May 3, 2007
ORLANDO - The longest road trip of the season awaits UCF as the Knights start a seven-game swing at Memphis this weekend. First pitch for game one of the Conference USA series is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Tigers are currently third in the league standings, while the Black and Gold sits in ninth.
Game Notes in PDF Format
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Records
Memphis - 27-17 Overall, 9-6 C-USA
UCF - 22-24 Overall, 4-11 C-USA
Stadium
Nat Burling Stadium (2,000)
Series
Memphis leads, 3-0
Radio
None
Live Stats
www.UCFAthletics.com
This Weekend's Opponent
Memphis has posted numerous quality wins this season, including a victory over No. 6 Clemson, two over No. 21 Tulane and a sweep against No. 29 Southern Miss. However, the Tigers are coming off a 10-2 loss to No. 13 Mississippi May 2 and suffered two defeats to Marshall in their last C-USA series April 20-22.
The top four hitters for Memphis are all seniors (Michael Murray, Bill Moss, Adam Amar and Joey Lieberman) and they lead a program which has a team batting average of .294. Moss and Lieberman share the team lead with 11 homers apiece, while K.K. Chalmers leads the league with 25 stolen bases. On the mound, Ben Grisham (3-1, 4.43) gets the start Friday, but the two remaining starters are still up in the air.
The Series
The Tigers came into Jay Bergman Field in the second-to-last weekend of the regular season in 2006 and proceeded to outscore the Knights 41-11 for the three-game sweep. Last year marked the first time the two teams ever met.
No. 28 Stetson at UCF Recap - May 2
A first-inning run did not seem to effect the UCF offense vs. No. 28 Stetson May 2. The Knights scored three in the bottom of the first, but ended up leaving runners at second and third with one out in the frame. The Hatters took advantage, scoring two in the third and four in the fifth en route to a 10-7 victory. Matt Horwath and Ryan Richardson each had three hits, and Tyson Auer posted three RBI on the evening.
A Solid Rotation
The last two weeks, Jaager Good, Kyle Sweat and Eric English, respectively, were in the UCF weekend rotation. All three are slated to take the hill again at Memphis, which would mark the first time this season that the Knights have used the same three starters in three-straight weekend series.
Digging Deep
UCF used a total of eight pitchers vs. Stetson May 2, the most in a game since April 22, 2003, when the Knights sent nine pitchers to the hill. Both games were nine innings.
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. On May 2, Horwath was then selected as the Ping!Baseball Spotlight Performance 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 42 of his 43 starts in right field and appeared in 45 of UCF's 46 games overall. Richardson also has a hit in 14 of his last 16 outings, including a 4-for-4 affair in game two of a doubleheader at UAB March 31 and consecutive three-hit outings April 29 and May 2. For the season, he claims a .322 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 33 games so far at Jay Bergman Field, a total of 28,264 have ventured through the gates. That number is a 46 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 14 games at the top spot, the senior is 25-for-53 for a .472 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 118 times this year, and those relievers have combined to post a 10-1 record (the lone loss coming to Stetson May 2). 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.