ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – As the UCF baseball team continues its preparations for the 2018 American Athletic Conference Tournament, presented by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, six Knights were named to league's all-conference teams on Monday.
Junior Thad Ward and sophomore Rylan Thomas headed the honorees with a pair of first team selections.
The six honorees were the second most for the Knights since joining The American. UCF put seven players on all-conference squads in 2014.
FIRST TEAM: Thad Ward (Relief Pitcher), Rylan Thomas (First Base)
SECOND TEAM: Matthew Mika (Second Base), Ray Alejo (Center Field), Tyler Osik (Left Field), Dallas Beaver (Utility)
Thomas appeared on his second-straight all-conference team. The American's Preseason Player of the Year hit .348 on the year with 54 RBI. The powerful first baseman launched 13 home runs and posted a .594 slugging percentage. Thomas reached base safely in the first 47 games of the regular season to set UCF's single-season record for on-base streak.
The Winter Garden, Fla., native led The American in RBI, and ranked third in the league in hits, fifth in runs scored, fourth in total bases, fifth in walks, fourth in on-base percentage and sixth in slugging percentage.
"With all the pressure of being the preseason player of the year and coming back from a great season last year, it's even more impressive to see what he's been able to do as a sophomore," head coach Greg Lovelady said. "I'm proud of how he's shown up every day and guided our offense. We needed someone to step up and have that kind of consistency, and he did it."
After making five starts near the beginning of the year, Ward became the near automatic call out of the bullpen for a long relief appearance. The tall righty made 16 appearances out of the bullpen for a team-high 38 innings of work with an ERA of 2.13. He finished the regular season with 50 strikeouts in relief.
The Fort Myers, Fla., native stepped it up late in the season with a pair of long outings out of the bullpen. He picked up his fifth win of the year at then-No. 19 Houston, collecting seven strikeouts with just one hit allowed in a four-inning performance. A week later, Ward threw six hitless innings in relief with eight punchouts against No. 26 Oklahoma.
"Over the last half of the year, Thad was lights out," Lovelady added. "We brought him in a bunch of high-leverage situations, and he was able to throw multiple innings and shut down the other team's offense. He gave us a lot of chances to win games, regardless if we were leading or trailing. In the second half of the season, he got us out of a few situations with the bases loaded. I'm really impressed by what he's turned into over the last few months."
Speedsters Matthew Mika and Ray Alejo made an appearance on The American's Second Team. The duo combined for 60 stolen bases during the regular season, the most for a pairing in the nation.
Mika garnered second team honors for the second consecutive season. The junior wreaked havoc on the base paths with 27 stolen bases. The Lake Worth, Fla., native had a career season with a .282 clip at the plate and 29 RBI.
Alejo led the league in swipes with 33 during his first campaign in Orlando. The sophomore stole four bases in the series finale at Houston, the most for a Knight since 2007. Alejo has also stolen home twice in 2018. The Orlando native was a .301 hitter during the regular season and recorded a team-high three triples.
"Mika and Ray are both table setters," Lovelady said. "They're able to put themselves in a scoring position and put pressure on the other pitcher. It's great to know that when those guys get on base we don't have to put multiple hits together to score runs. They give us the opportunity to score runs. Defensively, they're two of the best players I've seen in their positions. Ray has erased countless runs because of his range, which is pretty special since he's a first-time outfielder. Mika is just the consistent leader at second base that we needed."
Dallas Beaver garnered second team honors as a utility player. The sophomore made 24 starts as the designated hitter, 20 at catcher and 10 at third base. Beaver hit .281 with six home runs and 30 RBI. His 17-game on-base streak is the second longest by a Knight this year.
Tyler Osik rounded out the second team honorees as an outfield selection. The Shoreham, N.Y., native is tied with Thomas for The American lead in RBI with 54. The redshirt junior posted a .307 clip at the plate and a .490 slugging percentage. Osik has 16 extra-base hits during his first year at UCF, including nine home runs. He has come up big late in games with three walk-off hits this season. His six-RBI outing against Siena on March 11 tied the single-game high in The American this season.
"At the start of the season, we needed more guys at the top of the order to step up," Lovelady continued. "Beaver made some huge strides to develop into a consistent bat in our lineup after a freshman year when he didn't have a lot of at-bats. After not playing baseball last year, Osik proved that he could play at this level. He gives Rylan a ton of protection, and he allowed for our lineup to be much more dynamic."
SCHEDULE CHANGE
The six all-conference selections and the rest of the UCF baseball team will open its American Athletic Conference Tournament, presented by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater on Tuesday morning. Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the No. 5 seeded Knights will square off with the No. 4 seed ECU with a first pitch at 9 a.m. at Spectrum Field.
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