ORLANDO – Fresh off a series win over No. 15 TCU, the UCF baseball team will step out of conference play to face Florida Atlantic in midweek action on Tuesday night in Boca Raton.
The Sunshine State contest is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at FAU Baseball Stadium. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available by visiting UCF.Statbroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter the game with a 22-17 overall record and a 6-12 Big 12 Conference mark. UCF has won three of its last four games and picked up its first series win over a ranked opponent since 2021 by taking two of three over No. 15 TCU at home over the weekend.
Behind a solid pitching outing from TCU ace Tommy LaPour, the Horned Frogs took the opener by a score of 6-1. The Black and Gold then responded by winning games two and three behind strong pitching of their own by scores of 5-1 and 4-2. UCF got a pair of home runs in each game and also stellar starts from right-handers Russell Sandefer on Friday and Matt Sauser on Saturday en route to taking the series.
In Friday’s contest, Sandefer went a season-long 5.2 innings and struck out a career-high eight batters while allowing just one run on six hits to put the Knights in a good position in the ballgame. Senior reliever Dominic Castellano then came on and shut the door on the TCU offense by tossing the final 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn the save. Castellano struck out a season-high seven batters and allowed just two hits.
Chase Krewson and Dylan King both homered in Friday’s victory and Antonio Jimenez led the way by going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored.
In his first weekend start as a Knight, the sophomore Sauser then followed on Saturday by going a career-long 8.0 innings and striking out a career-high eight batters to help lead the Black and Gold to the series win. Sauser surrendered just two runs on five hits and didn’t walk a batter on the afternoon. He also faced the minimum in six of his eight innings of work, which included a stretch in which he retired 14 straight batters. Alex Galvan then came on in a 4-2 game with a runner aboard in the ninth and promptly retired the first three batters he faced to secure the victory.
Andrew Sundean and Andrew Williamson both homered in Saturday’s game for UCF. Sundean tied things up early with a solo homer in the bottom of the second and Williamson capped the scoring by tacking on some insurance with a solo shot of his own in the seventh.
Sundean led the offense in Saturday’s finale by going 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, two runs scored and an RBI. Braden Calise followed by going 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk while Williamson finished 1-for-3 with a homer.
For the series, Jimenez led the Knights from the plate by going 5-for-11 (.455) with three doubles and a run scored. Sundean was next by hitting .375 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Castellano, Galvan and Mateo Gray led the bullpen by tossing 5.1 innings of combined scoreless action, while Sandefer and Sauser each went 1-0 and combined to strike out 16 batters over 13.2 innings.
Edian Espinal paces the Knights offensively on the season with a .352 average, .462 on-base percentage and eight stolen bases. DeAmez Ross is next with a .339 clip and leads in hits with 56, while Lex Boedicker follows with a .329 average and a team-best 39 runs batted in. Williamson fronts the team in doubles with 14 and homers with eight and he and Jimenez are tied for the lead in runs scored with 38. From the starting rotation, Sandefer holds a team-best 1.47 ERA, while Wiley Hartley leads in wins with a 4-1 record. Southpaw Castellano paces the team in strikeouts with 48 over 31.2 innings while Galvan leads in saves with two.
SAUSER TABBED BIG 12 CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sauser was tabbed the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week after going a career-long 8.0 innings while striking out a career-best eight batters en route to leading UCF to a 4-2 Saturday victory to earn the series win over the Horned Frogs. In his first weekend start as a Knight, the Florida State transfer allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out the eight batters and not issuing a walk. He faced the minimum in six of his eight innings of work, which included a stretch in which he retired 14 straight batters. Over 104 total pitches, Sauser threw 77 for strikes.
The 8.0-inning outing marked the longest of the season for UCF. With the win, he moved to a perfect 3-0 on the year and also holds a 1.82 ERA over 24.2 innings.
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS FOR TUESDAY
Redshirt junior right-hander Grant Siegel will make his second consecutive midweek start and his ninth start overall on Tuesday against FAU. Siegel will enter with a 3-2 record, 4.35 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31.0 innings of work. He earned the win last week in a victory over Florida A&M as he went a season-high 6.0 innings and allowed just one run on three hits. RHP Dylan Obourne will get the start for the Owls on Tuesday (0-0, 27.00 ERA).
ABOUT FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Owls will enter Tuesday’s game with a 27-12 overall record and a 9-6 American Athletic Conference clip after sweeping Wichita State at home over the weekend. FAU has won eight of its last 11 contests and holds conference series wins over Wichita State, East Carolina and Rice. Florida Atlantic is currently tied for third in the league standings and was picked to finish sixth in the AAC this season.
Jake Duer leads the Owls offensively with a .428 batting average and 59 hits. His average is good enough to rank him 10th nationally as well as lead the AAC. Brando Leroux is next with a .356 clip and Marshall Lipsey fronts the team in the power numbers with 10 homers, 32 RBIs and 37 runs scored. Trey Beard anchors FAU’s starting rotation with a perfect 7-0 record, 2.78 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 58.1 innings. His 92 punchouts rank him second nationally and lead the league. MJ Bollinger is the top reliever with eight saves and a 2-2 record. He too ranks in the top 20 nationally in saves, as he checks in at No. 19.
Florida Atlantic is led by head coach John McCormack, who is in his 17th year as the program’s head coach.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday’s contest will mark the second and final meeting of the season between UCF and FAU and the 92nd all-time meeting. The Knights hold a 49-42 advantage and a 20-17 edge with games played in Boca Raton. FAU defeated UCF by a run earlier this season, 4-3, in Orlando, but the Knights have won two of the last three meetings.
HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS
As a team, the Knights currently hold the 17th-best team batting average in the nation with a .316 average. UCF currently has eight players with 25 or more at-bats hitting above .300 and four batting over .325 in Edian Espinal (.352), DeAmez Ross (.339), Andrew Williamson (.329) and Lex Boedicker (.329).
HE GETS ON BASE
Antonio Jimenez currently holds the longest active reached-base streak on the team. In the Knights’ last game, a 4-2 win over No. 15 TCU, he extended the streak to 21 games by going 1-for-4 at the plate with a double.
THE HITMAN
One thing is for sure, when DeAmez Ross is up to bat, it is almost certain he is going to hit that ball. Ross, who has a .339 batting average, has recorded 56 hits this season, the second most in the Big 12. He had an 18-game hitting streak recently, the longest by any player this season. He also has the most multiple-hit games on the team with 16.
Ross’ play has made him a nightmare for pitchers. His 10.3 rate currently makes him the fifth hardest player to strike out in the Big 12.
SUNSHINE STATE SUCCESS
Under head coach Rich Wallace, the Black and Gold have had success against in-state opponents. Under Wallace, UCF is 21-8 in games against teams from the state of Florida. Wallace’s 2024 squad went 14-4, which included beating the then ranked No. 4 Florida in Gainesville, a series win over USF, and a win over Stetson in the Tallahassee Regional.
- This season UCF is 7-4 against in-state opponents. Those wins include two victories to earn a series win over USF, a 13-3 win over No. 6 Florida and a 14-4 victory over Miami. This was the second year in a row that the Knights under head coach Rich Wallace have knocked off the Gators, as well as the sixth overall straight victory over the Gators. Two more of those wins came in over Stetson, as UCF has shut out the Hatters twice on the season.
ON DECK
The Knights will return home following Tuesday’s contest to host first place and 10th-ranked West Virginia for a three-game Big 12 series this weekend at John Euliano Park. The series will run Friday to Sunday. UCF will then host North Florida on Tuesday, April 29 before heading out on a seven-game road trip.
Heading Down 95 🚘 pic.twitter.com/kxEglyp9Eq
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) April 21, 2025