April 4, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Playing a ranked opponent in its ninth-straight game, UCF travels to Gainesville to face No. 4 Florida Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Knights will start senior Chase Bradford (2-1, 4.40) after he took down No. 20 Stetson last week.
Schedule:
Tuesday vs. No. 4 Florida - Gainesville, Fla. - 7 p.m.
Records:
No. 4 Florida - 24-5 Overall, 7-2 SEC
UCF - 19-9 Overall, 2-4 C-USA
Stadium:
Alfred A. McKethan Stadium (5,500)
Series:
UF leads, 20-12
Live Coverage:
740-AM, UCFAthletics.com and Twitter.com/UCF_Baseball
Upcoming Opponent
-Ranked No. 1 for the majority of 2011, Florida currently carries a No. 4 ranking with a 24-5 record (7-2 SEC).
-The Gators just finished off a home sweep of Tennessee and are 19-3 overall on their home field this year.
-Boasting a team average of .314, UF has six consistent starters batting .305 or better.
-Facing UCF righty Chase Bradford will be Florida lefty Alex Panteliodis who is 2-0 with a 4.00 ERA.
The Series
-Florida is 20-12 in the all-time series with the Knights, including posting a victory in the last three meetings.
-UCF last defeated UF in Gainesville in 2007, a 6-2 decision when Florida was ranked No. 17.
-Last year, the visiting Knight fell behind 7-0 before scoring three two-out runs in the seventh and three runs in the eighth, but left runners in scoring position in each inning as Florida would hold on for the 7-6 win.
RPI Nuggets
-UCF enters the week with a RPI of No. 32 (BoydsWorld.com).
-The Knights battled the No. 2 team in Southern Miss last weekend and will tangle with No. 1 Florida Tuesday.
-A total of 13 of UCF's 25 opponents are currently ranked in the RPI top 80.
-A breakdown of some of the top RPI teams on UCF's schedule:
No. 1 - Florida - April 5 and April 20
No. 2 - Southern Miss - USM swept the series
No. 10 - Florida State - May 6-8
No. 21 - East Carolina - April 15-17
No. 22 - Rice - UCF went 2-1
No. 28 - Alabama - UCF won Feb. 27
No. 30 - Stetson - UCF won March 29 - April 27 at STET
No. 32 - UCF
No. 37 - Miami - UM won March 22
No. 39 - Houston - April 29-May 1
No. 47 - Tulane - April 8-10
No. 52 - SE Louisiana - SLU won Feb. 26
No. 63 - UAB - May 13-15
No. 78 - FAU - April 12 and April 19
-So far UCF has four wins vs. top-80 schools.
More on the Schedule
-Tuesday will be UCF's ninth-straight game against a ranked opponent.
-The Black and Gold is 4-5 vs. ranked teams this season.
-This weekend, UCF will be hosting Tulane in a three-game series and the Green Wave were ranked last week before dropping three games vs. Houston.
A Comparison - Hitting
-A look at the overall batting averages of all C-USA teams from 2010 to 2011 through the second weekend of league play:
School - 2010 - 2011
ECU - .334 - .282
HOU - .287 - .298
MAR - .282 - .255
MEM - .311 - .316
RICE - .296 - .281
USM - .333 - .316
TLN - .312 - .257
UCF - .340 - .307
UAB - .284 - .262
-The only schools which have raised their average are Houston and Memphis.
A Comparison - Pitching
-A look at the overall ERAs of all C-USA teams from 2010 to 2011 through the second weekend of league play:
School - 2010 - 2011
ECU - 4.59 - 1.88
HOU - 5.14 - 4.54
MAR - 5.55 - 4.36
MEM - 5.67 - 3.82
RICE - 4.37 - 3.54
USM - 5.66 - 3.28
TLN - 4.25 - 3.47
UCF - 5.91 - 3.26
UAB - 5.17 - 3.02
-In 2010, the best ERA at this point of the season was from Tulane at 4.25. This season that would rank in the bottom third of the conference.
-Seven schools in 2011 have a team ERA of 3.82 or better.
-ECU (4.59 to 1.88) and UCF (5.91 to 3.26) have improved their ERAs more than any other C-USA program from 2010 to 2011.
Deep Into Games
-UCF starting pitchers have lasted at least 5.0 innings in 18 of 28 games this season.
-Last year in 55 games, the Knights' starters went 5.0 or more just 22 times.
Coming Back Strong
-Missing most of 2010 with an injury, redshirt sophomore D.J. Hicks is rolling at the plate in 2011.
-The two-way player has not had back-to-back games without a hit, and has only had five total games this season where he did not post a hit.
-Hicks leads UCF with a .361 average, six homers and a 1.047 OPS.
-He also has created 27.01 runs in 2011 based on his offensive statistics.
-Hicks paces the Knights in C-USA play with a .391 average.