ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team is headed to Gainesville Tuesday, to take on the No. 2 Gators in a midweek home-and-home series. After playing seven-consecutive home games to start the season, the matchup at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium will be the Knights first road test this year.
The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. each day with game two returning to Orlando Wednesday, at the UCF Baseball Complex. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here or calling 407-UCF-1000.
"It's going to be a good challenge for us," UCF head coach Greg Lovelady said. "It will be a good chance for us to grade ourselves out against one of the best teams in the entire country. Just like every other game, we will see what we do well and what we need to work on."
The 7-0 Knights swept their opening series against Siena, beat North Florida in a midweek match and swept Manhattan in three games over the weekend. The squad has posted 53 runs on 66 hits and stolen 14-16 bases, all while batting .342 as a team.
Seniors Eli Putnam and Luke Hamblin are each riding seven-game hitting streaks. Putnam began the season with a lead-off home run while Hamblin is hitting .500 and leads the team with two triples.
Senior infielder Ryan Crile has also been clutch at the plate, driving in a team-best 10 RBIs including a three-run home run on opening night against Siena. Junior outfielder Bryce Peterson hit his first long-ball in game two versus Manhattan, launching a grand slam over the right-center field wall in the second inning.
On the mound, the Knights staff has combined for a 1.71 ERA including 79 strikeouts to just 11 walks. Senior starters Robby Howell and Juan Pimentel are both 2-0 on the season while sophomore Bryce Tucker is 2-2 in save opportunities. Tucker struck out the side in both saves and has seven-total strikeouts after facing just 10 hitters in three innings of work.
Junior Jordan Scheftz, sophomore Thaddeus Ward, and freshman Joe Sheridan and Rylan Thomas have been key in the middle innings. The four have combined for 19 strikeouts and just one walk while giving up just two runs.
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