Feb. 23, 2010
By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
Orlando, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - A pair of undefeated teams will clash Wednesday in Gainesville when UCF meets No. 5 Florida at 6:30 p.m. Two freshmen hurlers will make their first collegiate starts as lefty and University High product Brian Adkins goes head-to-head with UF righty Hudson Randall.
Schedule:
Wednesday - Gainesville, Fla. - 6:30 p.m.
Records:
No. 5 Florida - 3-0 Overall, Southeastern
UCF - 3-0 Overall, 0-0 C-USA
Stadium:
Alfred A. McKethan Stadium (5,500)
Series:
UF leads, 19-12
Live Stats:
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Opening Weekend Recap
-Four starters hit at least .500 and the pitching staff posted a 3.00 team ERA as the Knights swept Savannah State in a three-game series to open up 2010.
-Beau Taylor was named C-USA Hitter of the Week thanks to his 8-for-12, two-homer performance, while Chris Duffy (.600), Austin Johnston (.556) and Jonathan Griffin (.500) also had solid weekends.
-Owen Dew and Johnny Sedlock both earned wins in starting roles on the hill, as the staff notched 28 strikeouts compared to 11 walks.
Upcoming Opponent
-Florida is coming off an impressive home sweep of USF, including a ninth-inning comeback in the finale Feb. 21.
-The Gators hit .279 vs. the Bulls, with Matt den Dekker leading the way by going 6-for-13 at the plate.
-Meanwhile the arms had a 2.57 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just six walks. Wednesday starter Hudson Randall made his Division I debut by working 1.1 innings with just one hit against on Feb. 19, throwing 12 of 15 pitches for strikes.
The Series
-UF won both games of a home-and-home with the Knights last season to take a 19-12 series lead.
-UCF's last victory in Gainesville came in a 6-2 decision in 2007.
Facing the Top Five
-UCF faced four different teams ranked in the top five in the previous two seasons combined. And the Knights posted three wins in those games, defeating No. 5 Missouri and No. 4 Rice in 2008, as well as No. 2 Rice a year ago.
That was Then, This is Now
-After not having a left-handed pitcher on staff in 2009, UCF will be starting its third-straight lefty when Brian Adkins takes the hill Wednesday.
-The last time the Knights had three-consecutive southpaws earn starts on the mound came in 2008 when Mitch Houck, Carmine Giardina and Mitch Herold started from April 12-15.
It's Certainly a New Season
-In 2009, UCF collected just 24 stolen bases for the year. But in 2010, the Knights posted five stolen bases in game two alone, all by newcomers (two each from Ronnie Richardson and Kevin Vasquez, one from Darnell Sweeney). That was good for 21 percent of the entire output of `09, all in one contest.
-Last year, it took the Black and Gold 14 games before posting five stolen bases as a team.
Back in the High Life Again
-A year after being named a Freshman All-American, sophomore catcher Beau Taylor picked up where he left off.
-The Rockledge native went 8-for-12 (.667) with five RBI, five runs, two homers, 14 total bases and threw two runners out on the bases.
-His effort helped him earn his first-career Conference USA Hitter of the Week award.
The Heart of the Matter
-UCF's No. 4-7 hitters put on a show vs. Savannah State Feb. 20. Beau Taylor, Jonathan Griffin, Chris Duffy and Kevin Vasquez combined to go 15-for-21 with 12 RBI and 10 runs.
-The quartet also had three homers and four doubles.
Oh So Close
-Senior Chris Duffy fell extremely close to tying or breaking single-game records vs. SSU Feb. 20.
-With seven RBI, 12 total bases and two homers against the Tigers, the left fielder was one shy in each category of matching the all-time UCF records.
Owen Owning the Mound
-From the first strike, it was clear junior Owen Dew would be hard to beat Opening Day vs. Savannah State Feb. 19. The transfer from Tallahassee struck out the first two batters of the season on six pitches, then finished it off by sitting down the side on strikes in the first inning.
-Dew would go on to pitch 5.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and four hits against.