ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The 2018 UCF Baseball season has officially come to an end, after the Knights were among the First Four out of the NCAA Tournament when the NCAA Selection Show aired on Monday. The Knights completed the season with a mark of 35-21 overall, and a 13-10 record in The American.
Below are just a few excerpts from the final notes package of the year. For complete notes, click here.
LEADING OFF
• UCF posted its 22nd season with at least 35 wins.
• Greg Lovelady became the fastest coach to 75 wins in program history. He finished the season with 199 career wins.
• The Knights' 13-game winning streak tied for the fifth longest in school history.
• Lovelady has brought discipline to the plate with 258 walks this season, the most since 2005's 301.
AWESOME ARMS
• The UCF pitching staff posted a 3.32 ERA, the eighth sub-3.50 ERA season in school history.
• Pitchers struck out 556 batters, good for second in program history behind 2001's 597.
• Redshirt junior Chris Williams was the only starter to feature in every weekend series, finishing with a 4-3 record and a 2.81 ERA.
• The Knights set a new program record with 7.1 hits allowed per nine innings, and gave up the third fewest hits at 405.
SIX SELECTED ALL-CONFERENCE
• The Knights put six players on all-conference squads.
• Thad Ward was a first team reliever with a 2.88 ERA and a team-high 52 strikeouts in 40.2 innings of relief this season.
• Rylan Thomas also garnered first team honors after leading the lead in RBI and ranking in the top-five in walks, batting average, hits, home runs, on-base percentage, runs, sacrifice flies and total bases.
• Speedsters Matthew Mika and Ray Alejo were placed on the second team, as well as Dallas Beaver and Tyler Osik.
• Thomas and Mika were selected for the second time in their careers, while Ward, Beaver, Alejo and Osik were first timers.
RELIEF WORK
• The UCF bullpen has had one of the best season in the last 20 years with an ERA of 3.05 and 286 strikeouts.
• The Black and Gold relievers inherited 74 runners this season and allowed just 20 to score.
• Bryce Tucker led the team for the second straight season with six saves. His 15 career stops ranks fifth in program history.
STEALING SZN
• UCF finished the year with 109 steals, marking the first back-to-back 100-steal seasons since 2004 and 2005.
• Ray Alejo and Matthew Mika led the American with 34 and 27 swipes, respectively. They're the second most steal-happy duo in the nation, one behind Jake MacKenzie and Billy Godrick from Fordham
• The Knights stole home three times this season, led by Alejo with two.
• Alejo ranked eighth for steals in a single season, four back of Tim Foskett ('81) for seventh. Tim Baker's record is 104 in 1985.
RT SMASH
• Rylan Thomas finished the season with the team lead hits, home runs, batting average and slugging percentage.
• The sophomore 13 homers moved him into sole possession of ninth in the career home runs list with 27.
• Thomas broke the UCF and AAC single-season on-base record with a 47-game streak. His 55-game dating back to last season broke the league's record as well.
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