ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team will play host to rival South Florida this weekend, in another edition of the War on I-4. Although the Knights have already secured the overall rivalry, The American's regular-season baseball title will be on the line at the UCF Baseball Complex.
Currently, both teams join Houston in a three-way tie for first place in The American at 13-8. The Cougars head host Cincinnati this weekend, with the outcomes of these two series determining a champion. UConn is also in the mix, just a game back but owning the tie breaker over South Florida.
"If they would have told us in January, here is the situation you're going to be in, we all would've raised our hands and said we'd take it," UCF head coach Greg Lovelady said. "It's exciting, these are the types of weekends that these kids will talk about for the rest of their lives."
The Scenarios
UCF wins The American with:
- A three-game sweep of South Florida
- Winning 2/3 against South Florida combined with at least one Houston loss.
Houston wins The American with:
- A sweep of Cincinnati combined with neither team sweeping the UCF vs. USF series
South Florida wins The American with:
- A three-game sweep of UCF
- Winning 2/3 against UCF combined with at least one Houston loss.
UConn wins the American with:
- A sweep over ECU combined with South Florida taking 2/3 from UCF
The last time the Knights won a regular-season title was 2004 when the team was a part of the A-SUN. The Black and Gold have already compiled the most wins since 2012 in coach Lovelady's first season, and are looking to make their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2012.
Both UCF and South Florida finished last in conference play a year ago, with matching records of 8-16. The Knights were 26-33 overall while the Bulls went 24-33.
The Bulls got the best of the Knights earlier in the season, sweeping three games in Tampa that included two walk-off winners. Last weekend, UCF took two games in Cincinnati while South Florida dropped two on the road to UConn. Both teams dropped road games on Tuesday in their final midweek contests of the regular season.
UCF pitching leads the conference and is 6th in the nation with a 2.84 ERA while the Knights offense has produced the most runs in The American with 344. The Black and Gold also have the most stolen bases in the conference with 97, a mark good enough for ninth in the country.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with Marc Daniels on the call on UCFKnights.TV, iHeartRadio and FM 96.9 The Game. Saturday's finale is slated for a 1:06 p.m. start and will air on CBS Sports Network. Fans can also click here to follow along via live stats all weekend long.
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