March 3, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Off to its best start since 1996, the UCF baseball team learned Monday that it entered the national rankings for the first time since May 16, 2005. The Knights were ranked at No. 25 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 30 Poll thanks to their 7-0 record, including a 10-9 upset over then-No. 5 Missouri.
In 2005, UCF held a No. 33 ranking in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. The Knights highest ranking occurred in 2001 at No. 7 in the Baseball America poll, achieved just before the NCAA Regional Tournament.
The Knights kicked off the 2008 campaign with a three-game sweep of Florida A&M, outscoring the Rattlers 50-5. UCF then upset No. 5 Missouri, 10-9, Feb. 25, when it scored five runs in its last at-bat for the come-from-behind win. The Tigers, who are now No. 6 in the Baseball America rankings, were the third-highest ranked team to visit Jay Bergman Field in the stadium's eight-year history.
Last weekend, UCF stayed undefeated by sweeping Central Michigan in a three-game set, marking only the third time since the inception of the program in 1973 that the Knights held a 7-0 record.
The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.
UCF gets back to work Tuesday when it hosts Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. The Dolphins also are undefeated at 6-0, as the Knights will try for an 8-0 record for the first time.
Season tickets as well as single-game tickets to check out UCF baseball this year are currently available by contacting the UCF Ticket Office at 407-823-1000, or by going online at www.ucfathletics.com, the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 30 Poll1) Arizona State2) Arizona3) South Carolina4) Mississippi5) North Carolina6) Rice7) Texas8) Florida State9) Kentucky10) Vanderbilt11) Long Beach State12) Virginia13) UC Irvine14) Baylor15) UCLA16) Miami, Fla.17) Clemson18) Missouri19) Georgia Tech20) Oklahoma State21) Texas A&M22) Oregon State23) Wichita State24) Oral Roberts25) UCF26) California27) Michigan28) Arkansas29) Pepperdine30) Stanford