March 21, 2013
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Eric DeSalvo
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Life on the road for the UCF baseball team begins this weekend when the Knights (14-9) travel to Birmingham, Ala., for the opening weekend in Conference USA play at UAB. The three-day slate is set to begin Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EDT, followed by 3 and 1:30 p.m. contests on Saturday and Sunday.
After finishing second in C-USA a year ago at 16-8, just one game behind regular-season winner Rice, the Knights kick off their final season in the league prior to switching conferences on July 1.
The Knights arrive at UAB winners in seven of their last nine games. Junior RHP Ben Lively will look to better his 4-1 record on Friday against the Blazers' (9-11) Sam Kelly (1-0, 3.00 ERA). Lively, a C-USA Second Teamer a year ago, owns a 0.50 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 36 innings of work.
Redshirt senior LHP Chris Matulis (1-0, 4.85 ERA) makes his Saturday debut in 2013, and has appeared in eight games, including a start in which he went six innings at Jacksonville on March 10. He will be opposed by RHP Tanner Bryant (2-1, 2.81) who has started in all five of his 2013 appearances.
Despite a 1-3 record on the road this year, the Knights will look to show their road-warrior mentality from seasons past. In 2012, UCF recorded the nation's best road winning percentage (83%) while putting together a 15-3 record away from Orlando.
Fans can tune in for every pitch of the three-game series by listening on Stretch Internet radio. Each audio broadcast will be free of charge.
Trending Topics: @UCF_Baseball
• The Knights finished 10-2 a year ago in C-USA on the road, the best mark in the league #RoadWarriors
• #UCF has progressively improved each season in league play, going 12-12 in '11 and 16-8 last season #TalkAboutProgress
• With 229-career hits, 3B Chris Taladay surpassed Tyson Auer (2005-08) for 10th on the #UCF all-time hit list #SolidContact
• RHP Ben Lively is 8-1 since April 20, 2012 after back-to-back 11-strikeout performance #SwingAndAMiss
• In that timespan for Lively, he owns a 1.28 ERA in 70.2 innings of work with 70 strikeouts #AceHighFlush
• In the NCAA rankings, Lively's 0.50 is the 10th lowest ERA in the country while RHP Zac Favre ranks sixth at 0.42 #Filthy
• Out of #UCF's nine regular starters, each player has three or more doubles in 2013 #TwoBagsPlease
Ten Voucher packages are now on sale for only $50. Select the games that you want to attend for a discounted price. Voucher packages and single-game tickets can be purchased by calling 407-UCF-1000 or visit the baseball tickets page. Stay up-to-date on all the latest news by visiting UCFAthletics.com and following the team on Twitter (@UCF_Baseball) and Facebook.