ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – New season. New coach. New mentality.
The buzz at the ballpark on Opening Knight was all cheers as the Greg Lovelady era of UCF Baseball started with a 10-run first inning, sparked by senior Eli Putnam driving the second pitch of the game over the fence in left field. The Knights capped the historic game with a 17-6 win.
Through the first four games, a new identity has been established for the program. The Knights offense compiled a .344 average and 30 runs, while the pitching staff posted to a 2.00 ERA, holding their opponents off the scoreboard, and tallied 51 strikeouts.
A total of 5,359 Knight fans filled the UCF Baseball Complex throughout the weekend to see the dawn of the new era, which ended up being the fifth-highest attended series.
Following the Siena sweep, fans were excited to come watch Tuesday's game against UNF where the Knights recorded their fourth-consecutive victory, 3-2.
The lively atmosphere and newly found motivation within the team is credited to the coaching style of Coach Lovelady.
"I try to allow them to play as free as they possibly can. Not be scared or nervous of the moment," said Lovelady. "I think that when you do that it allows them to grow and be better."
Lovelady has changed the player's lifestyle and nutrition, too, which has them developing a positive mindset by believing in themselves.
"The culture allows them to play free, be themselves and have fun," said Lovelady. "I think that's the most important thing and when you do that the wins take care of themselves."
The mental game is one of the biggest insights that Lovelady preaches to the team.
"That is Lovelady's first thing: a mental game," said senior Juan Pimentel. "Situations when you need to have it the most like when the physical stuff isn't there. That is when the mental stuff comes into play."
Another thing Lovelady does to help keep a fresh mentality through the grind of a 56-game regular season is to pick a word and write it under the lid of his cap. This year, his word is patience.
"I pick a new word every year to live by and just pray a lot about it. I started doing it when I first started coaching to remind myself of our mission, what I'm trying to do as a coach and to make sure I keep myself in check," said Lovelady. "I need to remind myself that they're still learning and getting used to the new staff, the new way of life. I just want to remind myself to be patient."
Putnam, who has blasted two homers, drove in five runs and notched a hit in all four games, said that Lovelady's process is really influential for the team.
"Everyone loves Coach Lovelady. We're rallying behind him and he's really brought us all closer together," said Putnam. "We're really trusting him and what he believes in."
The Lovelady era continues on Friday at 6:30 p.m. when the Knights take on Manhattan. The series against the Jaspers will continue Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at noon.