Feb. 24, 2005
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ORLANDO - UCF head coach Jay Bergman looks to become just the 21st coach in NCAA history to record 1,100 victories Friday evening as the 26th-ranked Golden Knights host Monmouth at 6 p.m. The three-game series vs. the Hawks continues Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Bergman, who tied former Arizona State head coach Jim Brock (1972-94) for 21st place in NCAA history with his 1,099th win Tuesday at Bethune-Cookman 6-5, can take sole possession of 21st place in the NCAA annals with a victory Friday night.
Bergman is the 10th winningest active head coach in the nation and would join nine other active head coaches who have reached the 1,100 win plateau. For his career, Bergman enters the Monmouth series with an overall record of 1,099-607-3 including a record of 883-494-3 at UCF.
All three games of the Monmouth series will have live Internet broadcasts at ucfathletics.com.
Bergman's Milestone Wins
No. Opponent Score Year1 at Rollins 6-5 1976 *50 at Kentucky 6-4 1977 *100 vs. Old Dominion 13-1 1979 *500 Wisc.-Milwaukee 6-1 19901,000 at Florida Atlantic 14-9 20021,099 at Bethune-Cook. 6-5 2005&
* as Florida head coach& Tied Jim Brock for 21st place in NCAA history in career wins
New Attendance Record at JBF
UCF set a two-game series attendance record vs. No. 20 Notre Dame Feb. 19-20 at Jay Bergman Field. The series drew 3,156 fans, topping the old two-game series mark of 2,922 set in 2001 vs. Florida International in the first series ever at Jay Bergman Field.
The 3,156 fans for the series also marked the third-largest crowd for a weekend series as well, despite being only a two-game set.
The fifth-largest crowd in stadium history - 1,650 - were on hand for the series finale vs. Notre Dame on Feb. 20. The eighth-largest crowd at Jay Bergman Field - 1,506 - came out to watch the first game of the Notre Dame series (Feb. 19).
In the Polls
UCF moved up four spots in this week's Collegiate Baseball News Top 30 poll to No. 26. The Golden Knights are not currently ranked in Baseball America's Top 25 or the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll. UCF is No. 22 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll.
The Century Mark
UCF is in its fifth season in Jay Bergman Field and the Golden Knights have played excellent baseball since the state-of-the-art facility has opened.
UCF is 104-37 (.739) all-time in the ballpark, after last season's 24-7 mark at home.
Best Start since `96
UCF's 8-2 record to begin the season is the best start since 1996 for the Golden Knights. UCF opened the 1996 campaign 15-2 en route to a 40-win season and a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Inside the Monmouth Series
UCF is a perfect 9-0 all-time vs. Monmouth since the series began in 2002. This season marks the fourth straight year Monmouth has visited Jay Bergman Field.
Over the nine-game series, UCF has out-scored the Hawks 58-19. Last season, UCF defeated Monmouth 13-0, 4-1 and 5-1 at Jay Bergman Field.
All-time, UCF is 22-12 vs. schools from the Garden State.
Success in the Sunshine State
UCF had the third-highest total of victories vs. Florida schools in 2004. The Golden Knights were 14-8 vs. Florida competition, just two wins behind Florida Atlantic and one victory shy of Miami's win total.
In 2005, UCF is a perfect 5-0 vs. Florida schools.
Ray Rod
Junior right-hander Ray Rodriguez has been sensational in his two starts as a Golden Knight. The New York native pitched six strong innings for the win Tuesday night at Bethune-Cookman with a career-high seven strikeouts.
For the season, Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA. In 15.2 innings of work, he has yielded 10 hits with 15 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .172 vs. the right-hander.
Off to the Races
UCF has picked up where it left off in 2004 on the bases. After stealing 111 bases in 2004 - tied for sixth best in school history - the Golden Knights have stolen 25 bases in 30 attempts in 2005.
In the Notre Dame series, UCF ran wild, going a perfect 10-for-10 in two games vs. the Fighting Irish, including seven in the first game of the series.
Not So Fast My Friend
The Golden Knights have been even more impressive in shutting down an opponent's running game. UCF has yielded just six stolen bases in 14 attempts on the year, thanks in large part to junior catcher Drew Butera.
Butera, one of the top defensive catchers in the nation, has thrown out 8-of-12 would-be base stealers on the season.
On the Hill for UCF
UCF is scheduled to start senior Darren Newlin Friday night vs. Monmouth in the opening game of the series. Newlin has started strong in 2005, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two starts. The Tallahassee product has pitched 12.0 innings, allowing nine hits, one earned run, with 15 strikeouts and three walks.
On Saturday, UCF turns to junior right-hander Mike Billek. The power pitcher has pitched well in 2005, despite his 0-0 record. Billek could easily be 2-0 after strong starts vs. Notre Dame and Florida International. Billek has a 3.57 ERA in 17.2 innings of work. He has totaled 16 strikeouts, tops on the team.
Sunday sophomore right-hander Tim Bascom gets the call for the Golden Knights. The Dunedin product has performed well as a starter in 2005. Bascom is 1-1 with a 3.26 ERA in three starts. In 19.1 innings of work, Bascom has yielded just 13 hits and opponents are hitting .197 vs. the right-hander.
The Wins Keep on Coming
UCF is among the national leaders in victories in the decade. The Golden Knights are 18th in the NCAA in wins in the 2000s with 213 victories to start the 2005 season.
Holding the Lead
UCF has been nearly unbeatable when leading after six innings since the 2002 season. The Golden Knights are an amazing 103-7 (.936) when leading after six innings over the last four seasons.
Jumping Out On Top
The Golden Knights were 25-4 in 2004 when scoring in the first inning. UCF also enjoyed playing with the lead, holding a record of 36-7 when scoring first in 2004.
In 2005, UCF is 7-0 when scoring first and 4-0 when scoring in the first inning of action.