Oct. 14, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With 13 seniors and six juniors on the 2009 UCF baseball roster, it was no surprise that over 30 Major League Baseball scouts flooded Jay Bergman Field Tuesday for the Knights' annual scout day. The team started at 8 a.m. and finished off the morning with a short scrimmage.
A total of nine current Knights were previously drafted by MLB clubs either out of high school or junior college, but UCF has been known to have numerous players that went undrafted after high school get selected during their Black and Gold careers. Last year alone, LHP Mitch Herold and 2B Dwayne Bailey were both taken in the top 21 rounds even though they entered college without being drafted.
The Knights had four players from the 2008 squad selected in last summer's draft, while CF Tyson Auer signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and went on to have an impressive season at the rookie level. It was the eighth time since the 1995 campaign that UCF had at least four student-athletes evolve into draft picks, and the 10th time in 11 years it had one or more Knights see their names pop up on draft day.
On Tuesday, players opened up with a stretch and some sprints. A workout soon followed with infield/outfield drills and the pitchers gathering down the left-field line to work on their mechanics. A lengthy batting practice set up the scrimmage with each pitcher dealing to at least five batters apiece.
Scout day is serving as one of the final practices for the Knights leading up to the Black & Gold World Series Oct. 19-21. Sunday's game one is set for 6:30 p.m. and there will be free admission for all fans to Jay Bergman Field.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.