ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The No. 25 UCF baseball team will travel to Memphis for its first weekend series away from home in the 2018 season. The Knights and the Tigers will square off for three games at FedExPark, starting on Thursday.
First pitch on Thursday and Friday is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET) with a 12:30 p.m. (ET) start time on Sunday. Marc Daniels will have the call on 96.9 FM/740 AM The Game on Friday and will have an internet audio broadcast on Saturday.
The Knights (18-8, 1-2) have had some success against the Tigers with seven wins over the last 10 meetings. UCF took two of three in Orlando last season. Joe Sheridan set his career high with nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in the series finale.
UCF is looking to bounce back from a rough 1-4 week against No. 8 Florida State and No. 18 ECU. The Black and Gold opened American Athletic Conference action with a 9-1 win against the Pirates, but could not find a way to clinch the series.
Rylan Thomas continued his mammoth season over the last week. The sophomore has recorded a hit in 10 of his last 11 games and has reached in every game in 2018 to take his on-base streak to 34 games. Thomas is among the national leaders at the dish. He ranks in the top-10 in the nation in RBI, batting average, hits, runs, total bases, and on-base percentage.
Sheridan, Chris Williams and JJ Montgomery will feature in the weekend rotation for the second straight series. Williams has climbed up to 11th in the country with an 0.97 ERA, and Sheridan is 8-2 over his last 11 starts. Montgomery leads the team with 38 strikeouts.
UCF will go up against a Memphis (8-17, 0-3) squad that has dropped its last four games, including an 8-7 decision to No. 5 Arkansas on Tuesday night. Tyler Webb sits in seventh in The American with 31 hits and second in doubles. Sunday starter Jonathan Bowlan has fanned 41 batters this season, good for fifth in the league.
GAME INFO
GAME 27 | No. 25 UCF at Memphis
Thursday, March 29 | 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Watch: Memphis Tigers Network
Joe Sheridan (LHP, 3-1, 1.60 ERA) vs. Alex Hicks (RHP, 2-4, 6.59 ERA)
GAME 28 | No. 25 UCF at Memphis
Friday, March 30 | 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Watch: Memphis Tigers Network | Listen: 96.9 FM/740 AM The Game
Chris Williams (RHP, 3-0, 0.97 ERA) vs. Riley Cabral (RHP, 3-3, 3.58 ERA)
GAME 29 | No. 25 UCF at Memphis
Saturday, March 31 | 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Watch: Memphis Tigers Network | Listen: UCF Stretch Internet
JJ Montgomery – (RHP, 3-1, 3.21 ERA) vs. Jonathan Bowlan (RHP, 0-4, 3.09 ERA)
NOTES TO KNOW
• Memphis holds a 21-18 advantage over the Knights.
• Matthew Mika swiped his 15th and 16th bases of the year last week, nine shy of his career-high 25 in 2017.
• UCF has brought in 65 runs this season with two outs.
• The Knights have earned more than 150 free passes this season with 119 walks and 34 hit by pitches.
• Chandler Robertson enters the weekend with a career-best five-game hitting streak.
• Thomas had a nine-game hitting streak after the series opener against ECU, during which he hit .613 with 13 RBI, three homers and a 1.032 slugging percentage.
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