ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 26 UCF baseball team is back in action this weekend, as it hosts Dartmouth for three games at the UCF Baseball Complex Mar. 24-26. Fans can purchase tickets in advance by clicking here or calling 407-UCF-1000.
The 18-4 Knights are off to their best start since 2011, when the team went 17-5 through its first 22 games. Pitching and base running have been key to the team's success, as the Black and Gold rank among the NCAA's best in both categories.
UCF has the fourth most stolen bases of all NCAA Division 1 teams with 48, and ranks eighth in stolen-bases per game at 2.18. The team has only been caught three times and senior outfielder Luke Hamblin has taken a team-best 10-10 himself.
The Knights pitching staff boasts the NCAA's seventh-best combined ERA of 2.50 and is 12th in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.41. Senior starter Juan Pimentel is among just 11 NCAA hurlers to earn five wins already in 2017, while sophomore closer Bryce Tucker has notched an astonishing 30 strikeouts and five saves through just 14.1 innings of work.
Offensively, the Knights are hitting a combined .296, driving in 159 runs. They have hit 21-total home runs, 37 doubles, 10 triples, and drawn 93 walks.
Senior Robby Howell will take the ball for the home team Friday, with Pimentel going Saturday, and freshman Joe Sheridan slated to start Sunday.
First pitch Friday and Saturday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with Sunday's finale scheduled for noon. Fans who are unable to attend can catch all the action streaming live at UCFKnights.TV or follow along via live stats by clicking here.
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