March 23, 2007
As each new season approaches for the UCF baseball program, there are almost always numerous holes for the coaching staff to fill before it gets underway. The 2007 campaign was no exception. Besides bringing in a very talented cast of freshmen, though, the Knights welcomed six transfers that quickly ensured those gaps in the lineup would be comfortably filled.
One of those key positions was at second base. Matt Horwath did make 26 starts as a junior a year ago, but an injury hampered him early in 2007. Along with losing three student-athletes who combined in starting 29 games at second, and UCF needed a solution. Enter Dwayne Bailey.
A product of South Florida Community College for two years, Bailey was the only player on the Golden Knights' roster to make a start in each of the first 20 games this season, 18 of which came at second base. His range on the right side of the infield and his ability to make highlight-reel plays has caused fans to drop their jaws on many occasions.
"Dwayne Bailey has given us solid defense at that position," said head coach Jay Bergman. "I think that's the one thing that we needed, particularly at second base. That is very nice to have there."
While five different Knights made at least one start at second in 2006, UCF also was in search of some depth in the middle infield and off the bench as a pinch-runner. The Black and Gold brought in Nova Southeastern's Nick Choto and he already has seen time in the starting lineup and scored his first run vs. TCU Feb. 11. The loss of Ryan Bono behind the plate was another issue to focus on. Steve Stropp, who is now in his sophomore season, did make five starts in 2006, but spent most of the time as a designated hitter. UCF needed a second catcher to jump in right away and discovered Brandon Romans from Birmingham-Southern College.
Romans, a native of Cocoa, Fla., added a new dimension to UCF's battery, and along with his continuous improvement on the defensive side, he also became a fixture in the heart of the order. Romans connected for his first Golden Knight homer in a victory over Monmouth March 4, and was consistently one of the team leaders in runs scored through mid-March.
"Brandon is catching very well right now," commented Bergman. "His finger has hurt his hitting if anything, but I think he has been a good asset and has filled the need that we had."
Tim Russell, similar to Choto, adds some experience to the roster, and can spend time at first base, catcher or even the DH. Out of Polk Community College, the Maitland, Fla., native posted a batting average over .300 in both seasons while being ranked one of the top catchers in junior college ball by Collegiate Baseball.
| Brandon Romans came to UCF after playing for Birmingham-Southern. |
"Tim Russell didn't get a lot of at-bats early because we saw a lot of left-handed pitching," said Bergman. "I want to try and get him some more at-bats. His usefulness to us is going to be coming off the bench against right-handing pitching and he will get a lot more chances."
One player that was overshadowed at the beginning of the season was Ryan Richardson. Coming to UCF from Seminole Community College, the junior took over right field and has quietly done the job that the coaches were hoping for out of that position.
"Ryan has a really good baseball temperament," thought Bergman. "He doesn't get too high or too low. He's been hitting the ball very hard and playing a good right field for us. He'll be a good player for us during the conference season because of his experience."
The Golden Knights also added their second LSU product (Matt Horwath) as Parkland, Fla., native Eric English joined the UCF pitching staff for 2007. After striking out 26 in 30.2 innings with the Tigers, English is now in his sophomore year and earned the win in the Knights' first victory of the campaign, a 9-3 triumph over Florida International Feb. 4.
One thing the UCF coaches did not want to go through for the second-straight year was writing in a collection of freshmen onto the lineup card. They desired to have the 2007 class ease into the long and demanding schedule of a D-I college program. While the freshmen still made a huge impact in filling early holes the Knights contained, the six transfers have allowed the coaching staff to breathe just a bit easier.