April 9, 2007
ORLANDO - Before UCF has a bye in Conference USA action this weekend, the Knights still have a huge task ahead of them when they travel to Gainesville to meet No. 17 Florida Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Fans will have plenty of opportunities to check out the game, as Sun Sports has the call on television, Marc Daniels handles play-by-play for 740-AM The Team and GameTracker is available at UCFAthletics.com.
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Records
Florida - 20-15 Overall, 8-4 SEC
UCF - 17-19 Overall, 1-8 Conference USA
Stadium
Alfred A. McKethan Stadium (5,500)
Series
Florida leads, 17-11
Radio
740-AM The Team - www.UCFAthletics.com - Marc Daniels, Play-By-Play
Television
Sun Sports
Live Stats
www.UCFAthletics.com
This Week's Opponent
With a 20-15 record, Florida comes into the week winners of nine of their last 11 games, including triumphs over No. 1 Florida State, No. 4 South Carolina and three wins at No. 21 Auburn. The Gators are 12-11 in home games in 2007, and have an offense with a .294 team batting average. Matt LaPorta leads the way with a .430 mark and 15 home runs. On the mound, sophomore lefty Stephen Locke is scheduled to make the start, and brings with him a 3-2 record a 6.53 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.
The Series
UCF and Florida have played once in each of the last two seasons, with the Gators claiming both victories en route to increasing their all-time series lead to 17-11. While they did not meet from 2000-04, the Knights' last win over the Gators was in Gainesville in 1999, 8-7.
Southern Miss at UCF Recap - April 6
Check out page three for more information on game one vs. Southern Miss. The starting pitchers dominated action April 6 as UCF's Jaager Good went 6.0 innings and Southern Miss' Ryan Belanger lasted 6.1 innings, and both did not give up a run in their respective outings. But the bullpens struggled. The Golden Eagles eventually took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth and with two down and nobody on, the Knights stormed back and tied it on a Tyson Auer bases loaded infield single, as well as a throwing error. D.J. Bissell won it in the 10th on a single down the right-field line.
Southern Miss at UCF Recap - April 7
Each team traded runs in the third and fifth innings, but Southern Miss took the lead for good with one in the sixth and two in the seventh. Kiko Vazquez did make it 5-3 with a homer in the bottom of the eighth, but the Golden Eagles tacked on three unearned runs in the ninth to seal the 8-3 victory. Tyson Auer led the offense with three hits, while Matt Horwath went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Southern Miss at UCF Recap - April 8
David Clark became the first opponent to toss a complete-game shutout since 2005 as Southern Miss took the series with a 10-0, seven-inning victory April 8. Tyson Auer, Matt Horwath and Kiko Vazquez each posted a single as Clark limited the Knights to just three hits.
Enjoying That Bye Weekend
The UCF baseball team still has a lot going on this weekend even though there are not any games on tap. The Knights will be hosting their annual UCF Baseball Golf Classic Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Shingle Creek Golf Club. To compete in the exciting event, prospective players may contact the coaching staff at (407) 823-3260. Meanwhile, Sunday marks the UCF Baseball Alumni Game at Jay Bergman Field. Festivities begin with a barbecue at 11:30 a.m. and a home run derby immediately afterwards.
Postseason Changes
Due to on-going renovations to Turchin Stadium in New Orleans, East Carolina will now serve as the host school for the 2007 C-USA Baseball Championship. Tulane takes over as the host for next year's event.
Field of Dreams Information
Spots are limited for little league players to join the UCF baseball team for starting lineups and the National Anthem at Jay Bergman Field in 2007. Each kid also receives an autographed piece of memorabilia from the team. For more information, teams can contact the UCF Sports Marketing Office at (407) 823-6165.
The Wrath of Horwath
Matt Horwath has taken over the leadoff role in impressive fashion. The senior was written into the top spot before game one of a doubleheader at UAB March 31 and went on to go 9-for-21 (429) while extending his overall hitting streak to eight games. Horwath has been serving mostly as the UCF designated hitter, as well as seeing time at third base.
His Name Calls For Numerous Different Headlines, So Let's Just Say: The Good News
Junior righty Jaager Good has been as steady as they come for the Knights' pitching staff, as he has a team-high 53.2 innings pitched and 41 strikeouts. Good came out of the pen in the first game of the season, but has since made nine 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. More recently, Good got his first Friday night start April 6 vs. Southern Miss and proceeded to shut down the Golden Eagles by tossing 6.0 shutout innings with six punch-outs.
Tyson Ain't Chicken
There seems to be something about pressure situations that center fielder Tyson Auer craves. With two down in the ninth at Stetson March 27, Auer tied it at 3-3 on a RBI single and the Knights eventually won it in 11. Taking on Southern Miss April 6, he was at it again. With the bases juiced and the Black and Gold trailing 4-1, Auer singled to second baseman Bailey Hartel, who then threw it into right field to permit three runs to score. The Knights also won that wild affair by scoring a run in the 10th.
More With No. 3
Tyson Auer set a UCF season-high by extending his hitting streak to 11 games with a 1-for-3 performance against Southern Miss April 8. Over that stretch, the junior went 18-for-50 (.360) with six RBI. Along with his streak, he has at least one hit in 17 of his last 18 outings.
Auer also has made the most of his move to the No. 3 hole in the order. Since switching from the leadoff spot before game one of a twin-bill at UAB March 31, the center fielder has gone 12-for-27 (.444).
Turn the Music Up
D.J. Bissell made his 10th collegiate at-bat pay off. After entering the game in left field in the eighth inning vs. Southern Miss April 6, the freshman strode to the plate in the 10th inning with the winning run at third base and one out. Bissell found the perfect time to collect his first UCF base hit and RBI, dropping a single down the right-field line to win it for the Knights, 5-4, as Brandon Romans came home to score.
Extra Tastes Better
The Knights moved to 3-0 in extra-inning games this year after a dramatic 5-4 win over Southern Miss April 6. In the program's history, UCF is 54-34-1 in extra-inning affairs.
Big & Rich
UCF's right fielder could not be contained at UAB March 30-31. Ryan Richardson finished the series 7-for-10 (.700) with four RBI and three runs scored. He also had three doubles, three walks and a stolen base. Richardson concluded the weekend with a 4-for-4 performance and scored three runs.
Richardson also started a string of 10-consecutive plate appearances in which he reached base, which started in the first game of the UAB doubleheader March 31 and came to a close at USF April 3.