June 6, 2011
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Whereas some coaches talk of five-year plans, long-term rebuilding projects and needing interminable patience, UCF's Terry Rooney differs dramatically. From the very first day that Rooney took the UCF baseball job almost three years ago, he has preached that the goal for the program is to get to the College World Series and compete for a national championship.
That goal hasn't changed and Rooney certainly hasn't shied away from the expectations of the program one bit. And that has certainly endeared him to UCF Athletics Director Keith Tribble, who demands excellence from UCF's teams on and off the field.
``I like that coach Rooney has high expectations because at the end of the day it's about accountability and responsibility,'' Tribble said on Sunday following UCF's run in the NCAA Regional Tournament. ``Terry understands that the goal is to graduate student-athletes and win championships. At the end of the day, he's going to recruit those types of kids and he's going to get the best out of them. I'm just so proud of what they have accomplished, and I'm looking forward to more.''
So is UCF's baseball program after it advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time since 2004 this season. The Knights defeated Bethune-Cookman, but were hard-luck losers to Alabama twice in the tournament. The Knights got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning of the first loss, and fell victim to some poor defense in Sunday's season-ending defeat.
But Rooney was unbowed by the defeat, focusing more on the positive steps taken this season than Sunday's disappointing finish. UCF made a triumphant return to the national spotlight this season, sweeping highly touted Florida and defeating eight nationally ranked teams during the regular season. The Knights had their highest finish ever in Conference USA play and came within one win of playing for a league championship. And by putting up a strong fight in the NCAA Tournament, the Knights proved that they will be a team that will have to be reckoned with for years to come.
``The credit goes to all of these kids. This group of kids did it,'' Rooney said. ``Our goal from the very first day was to put UCF baseball back in the NCAAs and these kids did it. We talked about when we got here to Tallahassee to enjoy the experience, but we came here to win. The next step now is to get back here and put ourselves in a position to win this regional.
``As a program we certainly made great strides this season,'' UCF's manager continued. ``The coaching staff and the support staff and these kids deserve credit for that because these guys played their hearts out the entire year. I think it sends quite a message that UCF is back and the credit belongs to these players.''
UCF junior catcher Beau Taylor, one of the stalwarts in the middle of the lineup all season, said the trip to the NCAA Regionals raised the bar for the program and the Knights will hit next season with expectations fully set on doing some major damage in the NCAA Tournament.
``Getting here to the NCAAs, this helps a lot. There are a lot of expectations for next year's team,'' said Taylor, who had four hits, a triple, a double and a RBI in the tournament. ``We know we can do it and it's about getting back to regionals and pushing harder to get to the Super Regionals and Omaha.''
The Knights are able to talk boldly about being ``On the Road to Omaha'' - one of the slogans that Rooney adopted upon taking over at UCF - because of their depth of talent. Rooney stockpiled talent by nabbing consecutive Top 20 recruiting classes, and it showed on the field this season with the way the Knights competed against some of the top teams in the country. UCF defeated three of the nation's top eight seeds and beat eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Tribble said it's easy to see that the talent level and competitiveness of UCF's program has climbed dramatically because of Rooney's hard-driving ways and refusal to settle for second best.
``You have to have great student-athletes and Terry has had a couple of really great recruiting classes. It's helped out the performance of the team and I think that will continue to happen,'' Tribble said. ``And you know Terry isn't going to rest until he gets to Omaha. So we're excited to have him and we have to do some things to do in terms of stadium improvement and the expansion, which we are working on.''
Rooney has pushed hard for the expansion of Jay Bergman Field, something that will allow the Knights to play before larger crowds, potentially host NCAA Regional Tournaments and, of course, impress recruits. Phase I is expected to begin later this year, and the hope eventually is to add more fixed stadium seating, new metal bench seating with chairbacks, new restrooms, new concessions and an improved canopy for more shading.
Tribble, who attended UCF's games in the C-USA tournament and the NCAA Regionals, said there's a distinct feel of positive momentum on UCF's side. Competing with some of the best programs in the country and reaching the NCAA tournament were noteworthy strides this season, and now Tribble is excited to see more progress in the near future.
``I think we've taken a big step. Terry's goal from the start was to bring baseball back at UCF and get us in championship mode again, and he's obviously taken great strides toward doing that,'' Tribble said. ``So I think the future is bright for our baseball program and I couldn't be prouder of the team for having a great season.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.