March 10, 2006
UCF Game Notes in PDF Format
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ORLANDO - UCF continues its eight-game homestand with four games in four days, starting with a three-game series vs. Wagner. The Golden Knights and Seahawks begin their series Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and continue play Sunday at 1 p.m. The series finishes Monday evening at 6:30 p.m.
? Tuesday in-state rival Florida visits Jay Bergman Field for the first time since 1994 with a 6:30 p.m. contest vs. the Golden Knights. Just over 800 standing room only tickets remain for Tuesday's showdown vs. the Gators.
? UCF won its last time out with a 9-2 win over Penn Wednesday afternoon at Jay Bergman Field. Freshman LHP Mitch Houck pitched six shutout innings for his first career win as a Golden Knight.
? As a team, UCF is batting .265 in 16 games this season. The Golden Knights have hit seven home runs on the year to go along with 21 stolen bases in 28 attempts.
? On the mound, UCF owns a team ERA of 4.75 in 142 innings of work. The Golden Knights have totaled 130 strikeouts and 71 walks as a pitching staff.
? Audio of the Wagner series is available on UCFAthletics.com as part of the "Golden Knights All-Access" package.
Inside the Wagner Series
? UCF leads the all-time series 6-0. The two teams last met in 2004, when UCF swept a three-game series from the Seahawks. UCF outscored Wagner 44-11 in the three-game set in 2004.
? Wagner is the second opponent for UCF from the Northeast Conference in 2006. The Golden Knights won two of three from Monmouth earlier in the year at Jay Bergman Field.
The Book on Wagner
? The Seahawks of Wagner College opened the season last weekend with a three-game series at James Madison. The Dukes swept the three-game set by a combined score of 73-8.
? Wagner was picked to finish fifth in the preseason Northeast Conference coaches poll. The Seahawks finished 2005 with a 22-27 record.
? In 2006, Wagner is batting .231 as a team with two home runs and seven RBI. The Seahawks committed 10 errors in three games at James Madison last weekend.
? On the mound, Wagner has a team ERA of 23.32. In 22 innings, the Seahawks have yielded 73 runs on 58 hits. Opponents are batting .460 vs. the Seahawk pitching staff.
? Sophomore catcher Dan Morvay has been the team's top hitter in the early going. Morvay leads Wagner in batting (.500), runs (4), hits (4), doubles (2), home runs (2), total bases (12) and slugging percentage (1.500). He is tied for the team lead in RBI (2) and on-base percentage (.500).
UCF vs. the Empire State
? The Golden Knights are 60-10 (.857) all-time vs. schools from the state of New York.
Starting on the Mound for UCF
? Tim Bascom will start the series Saturday on the mound for the Golden Knights. The preseason All-American is 1-1 with a 1.52 ERA in four starts.
? Bascom leads UCF in ERA (1.52), innings pitched (23.2) and strikeouts (20) while opponents are batting .141 vs. the right-hander.
? Bascom has made one career appearance in relief vs. Wagner. In 2004, Bascom yielded one run on two hits in 2.0 innings of work vs. Wagner. He fanned two Seahawks in the appearance.
? Sophomore right-hander Jeremy Thorne makes his second career start Sunday for UCF. Thorne pitched well in defeat last Saturday vs. Monmouth in his first career start. Thorne yielded one earned run on two hits in 4.2 innings of work.
? For the season, Thorne is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in eight innings of work. He has eight strikeouts and just two walks in 2006.
? Freshman right-hander Kyle Sweat gets the call Monday evening for the Golden Knights. The Apopka product is 0-1 with a 6.04 ERA in four starts. In 22.1 innings, Sweat has 12 strikeouts and four walks.
The Dominator
? Senior closer Dominic Petracca has been nearly untouchable to start the 2006 campaign. The Sanford native has appeared in 10 games and totaled five saves, while posting a perfect 0.00 ERA.
? In 11.1 innings, Petracca has yielded four hits while opponents are batting .105 against him.
? He has registered 11 strikeouts and only one walk in nine games.
? In the Stony Brook series, Petracca saved all three games, including two one-run wins. He struck out the side on 13 pitches in the series-opening 1-0 victory on Feb. 24.
? With one more save, Petracca will move into the top 10 single-season list for saves at UCF. The single-season school record is 12, set by Jason Arnold in 1998.
Help is on the Way
? UCF's bullpen has been terrific over the last six games. The bullpen is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 23.1 innings of work.
? The unit has allowed just 17 hits and opponents are batting only .215 vs. the Golden Knight relievers.
? The bullpen has totaled 25 strikeouts and eight walks during the five-game streak.
? Junior Derek Abriola has been pitching the best baseball of his career over the five-game stretch. The Orlando native has thrown eight innings and totaled 11 strikeouts during the span, including a 2.25 ERA. Opponents are batting .154 against him.
Records Were Made to Be Broken
? UCF set or tied four school records in its 23-2 triumph over Monmouth March 3 at Jay Bergman Field.
? The Golden Knights hit 10 doubles, breaking the old mark of eight set against Louisiana-Lafayette in 1996.
? Freshman OF Dave DiNatale tied a UCF record with four doubles vs. the Hawks. He joined Dustin Brisson in the UCF record books with four two-baggers in a game.
? The Golden Knights scored 10 runs in the second inning, a new school mark for second inning runs.
? UCF also registered nine hits in the second frame, a new school record.
Offensive Fireworks
? After scoring 38 runs in 11 games, UCF exploded for 23 runs in a 23-2 win over Monmouth March 3 at Jay Bergman Field.
? The 23-run outburst was UCF's largest since scoring 23 runs in a 23-3 victory over Lehigh in 2000.
Injury Report
? Junior IF Jon Cooper is questionable for the Wagner series with an arm injury.
? Freshman OF Chadd Hartman (hand) and Taylor Cobb (arm) are out for the Wagner series.
? Sophomore OF Tyson Auer is day-to-day with an illness.
? Sophomore OF Matt Lambert is day-to-day after being struck by a line drive in batting practice Tuesday at Stetson.
Home Field Advantage
? UCF is in its sixth season of play at Jay Bergman Field. The Golden Knights are 131-48 all-time at the friendly confines, including a 28-8 record in 2005.
Knight Notes ...
? Matt Ray is 10th in UCF history in career stolen bases with 60.
? Ryan Bono is third in UCF history after being hit by a pitch 44 times. Rich Wallace owns the UCF record with 46 while Dee Brown was hit by a pitch 45 times.
? UCF is 3-5 in one-run games in 2006.
? The Golden Knights are 5-0 this season when leading after six innings of play.
? UCF is batting .333 (8-of-24) in pinch hitting situations in 2006.