April 1, 2009
ORLANDO (UCFAthletics.com) - After being rained out at Stetson Tuesday, UCF is back with a home matchup against North Florida at 6:30 p.m. Knights' senior RHP Kyle Sweat will be making the start on the hill in the first of two games the programs will play this season (April 7 in Jacksonville).
Schedule:
Wednesday vs. North Florida - Orlando, Fla. - 6:30 p.m.
Records:
North Florida - 12-16 Overall, 6-6 Atlantic Sun
UCF - 7-20 Overall, 0-6 C-USA
Stadium:
Wednesday: Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Series:
North Florida leads UCF, 6-3
Live Stats:
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Live Audio:
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UCF at Stetson Recap
With both teams already having taken batting practice and preparing for infield work, a heavy rainstorm blew into DeLand, forcing UCF and Stetson to postpone its game March 31. No makeup date has been announced.
Upcoming Opponent
North Florida is coming off a three-game Atlantic Sun sweep at Campbell in which it scored at least 12 runs in each outing. The Ospreys have also posted wins over Florida State, Florida and Jacksonville this year. Paced by Brian Wilson's .367 average, UNF has a .296 team average, while on the mound probably starting pitcher Ty Pryor is 2-4 with a 4.85 ERA.
The Series
UNF has taken five-straight from the Knights, including two last year and three in 2006. UCF's last victory over the Ospreys was a 7-3 win in Jacksonville in 1992, and the Black and Gold's last home triumph vs. UNF was in their first meeting in 1988 (3-1). Since that `88 meeting, UNF holds a 6-3 all-time advantage in the series.
Time After Time
A pair of hitting streaks are in double-digits as UCF gets set to take on UNF Wednesday. Junior Shane Brown has built his career-best streak to 18 games dating back to March 4 at FIU, and that ranks as the fifth-longest in UCF history. With a hit in his next game he would move into a four-way tie for second. During this stretch, Brown has gone 24-for-65 for a .369 average.
Meanwhile, Colin Arnold holds a 10-game streak going back to March 17 vs. Army, which is four games shy of his career-long performance set last year. The senior outfielder has hit .366 with eight runs scored and four doubles over the course of his streak.
Rock On
UCF reached the 30 home run mark when Beau Taylor launched a three-run blast vs. Southern Miss March 28. A total of eight different Knights have hit at least two dingers this year, led by Brandon Romans' eight and Kiko Vazquez's five. With 30 homers only 27 games into the season, this year's squad already has eclipsed (or approaching) season totals from recent years:
2009 - 30 in 27 Games Played
2008 - 42 in 58 GP
2007 - 25 in 59 GP
2006 - 31 in 56 GP
2005 - 63 in 60 GP
2004 - 27 in 65 GP
2003 - 21 in 56 GP
2002 - 30 in 63 GP
King of Pain
Senior Caleb Graham made Southern Miss hitters look terrified to step in the box March 27. The righty was perfect through three innings and went on to post six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. Though he did not earn a decision, it was the third time in four starts he tossed at least 5.0 frames.
Graham also went 5.2 innings with four strikeouts and no walks vs. Monmouth March 8, and 5.2 stanzas against Hartford March 14 where he fanned eight and walked only one.
Knights + the Mechanics
Although the Knights lost to Jacksonville March 24, the UCF bullpen finished the final 8.2 innings by surrendering only two earned runs and striking out nine. Evan Stobbs had a career-long 5.0 inning-outing, while Cory Weech, Matt Goodyear and Justin Weiss went the final 3.2 frames with only two hits against and no walks.
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 - .347 BA, 22 GS, 14 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. From March 18-22, Romans posted a home run in three of four games.