March 14, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF's 13-game homestand continues when it hosts in-state rival USF Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on Bright House Sports Network with David Baumann and four-time MLB All-Star Dante Bichette on the call. It also will air on 740-AM The Game.
Schedule:
Tuesday vs. South Florida - Orlando, Fla. - 6:30 p.m.
Records:
USF - 6-9 Overall, 0-0 Big East
UCF - 13-3 Overall, 0-0 C-USA
Stadium:
Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Series:
USF leads, 55-51
Live Coverage:
UCFAthletics.com and Twitter.com/UCF_Baseball
Television:
Bright House Sports Network - David Baumann and Dante Bichette on the call
Radio:
740-AM - Marc Daniels on the call
Tuesday's Events
-Women's basketball coach Joi Williams will throw out the first pitch and the entire team will be honored pregame as they get ready for the NCAA Tournament this weekend.
-UCF students always get in free to games with a valid ID, and the first 50 students will receive a free ticket to the men's basketball game Wednesday at 8 p.m. as the Knights take on St. Bonaventure in the CBI.
-$2 Tuesday - Popcorn is just $2.
Upcoming Opponent
-South Florida carries a 6-9 record with four of those losses coming at the hands of Florida.
-The Bulls went 1-4 last week with a win over Evansville.
-The offense is hitting .245 with Sam Mende (.345) and Todd Brazeal (.333) each over the .300 mark.
-Starting pitcher Matt Reed owns a 0-1 record with a 3.18 ERA in four total appearances.
The Series
-UCF has faced USF every season since moving to the Divison I ranks in 1985.
-The two teams split a pair of midweek games last year with the road team winning each time, and the Bulls own a 55-51 lead in the all-time series.
The Brian Adkins File
-As a freshman in 2010, Brian Adkins started against Florida, Miami and Tulane. But he also got the starting nod vs. USF in Orlando March 16. The Knights lost 4-0, but Adkins went 7.0 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and striking out five.
-This season, the sophomore has a 3-0 record with a 1.12 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16.0 innings of work. He also has yet to walk a batter, and limited Boston College to two hits in 7.0 innings in his previous start.
Runs Are Tough to Come By Against UCF
-For the year, UCF has outscored its opponents 141-42. And in the last five games, the Knights have held the opposition to just eight runs.
-The staff ERA stands at 2.30 as batters are hitting just .225 against the UCF arms.
Is It the Ninth Inning Already?
-Four of the last five games have lasted just 2:20 or less. That includes the 2-1 win over Wagner March 13 where Ray Hanson tossed a complete-game in just 1:58.
-The last nine-inning contest to finish in under two hours was April 16, 2004, when Matt Fox, who currently has a 1.80 ERA in Spring Training for the Boston Red Sox, defeated Belmont 3-0 on a two-hitter.
-UCF's average game time this year is 2:39.
A Busy Week
-Junior Ray Hanson started twice during a five-game week March 8-13, and put together two impressive outings.
-The righty went a combined 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA against Mount St. Mary's and Wagner, totaling 16.0 innings, eight strikeouts, one run, one walk and nine hits against.
-In the complete-game win over Wagner, Hanson didn't let a runner reach second base in the final eight innings.
He's Here To Stay
-Not in the weekend rotation for the 2011 opener vs. Siena, freshman Ben Lively has found a permanent home as a weekend starter very quickly.
-Taking down Alabama Feb. 27, Lively has since produced a 3-0 record with a 0.43 ERA. He also has struck out 17 in 21.0 innings of work.
-Lively became the first Knight since Mitch Herold in 2008 to toss a nine-inning complete game and the first freshman since Mitch Houck in 2006 to record a complete game when he took down Wagner, 5-1, March 12.
-In that victory over the Seahawks, Lively gave up just one run on four hits, issued no walks and struck out 10 for the win.
A Pretty Good Duo
-Going off the notes on Lively and Hanson in their starts March 12-13, respectively, the duo became the first UCF pitchers to record back-to-back complete games since 2006.
Fundamentals
-Hitting and pitching have been huge for the Knights this year, but the defense also has stepped up.
-UCF boasts a .982 fielding percentage and is averaging less than one error per game. Meanwhile, opponents are averaging over 2.1 errors per contest.