June 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - New baseball head coach Terry Rooney is no stranger to UCF. Rooney, who was introduced as the program's new mentor on Thursday, has squared off against the Knights in five of the last seven campaigns.
Rooney is currently wrapping up his second season at LSU, where he serves as the Tigers' associate head coach. LSU is participating in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The team fell 8-4 to North Carolina on Sunday and will meet Rice on Tuesday afternoon.
A year ago, the Knights traveled to Baton Rouge to face Rooney and the Tigers. The hosts claimed the two out of three contests in the series. Prior to joining LSU's staff, Rooney worked at Notre Dame. The Irish faced UCF during the 2004 and 2005 campaigns. In 2005, the Knights split a two-game series against the 20th-ranked Irish and Rooney in Orlando.
From 2002-03, Rooney was a part of one the best rivalries in baseball: UCF-Stetson. Rooney served as the Hatters' pitching coach under Pete Dunn. During that time, the Knights played Stetson on seven occasions. UCF went 3-4 against its local rivals during that span.
"I know what this program is. I know what this program needs," said Rooney at his introductory press conference at UCF last week. "I am what this program needs right now. I have all the confidence in the world that we will be able to achieve these things."
Prior to the press conference, Rooney had visited on the UCF campus on two occasions. As he told those in attendance on Thursday, the campus is much different now than it was in 2005. Bright House Networks Stadium and the new UCF Arena are two of the many additions to the campus since Rooney's last visit.
Rooney will direct his full attention to his new position once LSU concludes its stint in Omaha.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.