Feb. 27, 2012
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By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The No. 19 UCF baseball team will play five games in six days starting Tuesday night when it welcomes in-state rival USF to the UCF baseball complex beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Knights (5-2) will then travel to Daytona Beach for the first of two meetings with Bethune-Cookman Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Tuesday night's 109th meeting with the Bulls (4-3) will also serve as "Dollar Dog Knight" as hot dogs inside the ballpark will be sold for just one dollar.
Fresh off its series victory over Boston College that included a two-run walk-off single by junior shortstop Darnell Sweeney (Miramar, Fla.) on Sunday, UCF will tango with two of its most familiar opponents in school history.
USF arrives in Orlando with a 56-52 all-time series lead with the two teams splitting the season series at 1-1 the past two seasons. Junior D.J. Hicks (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) will start for the Knights in his first pitching appearance of the year. The Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year will be making his third-career start, and first since March 1, 2009 at LSU. In 2011, Hicks pitched 12.1 innings with a 2-1 record.
Wednesday's game at B-CU will feature two lefties as junior Brian Adkins will faceoff against Bryan Rivera. Adkins, who's made two weekend starts in 2012, went 3.0 innings of one-hit ball against the Wildcats in Daytona last year. Rivera enters the game with a 5.79 ERA in three relief appearances. UCF currently owns a 69-14 all-time lead in the series.
In the Polls: The Knights continue to stand firm in the Baseball America rankings, holding down the No. 19 spot for a second-straight week. UCF also moved up in the Perfect Game USA rankings two spots to No. 24 as well as appearing at No. 26 in the latest NCBWA poll.