ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team is set to open fall practice this afternoon at the UCF Baseball Complex with 16 returners and 20 newcomers. Practices are open to the public throughout September and October, leading up to the Black and Gold series Nov. 2-4.
Last season, the Black and Gold went 40-22 in their first season under head coach Greg Lovelady and won the first American Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship in program history. UCF earned its first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2012.
The 2017 campaign featured a host of AAC awards. Lovelady was named the Coach of the Year and Rylan Thomas garnered Rookie Position Player of the Year honors from the conference. Bryce Tucker was also named Second Team All-AAC. Thomas and Joe Sheridan were named Freshman All-American, while Tucker spent the summer on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
Thomas, Matthew Mika and Logan Heiser headline the returning position players. Mika was 25-of-27 on stolen bases last season, and Thomas set the freshman record for home runs with 14.
After posting a 3.00 ERA as a staff, good for fifth in the nation last season, Sheridan and Chris William return from the starting rotation. Tucker, Eric Hepple and Thad Ward will once again emerge from the bullpen in 2018.
Facing the difficult task of replacing 19 members of last year's squad, the 2017 recruiting class of nine pitchers and 11 position players was ranked 16th in the country by Collegiate Baseball. Pitcher Jordan Spicer and outfielder Dalton Wingo were 144th and 461st on the Baseball American BA500, respectively.
Below is the schedule for fall practices. Dates and times are subject to change. Practices on Tuesday-Friday will run from 2:30 to around 5 p.m., and Saturday practices will start between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
FALL SCHEDULE
| Friday, Sept. 22 | Saturday, Sept. 23 | Tuesday, Sept. 26 |
| Wednesday, Sept. 27 | Thursday, Sept. 28 | Friday, Sept. 29 |
| Sunday, Oct. 1 | Tuesday, Oct. 3 | Wednesday, Oct. 4 |
| Sunday, Oct. 8 | Tuesday, Oct. 10 | Wednesday, Oct. 11 |
| Thursday, Oct. 12 | Friday, Oct. 13 | Sunday, Oct. 15 |
| Tuesday, Oct. 17 | Wednesday, Oct. 18 | Thursday, Oct. 19 |
| Friday, Oct. 20 | Saturday, Oct. 21 | Tuesday, Oct. 24 |
| Wednesday, Oct. 25 | Thursday, Oct. 26 | Friday, Oct. 27 |
| Saturday, Oct. 28 | Sunday, Oct. 29 | Wednesday, Oct. 31 |
| Thursday, Nov. 2 | Friday, Nov. 3 | Saturday, Nov. 4 |
JOHN EULIANO PARK EXPANSION
The UCF Baseball Complex is getting a facelift. The new John Euliano Park is on the way and club seats are available now. Fans can call (407) 823-1000 or Click Here for information, to purchase tickets, or make a donation.
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