March 23, 2009
ORLANDO (UCFAthletics.com) - A pair of midweek games are in store for the Knights as they prepare for a home-and-home with Jacksonville. UCF meets JU Tuesday in Orlando at 6:30 p.m. with Bright House Sports Network scheduled to televise the game on tape-delay at 8 p.m. and CSS picking up the feed LIVE. Tom Morgan will handle play-by-play duties with former MLB pitcher Dennis Rasmussen joining him as the color analyst.
Schedule:
Tuesday - Orlando, Fla. - 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday - Jacksonville, Fla. - 6:30 p.m.
Records:
Jacksonville - 12-8 Overall, 5-4 Atlantic Sun
UCF - 7-15 Overall, 0-3 C-USA
Stadium:
Tuesday: Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Wednesday: John Sessions Stadium (3,000)
Series:
UCF leads, 33-31
Live Stats:
UCFAthletics.com
Radio
Tuesday - 740-AM with Marc Daniels on the call
Wednesday - UCFAthletics.com
Tuesday Online Video:
UCFAthletics.com
Tuesday TV:
Bright House Sports Network - Tape-Delay to 8 p.m.
Play-by-Play - Tom Morgan
Color - Dennis Rasmussen
UCF at ECU Series Recap
UCF ran into a powerful offense last weekend when East Carolina earned a sweep over the Knights to kick off Conference USA play. Brandon Romans paced the UCF bats by going .455 vs. the Pirates with a pair of dingers, while Eric Kallstrom went 4-for-10.
Upcoming Opponent
Coming off a series win in which it went 2-1 at Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville claims a 12-8 record and is already 5-4 in its Atlantic Sun schedule. With a .290 team batting average and 5.64 staff ERA, the Dolphins will send out sophomore righty Sean Green to the mound in game one. Green currently holds a 0-0 record with a 7.20 ERA in three relief appearances.
The Series
UCF carries a slim 33-31 all-time lead over Jacksonville, with each team winning once on its home field a year ago. The Knights first beat the Dolphins, 5-4, to open 2008 with an 8-0 record before JU came through the following day, 10-5.
Ain't Even Done with the Night
In his previous two seasons with UCF, senior Brandon Romans proved he had a little bit of power in his bat. But it was not until this year that he has routinely put that on display. The catcher remains near the top of the C-USA chart in homers while he paces the Knights in several statistical categories. Here's a comparison of Romans' numbers from his UCF career:
2007 - .274 BA, 35 GS, 21 R, 1 HR, 15 RBI
2008 - .329 BA, 16 GS, 10 R, 2 HR, 13 RBI
2009 - .390 BA, 17 GS, 13 R, 8 HR, 22 RBI
Do What You Do
During the East Carolina series, Brandon Romans dominated Pirate pitching, going .455 at the plate with two homers and a 1.455 OPS. Going back to the game with Florida March 18, Romans posted a home run in three of four games.
I Go to Extremes
Shane Brown has quickly put together an impressive streak dating back to UCF's tilt with FIU March 4. The junior currently rides a career-long 14-game hitting streak entering the match-up with Jacksonville, going 17-for-47 during the stretch for a .362 average. Brown also has driven in nine and scored 10 runs.
Crowded House
Continuing its trend of setting attendance records in recent years, UCF drew a school-record 2,758 fans March 18 when it battled No. 25 Florida. It was the third time a crowd of 2,000 entered the gates of Jay Bergman Field, as it eclipsed the previous record of 2,397 set in 2008 against USF.