SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The UCF baseball team will continue a current seven-game road trip with a midweek game at Missouri State on Tuesday.
The non-conference game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri. The ballgame will air live on ESPN+ as well as on the radio on FM 96.9 The Game. Live stats can also be followed by visiting UCF.Statbroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter Tuesday with a 24-23 overall record and a 6-18 Big 12 Conference mark to currently sit in 13th place in the league standings with two conference series remaining. Tuesday’s game will mark the fourth contest of a current seven-game, 11-day trip. UCF opened the trip with a trio of setbacks at Oklahoma State over the weekend. The Cowboys swept the series with scores of 12-0, 3-1 and 10-6.
Behind a quality start from sophomore right-hander Russell Sandefer on Saturday, the Knights found themselves locked in a pitcher’s duel. The Pokes managed to manufacture a run in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. But Sandefer responded by putting up zeros on the board in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Through six innings of work, Sandefer had surrendered just one run on two hits.
UCF then tied things up in the top of the seventh via a deep solo home run from Andrew Williamson. The Pokes responded, however, with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and went on to pull out the contest by a score of 3-1. Sandefer went a season-long 6.1 innings and tied a season-high with eight strikeouts but was the tough-luck loser in the contest.
Oklahoma State again took the upper hand in Sunday’s finale, as it built an early 10-2 lead. But UCF got strong relief work from Dom Stagliano in the middle innings in which the senior retired all 11 batters he faced over 3.2 perfect innings of relief. Stagliano also tied a season-high with six strikeouts in the outing to not allow the Pokes to score any more runs.
The Knight offense looked to stage a late comeback with three runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to make it 10-6. With the bases still loaded and the tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth, OSU reliever Matthew Brown managed to induce a double play ball to end the ballgame.
Williamson led the Black and Gold at the plate in the Oklahoma State series by hitting .417 with a home run, two doubles, an RBI and four runs scored. Catcher Dylan King was next by batting .286 with a pair of doubles and a run batted in. On the mound, Stagliano led the way with 4.0 innings of scoreless relief in which he struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Mateo Gray, Alex Galvan and Carter Stanford also didn’t allow a run on the weekend in relief.
On the season, outfielder DeAmez Ross leads the way with a .371 batting average, .449 on-base percentage, 45 runs scored, 11 stolen bases and 73 hits. His 73 hits are also good enough to lead the Big 12 Conference and rank him 21st nationally. He’ll enter Tuesday on an eight-game hitting streak. Williamson is next with a .330 clip and team-high tallies of .598 slugging, 17 doubles, nine home runs, 28 extra-base hits and 45 runs batted in. Williamson will enter Tuesday with a nine-game hitting streak and having reached base safely in 12 straight contests. Sandefer is the team’s top starting pitcher with a 3.07 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 41.0 innings. Galvan is one of the top arms from the bullpen with a 2.59 ERA and two saves, while southpaw Dominic Castellano holds a 5-1 record and tops the team in strikeouts with 52 in 38.2 innings.
SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Grant Siegel will get the start on the mound for UCF on Tuesday. It will mark Siegel’s fourth consecutive midweek start and his 11th start of the season. The righty will enter with a 4-2 record, a 4.04 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 42.1 innings. Missouri State will go with RHP Curry Sutherland (0-0, 6.00 ERA). It will mark Sutherland’s first start of the season.
ABOUT MISSOURI STATE
The Bears will enter Tuesday with a 25-20 overall record and in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 15-6 league record. Missouri State has won five of its last seven games and has taken two straight conference series and six of its seven league series on the year. MSU was picked to win the MVC this season after going 23-34 overall and placing eighth last season with an 11-16 conference mark.
Preseason All-MVC honoree Nick Rodriguez leads the Bears in nearly every statistical category as he’ll enter the game with a .372 batting average, .734 slugging, .443 on-base percentage, 20 doubles, 16 home runs, 56 runs scored and 52 RBIs. Jake McCutcheon is next with a .356 average, 13 home runs, 12 doubles, 49 runs scored and 44 RBIs. As a team, Missouri State has smacked out 90 home runs on the year to currently rank seventh nationally in that category. From the mound, Michael Yusypchuk is the top starting pitcher with a 3-2 record and 5.79 ERA. Tyler Charlton leads in strikeouts with 67 in 49.0 innings of work, while Max Knight is a top arm from the bullpen with a 4-2 record, three saves and a 3.89 ERA.
Missouri State is coached by Joey Hawkins who is in his first season at the helm.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday’s contest will mark just the second all-time meeting between the Knights and Bears and the first in Springfield. UCF will enter holding a 1-0 series advantage, as it previously defeated MSU in the first round of the 2012 Coral Gables Regional by a score of 2-1.
HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS
As a team, the Knights currently hold the 22nd-best team batting average in the nation and the second-best in the Big 12 with a .310 average. UCF currently has eight players with 25 or more at-bats hitting above .300 and three batting over .325 in DeAmez Ross (.376), Andrew Williamson (.330) and Edian Espinal (.327).
THE HITMAN
One thing is for sure, when DeAmez Ross is up to bat, it is almost certain he is going to hit the ball. Ross, who leads the team with a .371 batting average, has recorded 73 hits this season, the most in the Big 12 and 21st-best nationally. He had an 18-game hitting streak recently, the longest by any UCF player this season. He also has the most multiple-hit games on the team with 21.
Ross’ play has made him a nightmare for pitchers. His 10.4 rate currently makes him the fourth-hardest player to strike out in the Big 12.
JIMENEZ NAMED TO BROOKS WALLACE AWARD WATCH LIST
In an award given to the best collegiate shortstop, UCF sophomore Antonio Jimenez was named to the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List. Jimenez was one of 100 shortstops and one of seven from the Big 12 Conference to make the cut on April 18. He is currently batting over .320 on the season and had recently reached base safely in 24 straight games. He also has 60 putouts, 97 assists and a .969 fielding percentage.
SAUSER TABBED BIG 12 CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sauser was tabbed the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 21 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.
ON DECK
Following the contest, UCF will head to Lubbock, Texas to close the trip with a Big 12 series at Texas Tech this weekend. The series will run Friday to Sunday at Rip Griffin Park. Following this weekend’s action, the Knights will return to Orlando for the final four games of the regular season next week.
Next Stop: Springfield, Mo. pic.twitter.com/AouwwGqE1X
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) May 5, 2025