May 1, 2007
ORLANDO - The UCF baseball team has just four home games in the month of May, and the first is set for this Wednesday when No. 28 Stetson invades Jay Bergman Field. First pitch against the Hatters will be at 6:30 p.m. The next time the Knights are at home occurs in the final weekend of the regular season vs. Marshall May 17-19.
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Records
UCF - 22-23 Overall, 4-11 C-USA
Stetson - 32-12 Overall, 15-3 A-Sun
Stadium
Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Series
UCF leads, 60-45
Radio
740-AM The Team and www.UCFAthletics.com
Live Stats
www.UCFAthletics.com
Tickets
(407) UCF-1000
This Week's Opponent
Owners of a 15-3 record in Atlantic Sun play, Stetson has won 12 of its last 15 outings and has an overall record of 32-12. The Hatters did have the week off, with their last game coming in a 7-3 loss at Miami April 25. They will be bringing in a team batting average of .318 against the Knights, as Justin Bass (.377), Jeremy Cruz (.372) and Braedyn Pruitt (.365) are cruising at the plate. On the mound, Stetson's staff has a 3.24 ERA and is holding opponents to a .243 average.
The Series
Thanks to a dramatic 4-3, 11-inning victory at Stetson March 27 this year, UCF claims a 60-45 advantage in the all-time series with the Hatters. With a total of 105 games, UCF has not faced another opponent more than Stetson.
Tulane at UCF Recap - Game One
It appeared four early errors by the UCF defense were going to prove to be the difference as Tulane jumped out to a 4-0 lead. But two Knights took matters into their own hands in a 7-6 come-from-behind victory April 27. Matt Horwath delivered with UCF's first cycle in program history, and Chris Duffy belted two homers to lift the offense. On the mound, Justin Weiss shut the door over the final 1.2 inningsto get the victory. Jaager Good made the start and went 5.0 innings, giving up just two earned runs.
Tulane at UCF Recap - Game Two
Kyle Sweat went 8.0 innings for the third time this season, and the UCF offense struck for three runs in the eighth inning to defeat Tulane, 4-3, April 28. With two outs and one run already in, Matt Horwath scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Later in the frame, Kiko Vazquez plated Tyson Auer from first with a RBI double to take the lead. Justin Weiss came on and shut the door in the ninth for the save.
Tulane at UCF Recap - Game Three
UCF took the first lead of the finale in the first inning and did not let go, earning the sweep with an 8-4 victory. Eric English went 7.0 innings to get the win, while Matt Horwath and Ryan Richardson each pounded out three hits. As a team, the Knights set a season-high with 15 hits in the victory.
He's Got the Beat, He's Got the Beat...
Since 1973, no UCF batter ever hit for the cycle. Then, Matt Horwath came along April 27 vs. Tulane. After he was hit by a pitch in the first inning, the designated hitter singled in the third and notched his first-career triple in the fourth. Horwath followed that up with a solo homer to lead-off the seventh. He came to the plate in the eighth with score knotted at 6-6 and belted a RBI double to deep center field to finalize the cycle and also give the Knights a 7-6 win. Meanwhile, the senior's four hits were a career-high and he added two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.
One Thing Leads to Another
Along with hitting for the cycle April 27, Matt Horwath had a very memorable week at the plate. In UCF's four victories, the DH had at least two hits, scored two runs in every game and finished 11-for-16 with a .688 average. His efforts secured Horwath his first-ever Conference USA Hitter of the Week award, and a day later, he was named Pro-Line Athletic National Hitter of the Week. Let's take a look at Horwath's journey during that week:
Date AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB 4/24 3 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 4/27 4 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 4/28 4 2 2 1 2 0 0 0 4/29 5 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 16 8 11 3 4 2 1 1
Flyin' Ryan
One hitter who has been quietly going about his business is Ryan Richardson. The junior transfer from Seminole C.C. has made 41 of his 42 starts in right field and appeared in 44 of UCF's 45 games overall. Richardson also has a hit in 13 of his last 15 outings, including a 4-for-4 affair in game two of a doubleheader at UAB March 31 and a 3-for-4 day against Tulane April 29. For the season, he claims a .310 average and a 12-for-12 mark in stolen bases.
Taking Advantage of an Exciting Schedule
UCF fans have enjoyed this year's home schedule a lot, and it is showing by the attendance numbers. Through 32 games so far at Jay Bergman Field, a total of 27,359 have ventured through the gates. That number is a 42 percent increase from last year, where 19,313 Knight supporters came out to the ballpark in a span of 35 home contests.
Tulane Had Too Many English Muffins
Sophomore Eric English used a career-long outing to defeat Tulane April 29. The righty went 7.0 innings and allowed just two runs on five hits to notch his second win of the year. English went into the sixth without giving up a run until a wild pitch put the Green Wave on the board. He reached the eighth but after 104 pitches, he retired to the bench and watched as UCF held on, 8-4.
The Heat is On
The leadoff hitter can have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Matt Horwath has just taken all of it in stride after he was written into the top spot of the order before game one of a doubleheader at UAB March 31. He went on to go 9-for-21 (.429) while extending his overall hitting streak to eight games. Now through 13 games at the top spot, the senior is 22-for-48 for a .458 average.
Duff-Man Says `Oh Yeah'
Chris Duffy made Jay Bergman Field his own little paradise vs. Tulane April 27. Batting fifth in the order, the third baseman sent a towering solo homer over the scoreboard in right-center in the third, then tied the game at 6-6 with a two-out, two-run blast to right field in the seventh to help the Knights prevail, 7-6.
Bullpen Doing Its Job
UCF has gone to the bullpen 111 times this year, and those relievers have combined to post a perfect 10-0 record. Justin Weiss leads the way with a 4-0 mark and has added six saves as the Golden Knight closer.
Handling Critical Situations
Winning one-run games are a huge piece of the puzzle in any baseball season. And in 2007, UCF has been rock solid in those situations by going 8-2 in one-run contests.
Everyday I Write the Brooks
With an appearance vs. Tulane April 29, senior Brian Brooks claimed sole possession of third place on the UCF all-time list for career appearances with 79. In that outing, the lefty went 1.2 innings in relief to earn the save. One more appearance will move Brooks into a tie for second with Von Stertzbach.
For total relief appearances, Brooks ranks fourth with 74. His 75th relief outing will tie the senior for third with Brian Huie.
Smooth Operators
The Knights set a season-high with 15 hits in an 8-4 victory over Tulane. Matt Horwath and Ryan Richardson each had three hits, while Tyson Auer and Eric Kallstrom posted two apiece.
Earlier that week, UCF banged out 14 hits vs. USF April 24, led by Kiko Vazquez's five singles in the win. In all, Vazquez, Horwath, Auer, Richardson and Chris Duffy all had at least two hits against the Bulls.