ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – With a little less than a month before the start of the 2018 season, the UCF baseball team was ranked 26th in the first Perfect Game poll of the season.
The Knights are coming off a 40-22 record in 2017 and the American Athletic Conference Championship for the regular season. The Black and Gold earned a spot in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional as a No. 2 seed.
Heading into 2018, UCF boasts an incredibly deep pitching staff. Freshman All-American Joe Sheridan, Preseason All-American Bryce Tucker and Chris Williams lead a stacked returning core back to the field, while newcomers JJ Montgomery and Jordan Spicer will look to make an instant impact for the Knights.
At the plate, UCF will have key returners in Matthew Mika and Rylan Thomas. Freshman All-American and the American Rookie Position Player of the Year Thomas was touted as The American Preseason Player of the Year, and Mika also received preseason All-Conference honors.
The Knights will have 19 new faces for the season opener. The 2017 recruiting class was ranked 16th by Collegiate Baseball.
UCF opens the 2018 campaign on Feb. 16 against Virginia at John Euliano Park.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Baseball on social media on Facebook (/UCF.Baseball), Twitter (UCF_Baseball) and Instagram (UCF.Baseball).