March 28, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Boasting an 18-6 record after taking two of three games at Rice to open the Conference USA schedule, the UCF baseball team climbed into the top 25 this week. The Knights were ranked No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, marking their first ranking since reaching as high as No. 16 in 2008.
Entering the national polls is nothing new to UCF programs this year. Below is a breakdown of how high six teams have reached in the rankings during the 2010-11 season:
UCF Programs Nationally Ranked This Season
Baseball - No. 23
Men's Basketball - No. 19/18
Football - No. 21/20
Men's Soccer - No. 18
Women's Soccer - No. 18
Indoor Track and Field - No. 8
The baseball program's highest ranking in its history was when it was No. 7 during the 2001 campaign.
This season, UCF has three wins over ranked teams with two over No. 23 Rice and another against No. 29 Alabama. The Knights played four games against ranked programs last week, and in the process posted a 2-2 record.
Based on the current polls, UCF is in a stretch where it plays 13-straight games against ranked opponents. This week, the Knights have a home-and-home with No. 20 Stetson before taking on No. 20 Southern Miss in the C-USA home opener.
Following this week's five-game journey, UCF travels to No. 3 Florida April 5 and then hosts No. 27 Tulane April 8-10.
That two-game series with Stetson kicks off in Orlando Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. while the Knights make the return trip to DeLand Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The last time UCF and Stetson battled one another as ranked teams was when the No. 12 Knights swept the No. 8 Hatters in DeLand in an Atlantic Sun series in 2001.
Tuesday's game will be the annual Pink at the Park day where UCF is working with the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Young Survivors Coalition of Orlando to help spread awareness of breast cancer. A representative of Susan G. Komen will be on hand with information on how to become a supporter of the foundation, while the first 250 fans will receive a free pink T-shirt.