May 16, 2007
ORLANDO - The 2007 regular season series finale is already here, and it will be the most important as well. UCF hosts Marshall for a three-game set Thursday-Saturday, presented by Coca-Cola, with the winner of the series claiming the eighth and final spot in the Conference USA Championship. Saturday will mark Senior Day with Derek Abriola, Brett Bordwine, Brian Brooks, Matt Horwath and Taylor Meier stepping on Jay Bergman Field for their final game.
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Records
UCF - 24-29 Overall, 5-16 C-USA
Marshall - 20-30 Overall, 4-16 C-USA
Stadium
Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Series
UCF leads, 2-1
Radio
740-AM The Team and www.UCFAthletics.com
Live Stats
www.UCFAthletics.com
Tickets
(407) UCF-1000
Fan Information for the Marshall Series
Knight fans heading out to Jay Bergman Field should plan ahead. There are graduation ceremonies next door at the UCF Arena Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 3 and 8 p.m., and Saturday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. There will be a charge to park in the North Garage.
Also, Coca-Cola is sponsoring numerous activities at the stadium, including Coke product sampling and a Thunder Stix giveaway Thursday.
This Weekend's Opponent
Marshall began the year with a 14-5 record, but then went on a 16-game losing skid. The Thundering Herd snapped that streak with two wins at Memphis and also posted a pair of victories against Houston. More recently, Marshall was swept vs. UAB last weekend as the Blazers outscored the Herd, 36-10, and split a non-conference doubleheader with Miami (Ohio) on Monday.
Freshman Josh Valle has made 37 starts and leads the team with a .336 average. In all, the Marshall bats own a .282 mark at the plate, while on the basepaths, the Herd has given up 95 stolen bases. Defensively, Marshall claims a .958 fielding percentage and a 6.60 team ERA. Jeremy Slone (12), Brian Chrisman (11) and Adam Dobies (10) have all made at least 10 starts on the year, but Slone (Friday) is the only one scheduled to start vs. UCF. With three starts, Andrew Blain is on tap to pitch in game one, while Saturday's starter is yet to be determined.
The Series
In what was UCF's first appearance in a Conference USA series, the Knights traveled to Marshall last year and won the first two games over the Herd before dropping the finale. The Black and Gold banged out 20 hits in an 18-1 game one victory, where Tyson Auer recorded a career-high six RBI. The journey to Huntington, W.Va., was the first time the teams had met on the diamond.
UCF at No. 30 ECU Recap - May 11
UCF dominated the early innings and finally broke through with two runs in the third and two in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead at ECU May 11. But a three-run homer from Stephen Batts in the fifth tied it up and a sacrifice fly game the Pirates the lead for good in an 8-6 win. Eric Kallstrom tied a career-high with three hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth, while Kiko Vazquez smashed a home run as well in a 2-for-4 affair.
UCF at No. 30 ECU Recap - May 12
ECU scored in the first four innings before rain halted the game in the top of the fifth with the Pirates ahead 7-1. When the teams returned to the field May 13, UCF quickly scored two in the fifth and four in the sixth and all of a sudden it was tied at 7-7. But a Corey Kemp solo homer in the eighth gave ECU the one-run victory. Tyson Auer and Kyle Mills each had three hits in the loss, and Dwayne Bailey scored three runs.
UCF at No. 30 ECU Recap - May 13
Every UCF starter had a hit as the Knights posted a season-high 17 hits in the finale at ECU. However, the Pirates needed just 11 hits to earn a 13-8 win. Kiko Vazquez, Brandon Romans and Ryan Richardson each recorded three hits, while Vazquez, Eric Kallstrom and Chris Duffy all homered. Brian Brooks pitched the final 4.1 innings, striking out four and allowing just one hit.
Nine is Not Fine
Something must have sparked the UCF offense after the Rice series. The Knights had just 15 hits in the entire series vs. the Owls April 20-22, including only one in the finale. When UCF returned to the field vs. USF April 24, it cranked out 14 hits in an 11-5 victory and has since gone on to post at least 10 hits in 11 of the last 12 outings.
In all, the Knights have a streak of nine-straight games with double-digit hits. That is the longest such streak since May 6-27, 2001, when the Black and Gold accomplished the feat in 12-consecutive contests. During the current stretch, UCF has gone 119-for-343 for a .347 team batting average.
Going the Distance
Starting pitchers have yet to toss a complete game this season. If the trend continues, it will be the first time in UCF history that a pitching staff did not record at least two in a season.
The Power Station
Nine of UCF's 22 home runs have come in the month of May, which is 41 percent of this year's total long ball output. Because the Knights have played only one home game this month, all nine of those dingers have come on the road.
Keep Those Bats Rolling
A quick look at the UCF hitting streaks on the line vs. Marshall:
Kiko Vazquez - 15 games
Ryan Richardson - 12 games
Matt Horwath - 11 games
Tyson Auer - 10 games
This year is the first time since 2000 that the Knights have had four players record streaks of at least 10 games (Dustin Brisson - 22, Ivan Trujillo - 14, Rich Wallace - 12, Jason Graham - 11).
Kallstrom Konnects
Shortstop Eric Kallstrom led all UCF hitters at No. 30 East Carolina May 11, tying a career-high with three hits vs. the Pirates. Kallstrom finished 3-for-5, highlighted by a two-run homer to left, his third of the season. In all, he has posted three hits in a game seven times in two years with the Knights.
Kallstrom completed the series by recording another two-run shot in the finale May 13, and eventually went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
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. He then added a two-run home run in the series finale at ECU May 13, driving a 3-1 pitch over two different fences and onto the football practice fields.