March 26, 2007
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ORLANDO - UCF's 17-game home stand comes to a close Monday when it welcomes Harvard for a 6:30 p.m. showdown. After going 8-2 to start off the month of March, the Knights will be looking to end a 1-4 slide in their last five games.
Records
Harvard - 2-5 Overall, 0-0 Ivy League
UCF - 14-13 Overall, 0-3 Conference USA
Stadium
Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Series
Harvard leads, 1-0
Radio
www.UCFAthletics.com
Live Stats
www.UCFAthletics.com
Tickets
UCF Ticket Office - (407) UCF-1000
This Week's Opponent
Harvard enters the week with a 2-5 record, but Monday will be a tough day for the Crimson. They will take on Eckerd College in St. Petersburg at 10 a.m. before traveling to Orlando for a 6:30 p.m. showdown with the Knights. After going 2-1 to open the year, Harvard has lost contests to Tampa (twice), Ohio State and Northwestern. With a team batting average of .250, Andrew Prince leads the way with a .400 mark (6-for-15), and has a homer and five RBI. On the mound, Max Perlman or Hampton Foushee will get the start vs. UCF.
The Series
There probably are not a lot of people who remember the lone meeting between UCF and Harvard, as the two programs met during the Knights' first-ever season back in 1973. The Crimson walked away with a 7-3 win as they have held a 1-0 all-time advantage over the Black and Gold for the last 34 years.
Houston at UCF Series Recap
In the C-USA opener for both teams, Houston jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first and it was too much for UCF to overcome as the Cougars walked away with a 10-2 victory. Eric Kallstrom racked up two hits for the Knights, while Kyle Maulbetsch pitched 3.0 scoreless innings of relief.
Freshman lefty Wes Musick pitched 8.0 scoreless innings to help shut out UCF, 3-0, March 24. The hurler threw 120 pitches, the most by a Knight opponent this season, and limited the Black and Gold to five hits. Shane Brown led the UCF offense with two hits.
To finish the sweep over the Knights, Houston built a 5-0 lead March 25, then used a two-run homer in the eighth to claim a 7-2 victory. Kiko Vazquez cranked out three hits, while Chadd Hartman finished with two hits and a RBI.
Anyone Up For Some Kallstromboli?
Eric Kallstrom recorded a seven-game hitting streak March 11-24, which tied for the third-longest by a Golden Knights this year. Over this stretch, the short stop was 10-for-25 (.400) with five runs scored and five RBI.
Working the Abs
Senior hurler Derek Abriola continued to demonstrate how important to the UCF bullpen he has been throughout his career when he was brought in vs. Houston March 24. Even though the Knights lost 3-0, the righty set a personal-best of 5.2 innings pitched, striking out three and surrendering only one run on two hits. At one point, Abriola retired 12-straight batters. In all, he has made 53 career appearances, all in relief. Two more will move Abriola into a tie for sixth with Dominic Petracca on the UCF all-time list.
Back on the Airwaves
The voice of UCF athletics, Marc Daniels, and 740-AM The Team will be back in action calling UCF baseball games when the Knights travel to Stetson March 27. After another road game April 3 (at USF), Daniels and the crew will broadcast the remaining 11 home games, as well as three more road games during the regular season.
Racking Up the Runs Late
UCF has outscored its opponents 29-10 in the fifth inning and 23-14 in the seventh. However, the Knights have struggled to get out of early jams, holding a 28-11 disadvantage in the first frame and are also being outscored 30-13 in the fourth.
Don't Let it End
In a 3-0 loss to Houston March 24, UCF had a few streaks come to a close. The Knights saw their string of 16-straight games with a stolen base and their stretch of 18-consecutive outings without striking out at least 10 times both conclude vs. the Cougars. Meanwhile, it also was the first time since 2005 that an opposing pitcher posted 10 strikeouts or more as Houston's Wes Musick notched 10 in 8.0 innings of work.
Having a Ball in Orlando
In the 23 seasons that UCF has been a member of a conference, the Golden Knights are 151-97 all-time in league games played at home. The Black and Gold's best conference home record came in 2000 when it went 10-2 (.833).
All it Takes is an Auer
Leadoff hitter Tyson Auer has blossomed lately, and after going 8-for-16 from March 13-18, he earned Conference USA Hitter of the Week accolades. The honor was the second-straight received by a Golden Knight (Kiko Vazquez). During that week in which UCF went 3-1, the center fielder scored five runs, had three steals and notched two sacrifice flies to go with his 10 total bases.
Jaager Be Good
Junior righty Jaager Good, in just eight appearances in 2007, has set career-highs this year with 40.2 innings pitched and 31 strikeouts. Good came out of the pen in the first game of the season, but has since made seven starts for the Knights. He had his best game in a UCF uniform when he pitched 7.2 scoreless innings against Rutgers March 18, earning the win by giving up just two hits and striking out 10.
Thanks That Was Fun
UCF cranked out seven-straight wins March 6-16, which was the longest since a nine-game stretch March 5-18, 2005. During this year's streak, the Golden Knights had a .303 batting average compared to holding their opponents to a .238 clip. Meanwhile, UCF's fielding percentage was .985, and its pitching staff had an ERA of 3.14.