June 3, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF looks to stay alive in its first NCAA Regional since 2004 when it faces Bethune-Cookman Saturday at noon in an elimination game. The Knights will start junior righty Danny Winkler (3-4, 5.05) on the mound.
Schedule - Tallahassee, Fla.:
Saturday - vs. Bethune-Cookman - 12 p.m.
Records:
No. 4 Seed Bethune-Cookman - 36-24 Overall, 18-0 MEAC
No. 2 Seed UCF - 38-22 Overall, 12-12 C-USA
Stadium:
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium (6,700)
Series:
UCF Leads, 68-14
Live Coverage:
740-AM, UCFAthletics.com and Seminoles.com
Multimedia Notes
-Saturday and Sunday's games will be played at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.
-If game seven is needed, it will be Monday at 6 p.m.
-Every game this weekend is scheduled to air on 740-AM in Orlando with Marc Daniels on the call. Links and live stats will be available at UCFAthletics.com.
-As of Friday night, there will not be live video available for the UCF-Bethune-Cookman game.
-Games on Saturday/Sunday/Monday in which FSU will be playing will be broadcast on Sun Sports or Fox Sports Florida.
-The Knights are 6-1 this year when appearing on TV.
Upcoming Opponent
-Bethune-Cookman took No. 1 seed Florida State to the eighth inning tied at 5-5 Friday before falling to the Seminoles, 6-5. All five of its runs came by way of four homers.
-The Wildcats are 1-23 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
-One of the top catchers in the country, Peter O'Brien launched his 14th home run of the season Friday night for a team that has 57 long balls on the year.
-Bethune-Cookman started Scott Gardner vs. FSU, but Saturday afternoon's starting pitcher has not been announced as of Friday night.
The Series
-UCF and Bethune-Cookman will be meeting for the 83rd time Saturday, but it will be the first game between the two clubs in the NCAA Tournament.
-The Knights hold a 68-14 lead in the series including taking the last seven affairs.
-After thumping B-CU in Daytona Beach, 13-0, Feb. 22, UCF posted an 8-1 win in Orlando May 11 to sweep the regular-season series, as the Knights' pitching staff had a 0.50 ERA.
-Combined in those games, Ryan Breen (.571), Beau Taylor (.556) and Darnell Sweeney (.500) all hit at least .500 against the Wildcats, neither team delivered a home run and UCF did not have an error while B-CU committed five miscues.
Quick Recap of the 5-3 Loss to Alabama
-UCF only allowed Alabama to score single runs in the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
-However the Knights could not get the big hit it needed, as their 2-6 hitters combined to go 1-for-18 vs. the Crimson Tide. They also did not get the leadoff batter on base during the game.
-The No. 1 and No. 9 hitters, Ronnie Richardson and Darnell Sweeney, combined to go 4-for-8 with three RBI, two runs, a double, a triple and a homer.
The Kid from Illinois
-Junior Danny Winkler returned to form April 5 after serving as UCF's Opening Day starting pitcher.
-Since April 5, Winkler has a 3.52 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 46.0 innings, holding opponents to a .256 average.
-The righty has lasted at least 5.0 innings in each of his previous seven appearances with six starts. That was highlighted by a season-high 7.0 innings at Florida State May 8 and 11 strikeouts vs. Houston May 1.
-Winkler is racking up the strikeouts as well. Winkler owns 86 on the year in 76.2 innings, with 16 in his last 10.0 innings.
-The 86 Ks are the most by a UCF pitcher since Tim Bascom registered 90 in 2006.
NCAA History
-In 10 appearances in the NCAA D-I Tournament, the Knights have lost their first game four times.
-Back in 1993, UCF lost to Long Beach State before bouncing back to top South Florida in Tallahassee.
-In Gainesville in 1996, the Black and Gold dropped an 8-7 decision to Massachusetts only to top Bucknell the next day.
-And the 1997 East Regional in Tallahassee is the only time UCF went 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.
Useless Stat of the Day
-Travis Shreve has six sac bunts in day games.
Fundamental Baseball
-UCF did not commit an error in eight-straight games, and in 83.0 innings overall from the second inning at USF May 3 to the sixth inning vs. Marshall May 19.
-UCF owns a .979 fielding percentage, and if the season ended today that would be a single-season record, surpassing the .973 percentage set by the 2001 Knights.
-The Black and Gold has made just three errors in the last 15 outings.