July 27, 2005
ORLANDO - As the summer collegiate baseball season winds down, several current UCF players are having excellent summers around the nation. In one of the top collegiate wooden bat leagues, Tyson Auer has put together a terrific year for the Luray Wranglers in the Valley League in Virginia. Auer is currently fourth in the league in batting with a .328 average along with two home runs and 17 RBI. The center fielder has scored 26 runs and totaled six doubles along with 17 walks.
In the Florida Collegiate Summer League, Dominic Petracca was named the league's top reliever after an amazing regular season. The Sanford product was a perfect 5-0 with a 0.67 ERA for Daytona Beach. In 27 innings of work, Petracca yielded just 14 hits and totaled 23 strikeouts and just one walk. Opponents hit just .159 vs. the right-hander.
Joining Petracca on the Daytona Beach club is Jon Cooper. The middle infielder from Orlando transferred from UCF to Rollins following the 2004 season, but returned to UCF in the spring of 2005. He will be eligible to play for the Golden Knights in 2006. For the summer, Cooper hit a solid .267 with 12 stolen bases.
Matt Horwath appeared in 11 games for Sanford and hit .342 with one home run. Right-handed pitcher Derek Abriola had a good summer season as well for Sanford. The Orlando native went 3-1 with a 3.57 ERA for Sanford. In 22.2 innings of work, Abriola fanned 28 batters and opponents hit just .226 vs. the right-hander.
Right-handed pitcher Tim Bascom - the ace of the 2005 UCF pitching staff - did not pitch this summer. Bascom threw 113.1 innings in 2005 and despite receiving plenty of interest from the Cape Cod League; the Dunedin native rested his arm for the summer.
Taylor Meier has begun throwing after missing all of the 2005 season with an arm injury. A Freshman All-American in 2004, Meier should be at full strength once the season begins next February and should help UCF form one of Conference USA's top pitching tandems with Bascom. "Taylor is working really hard this summer and participating in rehab just about every day," stated UCF baseball athletic trainer Eric Gunderson. "He began throwing earlier in the summer and he is progressing very well."
In other UCF baseball news, Taylor Cobb announced he will not sign with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and will return to UCF for his final season in 2006. The 6-6 right-hander was drafted in the 42nd round by the Rays, but has opted to return to school. Cobb missed all of 2004 with an arm injury and returned to the hill in 2005.