Hudson, 2.0 IP vs. Wagner, 3/17/08 Combined One-Hitter Cre Finfrock 6 IP, and Thad Ward, 3 IP, at USF, 4/20/18 One-Hitter Darren Newlin vs. Belmont, Game 2, 4/17/04
Two-Hitter Tim Bascom vs. East Carolina, 4/7/06
Three-Hitter Robby Howell vs. JU, 3/17/17
EJECTION
Head Coach Greg Lovelady, vs. #26 Oklahoma, 5/12/18 Assistant Coach Kevin Schnall vs. Marshall, 4/21/13
Player Tyler Osik vs. Ball State, 3/6/19
UCF AS A TEAM
Shutout an Opponent 3-0, vs. Jacksonville, 3/2/19
At Home 3-0, vs. Jacksonville, 3/2/19
On Road 1-0, at USF, 4/20/18
On Neutral Field 12-0 vs. USF, 5/26/17
Back-to-Back Shutouts 1-0 & 2-0, vs. Siena, 3/10/18 Scored 20 Runs in a Game 20, vs. Chicago State, 3/17/18
At Home 20, vs. Chicago State, 3/17/18
On Road 29 at UAB, 4/24/09
Scored 10 Runs in an Inning 10, First vs. Siena, 2/17/17
20 Hits in a Game 21 vs. Siena, 2/17/17
5 Home Runs in a Game 5, vs. Chicago State, 3/18/18 4 Home Runs in an Inning Seventh Inning vs. Marshall, 5/21/11 Hit for the Home Run Cycle vs. Chicago State, 3/18/18
Drew 10+ Walks 10 vs. Savannah State, 2/25/18
Left 15 Runners on Base at UConn, 4/8/18
Left 16 Runners on Base at UConn, 4/8/18
Left 19 Runners on Base Monmouth, 16 innings,, 3/9/08
Turned a Triple Play at Stetson, 3/27/07
Justin Weiss, P to Dwayne Bailey, 2B to Kiko Vazquez, 1B
Hit Into a Triple Play vs. Siena, 3/8/00
Mike Cohan, RF to Corey Blair, 1B to Kevin Murray, 3B
Longest Winning Streak 29 Games, 3/8-4/21/95
Won Against a Ranked Opponent at Home #30 Wichita State, 4/29/18 Won Against a Ranked Opponent on the road at #19 Houston, 6-4, 5/5/18 Won Against a Ranked Opponent at Neutral Site #11 Maryland, 7-6, 2/21/15
Lost to a Ranked Opponent at Houston, 6-3, 5/6/18
Defeated a No. 1 Ranked Opponent #1 Florida, 3/6-7/18
Swept a No. 1 Ranked Opponent #1 Florida, 3/6-7/18
Swept a Ranked Opponent, 3 Games #30 Houston, 4/26-28/13 Swept by a Ranked Opponent, 3 Games at #24 Ole Miss,, 2/28-3/2/14 Swept a Conference Opponent, 3 Games ECU, 4/13-4/15/17 Swept a Conference Opponent at Home, 3 Games Rutgers, 4/25-27/14 Swept a Conference Road Opponent, 3 Games ECU, 4/14-16/17 Swept a Ranked Opponent on the Road, 3 Games at #8 Stetson, 5/5-6/01 Swept a Ranked Opponent at Home #30 Houston, 4/26-28/13 Rallied from a Seven-Run Deficit Down 8-0 - B4, Won 10-9, vs. Wagner, 3/3/18 Rallied from a Eight-Run Deficit Down 8-0 - B4, Won 10-9, vs. Wagner, 3/3/18 Rallied from a Nine-Run Deficit Down 9-0 - B8, Won 10-9 in 12. vs. Campbell, 4/4/03 Rallied from a 10-Run Deficit Down 10, B4, Won 13-12, vs. Stetson, 4/21/09
Committed Six or More Errors 6 vs. UAB, 4/6/12
Did Not Commit an Error in 8-Straight Games May 6-17, 2011 A UCF Opponent
Shutout UCF 9-0, at Memphis, 3/30/18
Shutout UCF in Two-Straight Games #24 Miami, Jacksonville, 3/6-3/8/13 Hit a Grand Slam Ben Fultz, at East Carolina, 5/18/13
Stole Home Nick Crucet, vs. Columbia, 3/15/13
Threw a No-Hitter Never
Threw a One-Hitter Randy Beam *, Florida Atlantic, Game 1, 4/19/03
*, seven innings Threw a One-Hitter, More Than One Pitcher at #6 Rice, Three pitchers, 4/22/07 Hit Three HR in a Game Jamie Bruno, Tulane, 4/11/09 Hit an Inside-the-Park HR Garrett Cannizaro, at Tulane, 5/20/10 Hit for The Cycle Andrew Garner , vs. Tulane, 5/11/13 Five-Hit Game Marc Bourgeois, #20 Southern Miss, 4/2/11 Scored 10 Runs in an Inning 13, Fifth, UAB, C-USA Tourney, 5/24/12
Had a Pinch-Hit HR Ashford Fulmer, Houston, 5/3/14
Threw a Complete Game Anthony Kay, UConn, 4/14/15
Threw a Shutout Montana Durapau, Bethune-Cookman, 2/27/13 Had 10+ Strikeouts 10, Andrew Karp, at No. 8 Florida State, 3/20/18 Had 15+ Strikeouts 16, Jon Duplantier, at Rice, 3/6/15 Walk-Off Home Run Will Allen, at No. 24 Ole Miss, 3/1/14
Walk-Off Wild Pitch at Uconn, 4/8/18
THE LAST TIME
PRESEASON/WEEKLY/ANNUAL AWARDS
The American
Preseason All-Conference Chris Williams, Ray Alejo D1Baseball
Preseason Position Rankings Dallas Beaver - 21, 1B Matthew Mika - 27, 2B Tyler Osik - 57, OF Ray Alejo - 60, OF Trevor Holloway - 124, SP Chris Williams - 186, SP The American Pitcher of the Week Chris Williams, Week 3
The American Weekly Honor Roll Griffin Bernardo, Week 1 Jeffrey Hakanson, Week 3 Tyler Osik, Week 3
KNIGHTS IN THE POLLS
1 Vanderbilt 13-3 1
2 UCLA 11-3 2
3 Oregon State 12-1-1 4
4 Stanford 12-3 6
5 Florida 13-5 5
6 Mississippi State 15-1 7 7 Louisville 11-4 8
8 Georgia 14-2 9
9 Ole Miss 12-3 10
10 Florida State 13-1 11 11 Texas Tech 11-3 14
12 Texas 12-6 12
13 LSU 11-4 13
14 Arkansas 12-2 15
15 North Carolina 12-4 3 16 Coastal Carolina 13-3-1 17 17 East Carolina 12-5 18
18 Auburn 14-2 19
19 Texas A&M 15-3 20 20 NC State 15-0 22
21 TCU 9-5 23
22 South Carolina 13-3 24 23 Tennessee 15-1 25
24 Clemson 12-3 NR
25 Arizona State 15-0 NR
DIBASEBALL.com
1 Vanderbilt 13-3 1
2 UCLA 11-3 2
3 Stanford 12-3 4
4 Florida 13-5 5
5 Florida State 13-1 6 6 Oregon State 12-1-1 7 7 Mississippi State 15-1 8 8 North Carolina 11-4 3 9 Texas Tech 11-3 11 10 Texas Tech 12-6 9
11 LSU 11-4 10
12 Mississippi 12-3 12 13 Louisville 11-4 13 14 East Carolina 12-5 14
15 Georgia 14-2 15
16 Arkansas 12-2 16
17 Auburn 14-2 17
18 Clemson 12-3 21
19 Coastal Carolina 13-3-1 19 20 South Carolina 13-3 20
21 NC State 15-0 23
22 UC Irvine 9-4 24
23 Michigan 9-4 18
24 Duke 11-5 22
25 Tennessee 15-1 NR
BASEBALL AMERICA
1 1 Oregon State 2 2 Vanderbilt 3 3 UCLA 4 5 Stanford 5 6 Mississippi State 6 8 Florida 7 9 Mississippi 8 10 Louisville 9 11 Texas Tech 10 4 North Carolina 11 12 Arkansas 12 13 Florida State 13 7 Texas 14 14 Louisiana State 15 15 Auburn 16 16 East Carolina 17 17 North Carolina State 18 18 Texas A&M 19 21 Coastal Carolina 20 20 TCU
21 22 Georgia 22 Arizona State 23 23 UC Irvine 24 Clemson 25 25 UCONN
PERFECT GAME
Rk. Team Rk. Team Team
1 Louisiana State 39-27 730
2 Vanderbilt 35-27 714
3 Florida 49-21 666
4 Texas Tech 45-20 656 5 Oregon State 55-12-1 608 6 North Carolina 44-20 605
7 UCLA 38-21 551
8 Louisville 45-19 544
9 Stanford 46-12 519
10 Mississippi 48-17 466 11 Florida State 43-19 407
12 Arkansas 48-21 380
13 Georgia 39-21 377
14 East Carolina 44-18 295 15 Mississippi State 39-29 294
16 Texas 42-23 269
17 Texas Christian 33-23 256
18 Baylor 37-21 254
19 Clemson 47-16 249
20 Auburn 43-23 197
21 Oklahoma State 31-26-1 191 22 Coastal Carolina 43-19 183 23 North Carolina State 42-18 109 24 Cal State Fullerton 36-25 96
25 Michigan 33-21 91
USA TODAY/ESPN
Rk.. Team
1. Florida State 13-1 494 2. N.C. State 15-0 493 3. Oregon State 12-1-1 491
4. Vanderbilt 13-3 490
5. Mississippi State 15-1 489
6. UCLA 11-3 485
7. Texas Tech 11-3 482
8. Stanford 12-3 480
9. Arizona State 15-0 477
10. LSU 11-4 476
11. Coastal Carolina 13-3-1 474
12. Clemson 12-3 472
13. Georgia 14-2 469
14. North Carolina 12-4 467 15. Louisville 11-4 464
16. Florida 13-5 463
17. Arkansas 12-2 462
18. South Carolina 13-3 459 19. Mississippi 12-3 457
20. Texas 12-6 453
21. Texas A&M 15-3 451
22. Tennessee 15-1 449
23. Auburn 14-2 447
24. San Diego 12-4 446 25. U.C. Santa Barbara 11-2 445
26. Alabama 15-2 443
27. Baylor 10-4 439
28. Miami (FL) 12-3 436
29. Illinois 10-3 434
30. East Carolina 12-5 430
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL
1 Vanderbilt 13-3 1 2 Oregon State 12-1-1 2
3 Stanford 12-3 5
4 UCLA 11-3 3
5 Mississippi State 15-1 7
6 Florida 13-5 8
7 Florida State 13-1 6 8 Texas Tech 11-3 11
9 Georgia 14-2 10
10 LSU 11-4 13
11 Louisville 11-4 14 12 Mississippi 12-3 9
13 Arkansas 12-2 15
14 North Carolina 12-4 4
15 Texas 12-6 12
16 Coastal Carolina 13-3-1 18
17 Auburn 14-2 20
18 NC State 15-0 24 19 East Carolina 12-5 19 20 Arizona State 15-0 24
21 Clemson 12-3 23
22 Texas A&M 15-3 26 23 Tennessee 15-1 22 24 South Carolina 13-3 27
25 TCU 9-5 16
26 Michigan 9-4 28
27 UC Irvine 9-4 29
28 Baylor 10-4 21
29 Miami (FL) 12-3 30
30 Oregon 10-4 RV
NCBWA
Rk. Team Rk.. Team
BA DI PG USA CB NCBWA
Preseason - - -
Week 1 - - -
Week 2 - - -
Week 3 - - -
Week 4 - - - -
Week 5 - - - -
Week 6 - - - -
Week 7 - - - -
Week 8 - - - -
Week 9 - - - -
Week 10 - - - -
Week 11 - - -
Week 12 - - - - Week 13 - - - - Week 14 - - - -
Week 15 - - -
FINAL - - - -
KNIGHTS WEEK-BY-WEEK IN THE POLLS
Weeks Ranked:
n/a
First Week Ranked:
n/a
Last Week Ranked:
22, Baseball America, Week 7, 2018 Highest Ranking:
n/a
BA - Baseball America CB - Collegiate Baseball DI - DIBaseball.com
NCBWA - National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
PG - Perfect Game USA - USA Today/ESPN
NATIONAL KNIGHTS
- Tot. Nat. Conf.
-
ERA Tot. Nat. Conf.
Trevor Holloway 1.29 86 3 Hit by Pitch Tot. Nat. Conf.
Dallas Beaver 5 63 2
Hits Allowed per 9 Tot. Nat. Conf.
3.21 13 1
Home Runs Tot. Nat. Conf.
Ray Alejo 3 123 6
Appearances Tot. Nat. Conf.
Garrett Westberg 9 10 1
Jack Sinclair 8 39 2
Sacrifice Bunts Tot. Nat. Conf.
Ray Alejo 2 130 8
Brandon Hernandez 2 130 8 Chandler Robertson 2 130 0 Sacrifice Flies Tot. Nat. Conf.
Dallas Beaver 3 8 2
Saves Tot. Nat. Conf.
Jeffrey Hakanson 3 39 2 Slugging % Tot. Nat. Conf.
Ray Alejo .603 190 9
Stolen Bases Tot. Nat. Conf.
Matthew Mika 7 53 1
Total Bases Tot. Nat. Conf.
Ray Alejo 35 103 5
Triples Tot. Nat. Conf.
Ray Alejo 1 135 4
Wins Tot. Nat. Conf.
Garrett Westberg 2 121 2
23 GREG LOVELADY
head coach
3rd year at UCF • 6th year as a head coach miami ‘01 • sports management
miami hurricanes 2002
Kevin Howard 5th, 135, Cincinnati
Javy Rodriguez 5th, 144, LAA
Kiki Bengochea 11th, 322, Texas Matt Dryer 15th, 457, San Francisco T.J. Prunty 21st, 632, Minnesota Danny Matienzo 23rd, 692, Minnesota Troy Roberson 47th, 1394, NYM 2003
Jim Burt 35th, 1040, Toronto
2004
Erick San Pedro 2nd, 54, Montreal
Adam Ricks 10th, 299, CWS
Jim Burt 19th, 554, NYM
J.D. Cockroft 26th, 771, Texas Richard Giannotti 38th, 1133, LAA Danny Figueroa 40th, 1207, Oakland 2005
Ryan Braun 1st, 5, Milwaukee
Cesar Carrillo 1st, 18, San Diego
Gaby Sanchez 4th, 126, Miami
Paco Figueroa 9th, 273, Baltimore Chiqui Chirino 10th, 305, CWS Brendan Katin 23rd, 685, Milwaukee Vince Bongiovanni 24th, 711, Arizona Danny Figueroa 43rd, 1289, Baltimore
wright state raiders 2006
Joe Smith 3rd, 94, NYM
2007
Ross Oeder 28th, 862, St. Louis 2008
Jeremy Hamilton 5th, 166, Philadelphia Justin Parker 6th, 198, Arizona Ross Vagedes 35th, 1061, Chicago Cubs 2010
Greg Robinson 32nd, 961, Arizona Aaron Fields 42nd, 1260, Cleveland 2015
Andre Elliott 30th, 913, Baltimore 2016
Sean Murphy 3rd, 83, Oakland
Jesse Scholtens 9th, 264, San Diego
Mitch Roman 12th, 356, CWS
Robby Sexton 14th, 356, Boston Ryan Fucci 25th, 747, Seattle
UCF knights 2017
Jason Bahr 5th, 156, San Francisco Robby Howell 10th, 287, Cincinnati Jordan Scheftz 23rd, 702, Cleveland Andy Rohloff 37th, 1116, San Francisco 2018
Thad Ward 5th, 160, Boston
JJ Montgomery 7th, 205, Baltimore Bryce Tucker 14th, 406, San Francisco Rylan Thomas 26th, 769, Cincinnati Eric Hepple 27th, 816, Colorado Cre Finfrock 29th, 866, Toronto
LOVELADY & THE DRAFT
name: Greg Lovelady
birthdate: Jan. 11, 1979 (Miami, Fla.) hometown: Miami, Fla.
alma mater: The University of Miami ‘01 major: Sports Management
wife: Lindsay Lovelady children: Noah (10), Gavin (6) hired at UCF: July 11, 2016 playing career:
Miami - 1998-01, Utica Blue Sox - 2001 coaching career:
Miami - 2002-04 - assistant Wright State - 2005-06 - assistant Wright State - 2007-13 - associate head Wright State - 2014-16 - head UCF - 2017-present - head career honors:
National Champion - 1999, 2001
College World Series -1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004 Arnold Nevins Award - 2001
NCAA Super Regionals - 2000, 2002
NCAA Regionals - 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017 Conference Coach of the Year - 2014, 2017
Head Coach of League Champion -2015, 2016, 2017 career
1st win 7-1, WSU vs. Michigan State, 2/16/14 50th win 6-5, WSU vs. Milwaukee, 3/22/15 100th win 4-0, WSU vs. Miami (OH), 4/13/16 UCF 1st win 17-6, vs. Siena, 2/17/17 50th win 6-1, at Bethune-Cookman, 2/27/18
THE LOVELADY FILE
LOVELADY MILESTONES
year school position w-l NCAA
2002 Miami AC 35-30 Super Regional
2003 Miami AC 45-18-1 CWS
2004 MIami AC 51-14 CWS
2005 Wright State AC 26-33
2006 Wright State AC 32-27 Regional 2007 Wright State AHC 36-22
2008 Wright State AHC 30-23
2009 Wright State AHC 33-30 Regional 2010 Wright State AHC 31-25
2011 Wright State AHC 36-19 Regional 2012 Wright State AHC 37-21
2013 Wright State AHC 25-35 2014 Wright State HC 35-22
2015 Wright State HC 43-17 Regional 2016 Wright State HC 44-15 Regional
2017 UCF HC 40-22 Regional
2018 UCF HC 35-21
2019 UCF HC 10-5
Seasons as a full-time Division I coach: 17 Winning seasons: 15
NCAA Tournament appearances: 9 College World Series appearances: 2 Record as an assistant coach: 417-404-1 Record as a head coach: 209-104
LOVELADY’S CAREER
Greg Lovelady was named the head baseball coach at UCF on July 11, 2016. He will enter his third season in charge at UCF for the 2019 season.
Prior to the 2019 season and just shy of his 40th birthday, Lovelady was named the top coach in the nation under 40 years of age by DI Baseball.
The 2018 campaign saw the Knights post some historic storylines. On March 6, the Knights downed the top-ranked team in the nation for the first time in program history with a 9-7 victory over Florida. UCF turned around and completed its first sweep of a No.
1 ranked opponent with a 4-2 win in Gainesville the next night.
Lovelady guided UCF to its fifth-longest winning streak in program history at 13 games during the 2018 season. The Knights also recorded the second most shutouts in a single campaign with nine.
Pitching was the bedrock of the Knights’ success in 2018. The pitching staff led the nation with nine shutouts and finished third in the country in hits allowed per nine innings, a school record 7.2. UCF’s 3.32 ERA was among the top-15 nationally, while 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings ranked seventh and a 1.22 WHIP was ninth. The Black and Gold notched its second most punchouts in a single season with 556.
Continuing to improve the culture and talent level at UCF, Lovelady brought in the 16th ranked recruiting class, per Collegiate Baseball, prior to the 2018 campaign. After replacing 20 graduating seniors, the Knights went 35-21 with a 13-10 mark in The American to finish in fifth place, but the season came to a close when the Black and Gold found itself in the first four out of the NCAA Tournament.
In his first campaign with the Knights, Lovelady guided UCF to the American Athletic Conference regular-season title with an overall record of 40-22 and a 15-9 mark in league action, earning The American Coach of the Year honors in the process.
The Knights saw drastic improvements offensively and pitching in Lovelady’s first year. UCF jumped up to 66th in the nation in scoring from 222nd in 2016, eighth in stolen bases up from 77th and 44th in runs from 189th.
The pitching staff posted the fifth best ERA in the nation with a 3.0, compared to the 4.23 mark during the previous year. Pitchers took the team to 28th in strikeouts per nine innings, 24th in strikeouts-to-walks ratio and 10th in WHIP.
In his career, Lovelady has coached 38 MLB Draft picks between his three coaching stops, including 14 Top-10 round selections and nine tabbed in the first five rounds. Three players under Lovelady’s tutelage have gone in the first round, including the fifth overall pick in 2005 and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.
Lovelady came to Orlando after spending three years as the head coach at Wright State, where he led the Raiders to consecutive runner-up finishes at NCAA Regionals in 2015 and 2016. As the Raiders’
head coach, he has compiled a 124-56 record in three campaigns and was with the Raiders for a total of 12 years. Wright State has won the Horizon League Regular Season or Tournament Championship (or both) in each of Lovelady’s three seasons at the helm. He was named the 2014 and 2016 Horizon League Coach of the Year, as well as the 2016 ABCA/Diamond Mideast Regional Coach of the Year.
Lovelady went to WSU after a successful playing career and three-year stint with one of the nation’s elite teams in Miami (FL). The Hurricanes won two national championships, in 1999 and 2001, with Lovelady as the catcher. A four-year letterman for the ‘Canes, Lovelady captained the 2001 squad that won its second national championship in three years.
Lovelady hit a career best .314 with a 14-game hitting streak during his 1999 campaign. Lovelady was also a fan favorite in Coral Gables, receiving the Arnold Novins Award in 2001, an honor bestowed on the “Most Popular Player” as voted by the fans of Miami. The ‘Canes made a postseason appearance during each of Lovelady’s years as a player and coach in Coral Gables. UM Reached the College World Series five times and advanced to the NCAA super regional seven times while Lovelady was on campus.
Lovelady graduated from Miami in 2001 with a degree in Finance and a minor in Sports Management as a member of the university’s deans list. Professionally, Lovelady played with the Utica Blue Sox, an affiliate of the Florida Marlins, and helped develop two UM catchers and numerous pitchers into major league draft choices.
Lovelady and his wife Lindsay have two sons, Noah Preston, who was born on December 16, 2008, and Gavin Philip, born on June 10, 2012
MIDWEEK STARTER
13
junior (2018)
• First four appearances were starts on Sundays
• Notched a 3-1 record with 29 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings to post a 6.66 ERA as a starter
• Made UCF debut on opening weekend against Samford (2/18) with a seven-strikeout performance for five innings of work
• Tossed five shutout innings against Wagner (3/4) with five punchouts, five hits and one walk
• Nine of final 11 appearances came from the bullpen
• Worked three scoreless innings with three strikeouts against Stetson (4/3)
• Struck out six in three innings of work without surrendering a run against Oklahoma (5/13)
• Had a 4.85 ERA from 13 innings and 15 strikeouts as a reliever prior to ucf
• Played two years at Polk State College
• Named Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year and First Team All- Conference in 2017
• Played four seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas High School
• Garnered First Team All-State, Team Blue Collar Award and All-American Honorable Mention laurels
• Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 26th Round of the 2017 MLB Draft personal
• Born on June 15, 1997
• Son of Bill and Anne Spicer
• Majoring in criminal justice
JORDAN SPICER
rhp • r/r • 6’3 • 210 • sr.
Year era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr bf bavg wp hbp bk sfa sha 2018.... 6.05 4-1 15 6 0 0/2 0 38.2 43 26 26 14 44 8 3 2 174 .281 3 5 0 1 1 2019.... 8.59 1-0 3 2 0 0/0 0 7.1 7 7 7 5 6 0 0 2 35 .269 0 3 0 0 1 TOTAL... 6.46 5-1 18 8 0 0/2 0 46.0 50 33 33 19 50 8 3 4 209 .279 3 8 0 1 2
CAREER STATS
hialeah, fla. • st. thomas aquinas • polk state criminal justice
career highs
innings: 5.0, 4x last vs. Siena, 2/17/19 walks: 4, at Miami, 4/13/16
strikeouts: 5, 2x last vs. Siena, 2/17/19 batters faced: 23, vs. Siena, 3/11/18 runs allowed: 5, 2x last at FAU, 5/8/18 earned runs allowed: 5, 2x last at FAU, 5/8/18 pitches thrown: 84, vs. Siena, 3/11/18
Date Opponent IP H R ER BB K W-L NP
2/18 Samford* 5.0 4 2 2 1 7 ND 83
2/25 Savannah State* 4.1 6 4 4 4 1 W 79
3/4 Wagner* 5.0 5 0 0 1 5 W 87
3/11 Siena* 5.0 7 3 3 0 7 W 84
3/17 Chicago State 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 ND 10
3/20 at Florida State* 4.0 4 5 5 3 5 L 70
3/31 at Memphis 1.2 4 1 1 0 0 ND 31
4/3 Stetson 3.0 0 0 0 0 3 ND 28
4/8 at UConn 0.1 2 2 2 3 1 ND 25
4/11 at Miami 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 ND 45
5/5 at Houston 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 ND 30
5/13 at FAU* 2.1 5 5 5 0 4 ND 45
5/18 Tulane 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 W 12
5/22 ECU 1.0 4 3 3 1 1 ND 25
14 games, 6 starts
2018 GAME-BY-GAME
season highs
innings: 5.0, vs. Siena, 2/17/19 walks: 2, vs. Siena, 2/17/19 strikeouts: 5, vs. Siena, 2/17/19 batters faced: 19, vs. Siena, 2/17/19 runs allowed: -
earned runs allowed: -
pitches thrown: 75, vs. Siena, 2/17/19
did you know
favorite MLB team: marlins
favorite current MLB player: clayton kershaw all-time favorite player: roger clemens favorite pitch to throw: a strike
most important ritual: having the right jersey on fun fact: I am the batman
favorite movie: the dark knight favorite baseball movie: major league favorite singer/artist: eminem favorite snack: lemon oreos
favorite off-day activity: hanging out with my dog
Date Opponent IP H R ER BB K W-L NP
2/17 Siena* 5.0 3 0 0 2 5 W 75
2/24 Auburn* 2.1 4 5 5 3 1 ND 54
2/27 Florida 0.0 0 2 2 0 0 4