Feb. 22, 2006
UCF Game Notes in PDF Format
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ORLANDO - UCF (1-5) continues an 11-game homestand at Jay Bergman Field this weekend with a three-game series vs. Stony Brook. The Golden Knights have 17 of their next 18 games at home.
? The series begins Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. and continues Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
? UCF lost all three games of the North Florida series last weekend. The Ospreys became the first team in Jay Bergman Field history to sweep a three-game series from the Golden Knights. UCF began playing at Jay Bergman Field in 2001.
? North Florida was the first team since Jacksonville in 1999 to take all three games of a series in Orlando from UCF.
? Audio of the Stony Brook series is available on UCFAthletics.com as part of the "Golden Knights All-Access" package.
Inside the Stony Brook Series
? UCF and Stony Brook will meet for the first time on the baseball diamond this weekend at Jay Bergman Field. The game also marks the first athletic event in any sport between the two schools.
? Stony Brook is one of three opponents from the state of New York UCF will face in 2006. The Golden Knights are also scheduled to play Wagner and Siena.
? UCF is 3-2 all-time vs. schools from the America East Conference. The Golden Knights are 2-2 vs. Maine and 1-0 vs. Vermont. Stony Brook joined the America East Conference in 2001.
The Book on Stony Brook
? Stony Brook was picked to finish second in the preseason America East Conference preseason coaches poll. The Seawolves return 21 letterwinners, including seven starters to the diamond in 2006.
? Stony Brook plays its first 14 games of the season on the road, including this weekend's season-opening series at UCF.
? The Seawolves open the season at home March 25 vs. Bucknell.
? Stony Brook has an enrollment of 21,685 students and is located on Long Island in Stony Brook, N.Y.
? The Seawolves finished the 2005 campaign 23-28, including a 10-11 mark in the America East. Stony Brook finished sixth in the conference standings.
? Stony Brook had a team batting average of .273 in 2005. On the mound, the Seawolves had a team ERA of 4.18.
? Senior outfielder Isidro Fortuna is the team's returning batter from a year ago. Fortuna hit .367 with five home runs and 37 RBI a season ago.
? Head coach Matt Senk enters his 16th season at Stony Brook. Senk, who has spent all 16 years as a head coach at SBU, has a career record of 380-235.
UCF vs. the Empire State
? The Golden Knights are 58-9 (.866) all-time vs. schools from the state of New York.
UCF vs. New York Schools Buffalo 1-1 Colgate 1-0 Columbia 6-2 Cornell 8-1 Ithaca 4-1 Le Moyne 2-1 Long Island 2-0 Pace 4-0 St. John's 2-1 Siena * 22-2 Wagner * 6-0 Totals 58-9 (.866) * 2006 opponent
Starting on the Mound for UCF
? Tim Bascom will start the series opener on the mound for the Golden Knights. The junior preseason All-American is 0-1 with a 1.54 ERA in two appearances this season.
? In his last start, Bascom limited North Florida to no runs on two hits in 7.2 innings of work. He struck out a season-high five in the no-decision.
? Senior right-hander Taylor Cobb (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his first start and first appearance of the season Saturday for the Golden Knights. The Jacksonville native is fully recovered from shoulder surgery that forced him to miss all of the 2004 season.
? Freshman Kyle Sweat (0-1, 6.75 ERA) is the scheduled game three starter. The Apopka product yielded four first-inning runs vs. North Florida last Saturday at Jay Bergman Field. After the first inning troubles, Sweat worked a solid five innings to keep UCF in the game.
Two Freshmen Starters a First
? For the first time ever, UCF head coach Jay Bergman started two freshmen in a weekend series on the mound vs. North Florida (Feb. 17-19).
Quite a Debut
? Freshman first baseman Kiko Vazquez made quite a debut in the first series of the season at Florida International (Feb. 5). The Sebring native led UCF with three hits and a .429 batting average.
? Vazquez crushed a two-run home run in the eighth inning of the season-opener at FIU for his first career hit.
? Vazquez also flashed the leather at first base, making several highlight plays with the glove.
? The Sebring native is fourth on the team in batting (.273) and tied for the team lead in RBI (3).
Sebring Connection
? Freshmen Kiko Vazquez and Ryan Williams have made an immediate impact in the lineup for UCF. Both players signed with UCF after stellar prep careers at Sebring High School in Sebring, Fla.
? Williams is batting .364 in five games, including three starts while Vazquez is hitting .273. Vazquez has started all six games this season at first base and has hit in either the No. 3 or No. 4 spot in the lineup.
Young Knights in 2006
? The Golden Knights have a roster filled with youth. Over half of the team (69 percent) is either freshmen or sophomores, including just four seniors.
? Five of UCF's 14 freshmen were drafted coming out of high school last June in the Major League Baseball draft. The five drafted Knights in one recruiting class is the most in UCF history.
? UCF has started 10 freshmen this season both in the field or on the mound. Kiko Vazquez (first base) has started all six games.
Tyson's Big Bat
? Sophomore center fielder Tyson Auer has been sensational both in the field and at the plate to start the season. The Longwood native leads the team in batting (.429) with nine hits in 21 at-bats.
? Auer also leads the team in hits (9), runs (6) and slugging percentage (.476).
? He is coming off a strong summer season in the Valley League in Virginia for the Luray Rangers. He finished second on the club in batting with a .312 average in the wooden-bat league.
? Auer hit .240 in 51 games, including 34 starts, in 2005 for the Golden Knights. He stole 15 bases in 18 attempts a season ago.
Bono's Back Behind the Dish
? Senior catcher Ryan Bono has excelled in the early going at his natural position behind the dish for the Golden Knights. The Lake Mary product is third on the team in batting (.350) and is tied for first in RBI (3).
? Bono has thrown out 62.5 percent (5-of-8) of opposing players attempting to steal this season.
? In 2005, opponents were successful 73 percent of the time (8-of-11) attempting to steal vs. Bono. Bono spilt time behind the dish last season with Drew Butera, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.
Home Field Advantage
? UCF is in its sixth season of play at Jay Bergman Field. The Golden Knights are 125-46 all-time at the friendly confines, including a 28-8 record in 2005.
Year-by-Year at Jay Bergman FieldYear Record="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%202001%2030-7%202002%2023-6%202003%2020-15%202004%2024-7%202005%2028-8%202006%200-3%20Totals%20125-46%20(.731)%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOff%20to%20the%20Races%3C/strong%3E%3Cbr%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20?%20%3Ca%20href="/roster.aspx?rp_id=2379" class="imported_story_link" oldlink="/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ray_matt00.html">Matt Ray is 10th in UCF history in career stolen bases with 57.
? Ray led UCF with 32 stolen bases in 38 attempts in 2005. He finished 12th in the nation in steals in 2005.
On Deck
? UCF continues its 11-game homestand with two mid-week games Tuesday and Wednesday at Jay Bergman Field.
? The Golden Knights host Bethune-Cookman Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. and Big 10 power Michigan Wednesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m.