May 2, 2006
UCF Game Notes in PDF Format
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ORLANDO - UCF plays its final non-conference game of the season Tuesday night at Jay Bergman Field vs. Bethune-Cookman. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
? The Golden Knights (22-24, 5-10 C-USA) played well vs. No. 1 Rice over the weekend, but lost all three tightly contested games. The top-ranked Owls won 2-0 on Friday, 2-1 Saturday and 6-3 in the series finale Sunday. Bethune-Cookman (24-22, 12-0 MEAC) swept a three-game conference series from Maryland-Eastern Shore over the weekend.
? Over their last 10 games, the Golden Knights are just 2-8 overall and 1-7 at home. During the 10-game streak, UCF is batting .224 as a team while the pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.40 over the last 90 innings of work.
? UCF is ranked eighth in Conference USA in batting and third in ERA. The Golden Knights are second in the league in opposing batting average, second in innings pitched and third in strikeouts.
? The Bethune-Cookman game will air live on the UCF ISP Sports Network (740-AM The Team). The pregame show begins at 7:15 p.m. with the "Voice of the Golden Knights," Marc Daniels.
? Audio and live stats of the game are also available on the Internet at UCFAthletics.com.
Inside the Series
? UCF leads the all-time series 61-14, including 10 wins in the last 11 games in the series. The Wildcats won the last meeting at UCF, 14-2 on Feb. 28.
? The Golden Knights have won four of their last five games vs. the Wildcats at Jay Bergman Field. During the streak, the Golden Knights have outscored the Wildcats 44-18.
? Junior IF Matt Ray has a career .471 batting average vs. the Wildcats. Ray is 16-for-34 all-time vs. B-CC with 11 RBI and 13 runs scored.
? Senior C Ryan Bono is batting .319 with one home run and 17 RBI vs. Bethune-Cookman. Senior IF Dave Lambert (.391, 6 RBI) and freshman OF Ryan Williams (.556) also have hit B-CC pitching well during their careers.
The Book on Bethune-Cookman
? Bethune-Cookman is 24-22 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference entering Tuesday's game. The Wildcats are in first place in the MEAC by 5.5 games over second-place Norfolk State (8-7 in league play).
? The Wildcats have won three straight games after a weekend sweep of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Bethune-Cookman outscored UMES 28-7 over the three-game sweep.
? Bethune-Cookman is batting .262 as a team with 33 home runs and 71 stolen bases.
? On the mound, the Wildcats have a team ERA of 4.47 in 397 innings of work. Opponents are batting .289 vs. the B-CC pitching staff.
? Senior RHP Richard Rodriguez is Tuesday's scheduled starter for the Wildcats. Rodriguez is 6-2 on the season with a 3.32 ERA.
? Rodriguez leads the team in innings pitched (81.1), strikeouts (85) and is second on the squad in wins (6).
? Head coach Mervyl Melendez won his 200th career game in Sunday's 10-3 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Starting on the Mound for UCF
? Freshman LHP Mitch Herold is the scheduled starter for UCF Tuesday. Herold is 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA in 10 appearances in 2006.
? Herold is 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA vs. Bethune-Cookman in 2006. Herold pitched two innings and yielded three runs on two hits with six walks and five strikeouts Feb. 28 at Jay Bergman Field.
? In 37 innings this season, Herold has 32 strikeouts while opponents are batting .239 vs. the southpaw.
Playing at the "Berg"
? UCF is batting .271 as a team at Jay Bergman Field in 2006.
? Dave Lambert leads the team with a .326 batting average at home. Ryan Williams is second on the squad with a .313 average at home while sophomore OF Tyson Auer is batting .311 at the "Berg".
? UCF's pitching staff owns a team ERA of 3.66 in home games. Opponents are batting .236 at Jay Bergman Field.
Bergman in the NCAA Record Books
? Legendary UCF head coach Jay Bergman continues one of the best coaching careers in NCAA history. Bergman ranks 22nd all-time in NCAA history in victories (1,154).
? Bergman trails former Washington State skipper Chuck Brayton by three wins for 21st in the NCAA all-time annals.
? Bergman is eighth among active coaches in the NCAA in coaching victories.
Wear It!
? Ryan Bono became UCF's all-time leader after he was hit by a pitch for the 47th time in his career at Tulane on April 15. Bono moved past current assistant coach Rich Wallace (2000-03) for the top spot in the UCF annals.
? Bono is fourth in UCF history with 50 doubles.
? The Lake Mary native has appeared in 215 career games, ninth all-time in UCF history.
? Bono is eighth in career history in at-bats (687) and needs just six hits, five walks and two RBI to move into a tie for 10th place in school history in those respective categories.