ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The War On I-4 series for the UCF baseball team is finally here. This weekend, the Knights will travel to Tampa for a three-game set against USF in a series that has American Athletic Conference, RPI and rivalry implications.
The Black and Gold and the Bulls will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday night, 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Marc Daniels will have the call on 96.9 FM/740 AM The Game on Friday and Sunday.
The Knights (26-12, 6-6) enter the weekend in a tie for sixth in The American, just two games out of first. Meanwhile, the Bulls (24-13, 7-5) are tied for second in the league.
Tyler Osik was named The American Player of the Week after a 13-RBI performance over four games with a trio of home runs. He and Rylan Thomas continue to battle for the team lead in RBI with 45 and 44, respectively. Both tallies rank in the top-20 nationally.
On the mound, UCF starters have a staff ERA of 3.12. The hurlers have struck out an impressive 197 batters, while issuing just 73 walks this season. Chris Williams, who will go to the mound for the black and Gold on Saturday, ranks fourth in The American with a 1.87 ERA over seven starts.
USF has won its last three games coming into the weekend series, including the last two on the road at then-No. 7 ECU. The Bulls' pitching staff is headlined by redshirt sophomore Shane McClanahan, one of the top prospects in the college game. The lefty is 4-2 on the season with a 3.20 ERA and 104 strikeouts. David Villar has had a solid season for USF at the plate with a .385 clip and 38 RBI.
THE WAR ON I-4
UCF clinched its second straight War On I-4 series earlier in the week when the UCF women's golf team finished above USF at the American Athletic Conference Championship. Heading into this weekend, UCF leads USF 42-21 with 21 points up for grabs the rest of the year. The tie-breaker is the Graduation Success Rate, which is announced by NCAA each year.
GAME INFO
GAME 39 | UCF at USF
Friday, April 20 | 7 p.m.
Watch: Bullsvision | Listen: 96.9 FM/740 AM
Cre Finfrock (RHP, 3-0, 4.37 ERA) vs. Shane McClanahan (LHP, 4-4, 3.22 ERA)
GAME 40 | UCF at USF
Saturday, April 21 | 6:30 p.m.
Watch: Bullsvision
Chris Williams (RHP, 4-1, 1.87 ERA) vs. Peter Strzelecki (RHP, 6-2, 2.67 ERA)
GAME 41 | UCF at USF
Sunday, April 22 | 1 p.m.
Watch: Bullsvision | Listen: 96.9 FM/740 AM
JJ Montgomery (RHP, 3-2, 3.14 ERA) vs. Collin Sullivan (RHP, 1-0, 4.28 ERA)
NOTES TO KNOW
• The Knights trail the Bulls 69-65 in the all-time series.
• The Black and Gold clinched the 2017 American Regular Season Championship against USF in the final game of the regular season.
• Rylan Thomas' on-base streak is up to 46 games, which is the second longest active streak in the nation.
• Cre Finfrock will make his third start of the year. His last outing was at Miami on April 11, in which he threw five hitless innings with seven strikeouts.
• Matthew Mika is fifth in the nation in stolen bases with 23.
• The Black and Gold continue to lead the country with eight shutouts this season.
• The pitching staff is striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings, good for ninth in the country.
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).
