ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Riding the nation's longest winning streak at 12 games, the No. 19 UCF baseball team will play a pair of contests at John Euliano Park in the midweek. The Knights will host Bradley on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and play Miami on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on UCFKnights.tv, while the Miami game can be heard on 96.9 FM/740 AM The Game.
The Knights (13-3) went a perfect 5-0 last week with a pair of wins over No. 1 Florida, as well as a sweep of Siena. UCF took down the top ranked team in the country for the first time in program history last Tuesday with a 9-7 win over the Gators, before the pitching staff tossed a combined four-hitter in a 4-2 victory in Gainesville on Wednesday. The Black and Gold shut out Siena in back-to-back games on the weekend, and completed the sweep with a 10-8 victory on Sunday.
Tyler Osik garnered The American Player of the Week honors. The junior finished the week with 11 RBI and a .421 batting average. Osik drove in four runs on Tuesday against Florida and six runs against Siena in the series finale.
The pitching staff dominated in the weekend series with 37 strikeouts and just four free passes. Garrett Westberg earned the first three saves of his career, including a pair against Florida. Starting pitchers Thad Ward, Chris Williams and Jordan Spicer fanned 23 batters and allowed just one walk.
Bradley is 9-3 this season, including a win over then-No. 29 Georgia Tech. The Braves are led at the plate by Brendan Dougherty's .391 clip, and Derek Bangert tops the team with 15 RBI. On the mound, Bradley has a 4.89 staff ERA with 83 strikeouts and 64 free passes.
Wednesday will be the first of two matchups between UCF and Miami (7-8). Head coach Greg Lovelady will face his old skipper Jim Morris for the first and final time in Orlando. The Hurricanes opened ACC play with a series win against Notre Dame this past weekend.
GAME INFO
GAME 17 | No. 19 UCF (13-3) vs. Bradley (9-3)
Tuesday, March 13 | 6:30 p.m.
Watch: UCFKnights.tv
Jack Sinclair (RHP, 0-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. Mitch Jansen (RHP, 0-4, 12.38)
GAME 18 | No. 19 UCF (13-3) vs. Miami (7-8)
Wednesday, March 14 | 6:30 p.m.
Watch: UCFKnights.tv | Listen: 96.9 FM/740 AM The Game
Joe Sheridan (LHP, 2-0, 0.48 ERA) vs. Michael Mediavilla (LHP, 0-2, 5.19 ERA)
NOTES TO KNOW
• The Knights are 6-4 against the Braves.
• Miami has 28-8 series lead over the Black and Gold.
• UCF appeared in all the major polls, including USA Today Coaches Poll (21), Baseball America (19), Perfect Game (22), Collegiate Baseball (22) and D1 Baseball (23).
• The Knights lead the country with 53 swipes.
• Ray Alejo and Matthew Mika are tied for fourth in the country with 11 stolen bases.
• Rylan Thomas brought in his team-leading 20th run of the season on Sunday.
• The Knights rank eighth in the country in WHIP (1.06) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.8).
• UCF was named the Team of the Week by the NCAA.
DON'T MISS THE ACTION
Season and single-game tickets for UCF Baseball are on sale. Featuring a 36-game home schedule, John Euliano Park is set to host some of the best collegiate baseball in the country. For more information on tickets call 407-823-1000 or log on to ticketmaster.com.
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).