May 10, 2007
ORLANDO - UCF's seven-game road trip comes to a close this weekend with a three-game series at No. 30 East Carolina Friday-Sunday. The Knights' journey is the longest road swing since they went on a 10-game trip in 2003.
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Records
East Carolina - 32-17 Overall, 10-7 Conference USA
UCF - 24-26 Overall, 5-13 Conference USA
Stadium
Clark-LeClair Stadium (3,000)
Series
ECU leads, 6-3
Radio
None
Live Stats
www.UCFAthletics.com
This Weekend's Opponent
Sitting at No. 30 in the NCBWA rankings this week, third-place East Carolina is on a four-game Conference USA winning streak, but is coming off two midweek losses to The Citadel and North Carolina. The Pirates still have a 25-10 home record, and own a team batting average of .286, fielding percentage of .976 and ERA of 3.65.
On the mound, Shane Mathews (28) and Jason Neitz (27) rank first and second, respectively, in the league in appearances, while Josh Dowdy is first in opposing batting average with a .198 mark. With the stick, Ryan Tousley has crushed 10 homers to lead a team that has 53 dingers on the year (No. 1 in C-USA).
The Series
The last six meetings between UCF and East Carolina have all taken place in Orlando. However the two programs first met in 2002 when the Pirates swept the Knights in Greenville. ECU will bring a 6-3 all-time record into the weekend.
UCF at No. 28 Stetson Recap - May 8
With the game tied 3-3 entering the top of the eighth, UCF blew things wide open by scoring 11 runs to defeat the Hatters, 14-3, May 8 in DeLand. A total of 17 batters went to the plate in the eighth, and the offense finished by tying a season-high with 15 hits in the victory. Mitch Herold set a career-high with nine strikeouts, Derek Abriola earned the win and Justin Weiss struck out four in the final two innings.
Take it Easy on Me
A total of 17 batters strode to the plate in the eighth inning at Stetson May 8, as the Knights scored 11 runs on 10 hits en route to breaking a 3-3 tie for a 14-3 victory. The first five hitters reached before a sacrifice bunt gave the Hatters the first out. Brandon Romans broke the door wide open thanks to three-run triple that pushed the lead to 9-3. The first time UCF went through the order, the only Knight that did not score a run was Ryan Richardson, who notched the sac bunt.
The 11 runs scored were the most in an eighth inning in program history, and it was the most recorded in an inning all season. UCF finished by matching a season-high with 15 hits for the game, while the 14 runs overall were the most in an outing all year.
Finishing the Non-Conference Slate
With the win over Stetson May 8, the Knights moved to 14-10 in games that mark the final regular season non-conference contest of the year.
Herold Hurts Hatters
Although he had not made a start since Feb. 24 at LSU, Mitch Herold dominated No. 28 Stetson May 8. The southpaw set a career-high with nine strikeouts, allowing only one earned run on just four hits in 6.0 innings. His outing enabled the Knights to claim the 2007 series over the Hatters, 2-1. Both of those wins came in DeLand.
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.
Duffy moved his handy work to the road when UCF traveled to No. 28 Stetson May 8. The freshman took Robby Donovan deep in the fourth inning, sending a two-run job well over the wall in right. Duffy eventually went 3-for-4 with four RBI in the win.
Night Shift
From the first to the fourth innings, opponents have been outscoring the Knights 165-89. However from the fifth to the eighth frames, UCF has a 149-130 advantage.
Double Duty
The last six games have all seen UCF post double-digits hits. It is the longest such streak since March 8-18, 2005, when the Knights posted at least 10 hits in seven-straight games.
Keep Those Bats Rolling
A quick look at the UCF hitting streaks on the line at East Carolina Friday:
Kiko Vazquez - 12 games
Matt Horwath - 9 games
Ryan Richardson - 9 games
Tyson Auer - 7 games
Using Clutch Hitting to Get the Job Done
In UCF's 9-6 win at Memphis May 4, six of the Knights' runs were scored with two outs on the scoreboard. Down 5-1 in the sixth with nobody on and two down, Tyson Auer singled, Kiko Vazquez and Chris Duffy recorded back-to-back homers and Eric Kallstrom tied it on a RBI single. Eventually, UCF held a slim 7-6 lead in the ninth when Vazquez hit another two-out, two-run shot to put the game out of reach.
Stats That Make Sense
UCF owns an 18-3 record this year when it out-hits its opponent, and is 11-4 when it does not make an error. Also, they Knights are 16-5 when they score at least six runs in a game, and are 15-0 when leading after six innings.
Weiss-A-Roni, The Orlando Treat
In his last eight appearances, sophomore closer Justin Weiss has allowed just three hits and is 1-0 with three saves. Weiss also has kept opponents scoreless over his last 11.1 innings dating back to a win April 6 vs. Southern Miss.
Some Fun With the Long Ball
Kiko Vazquez and Chris Duffy recorded back-to-back homers in the sixth inning to spark a come-from-behind victory at Memphis May 4. It was the first time two UCF players accomplished the feat since Dee Brown and John-Michael Howell sent two yard May 6, 2005, at Troy. Vazquez ended up with two dingers in the win over the Tigers, which was the second time this year he put two over the wall in a game (Feb. 17 vs. Maryland).