Jan. 14, 2010
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF baseball alums Mike Maroth and Justin Pope both recently rejoined major league organizations as teams get ready for Spring Training. Maroth was extended an invitation to join the Minnesota Twins as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, while Pope agreed to join the Class A Staten Island Yankees as a coach.
Maroth served as one of UCF's best southpaws in school history from 1996-98 and went on to be selected by the Boston Red Sox in the third round in 1998. After being traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1999, he made his MLB debut in 2002 and appeared in 147 games for the Tigers from 2002-07 and 14 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007. Maroth holds a 5.05 ERA and a 50-67 career record.
The lefty suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to miss all of 2008 before spending time in the Toronto Blue Jays camp last spring.
Maroth was 9-7 for the Knights with a 3.92 ERA, serving mostly as a reliever until making 10 starts in 1998. He sat down 143 on strikes in 160.2 lifetime innings in a UCF uniform.
One of four UCF players to be drafted in the first round, Pope was plucked by the Cardinals in 2001, as he joined Jason Arnold, a New York Yankees second-round pick that same year, as one of the most dominating 1-2 punches in college baseball. Pope, a member of the Black and Gold from 1999-01, holds UCF's career records with 32 wins and 335 strikeouts (Arnold had 30 wins and 330 strikeouts from 1998-01).
Pope pitched in the minor leagues for seven seasons, rising to the Triple-A level on two occasions and wrapping up his playing career with a 32-23 record, a 3.06 ERA and 415 strikeouts in 532.0 innings.
In 2009, Pope worked as a coach with Staten Island manager Josh Paul in the New York Yankees extended Spring Training.
UCF season tickets for the 2010 campaign are already on sale. The Knights will play 36 games at home this year, and reserved chairbacks are just $199, while reserved bleachers seats are only $150. Faculty/staff, youth and senior season tickets are $99. To purchase tickets, call 407-823-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com.
Tickets for Baseball Knight Fest Jan. 30 are on sale as well. The event is free to everyone who wish to meet the team and get autographs, but for just $5 a ticket fans will be able to grab a ballpark meal and be eligible for prizes. Opening day is set for Friday, Feb. 19, against Savannah State.
And for the latest news on the Knights, log on to 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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures, and become a follow of the Knights at Twitter.com.