ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF baseball team returns to American Athletic Conference action this weekend with a three-game homestand against UConn. First pitches at John Euliano Park are set for 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with a Sunday first pitch at 1 p.m.
UCFKnights.TV will stream all three games, and Marc Daniels will have the call on FM96.9/AM740 The Game on Friday and Sunday.
UCF bounced back from a tough opening weekend in The American by shutting out North Florida on Wednesday night, 5-0. Jordan Spicer tossed six scoreless frames, while Tyler Osik and Dallas Beaver combined for five RBI in the win.
The Knights homered twice in their win over the Ospreys to take their season total to 23. Dallas Beaver leads the way with six homers, followed by Osik and Alejo tied for second with five. In addition to ranking second in The American in homers, the Black and Gold has 70 extra-base hits on the year. Ray Alejo is fifth in the country with four triples.
STARTING ROTATION
Head coach Greg Lovelady shook up the rotation heading into the weekend against UConn. Grant Schuermann will make the move to Friday night, after starting on Saturday for the last three weeks. The lefty has a 3.00 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 36 innings of work. Chris Williams will slide back to Saturday looking to improve upon his 25 punchouts from 20 innings. Sunday’s starter was not announced on Thursday.
SCOUTING UConn
• The Huskies enter the weekend tied for second in The American with a 2-1 record, after beating Houston on the road last week, and a 15-8 mark overall.
• Closer Jacob Wallace is seventh in the nation with seven saves on the year, while The American Preseason Pitcher of the Year Mason Feole is back after missing the start of the season due to injury.
• Offensively, UConn boasts a trio of players hitting above .300 with Anthony Prato leading the league with 11 doubles.
PROMOTIONS
• Friday night will be KnightsMania at John Euliano Park.
• The first 400 fans through the gates will receive a free KnightsMania t-shirt.
• Several professional wrestlers will be in attendance to sign autographs.
• The entire night will be filled with wrestling-themed promotions.
GAME 1 – Friday, 6 PM | UCFKnights.TV | FM96.9/AM740 The Game | Live Stats
Grant Schuermann, LHP (1-3, 3.00 ERA) vs. Mason Feole, LHP (1-0, 3.44 ERA)
GAME 2 – Saturday, 6 PM | UCFKnights.TV | Live Stats
Chris Williams, RHP (2-2, 7.20 ERA) vs. Jeff Kersten, RHP (3-1, 5.12 ERA)
GAME 3 – Sunday, 1 PM | UCFKnights.TV | FM96.9/AM740 The Game | Live Stats
TBA vs. Jimmy Wang, RHP (0-1, 4.34 ERA)
NOTES
• UConn leads the all-time series 11-7, while the series is tied 3-3 in games played in Orlando.
• Matthew Mika moved into a tie for sixth in program history with 70 stolen bases, after swiping a pair on Wednesday.
• After Jordan Spicer went six innings on Wednesday night, UCF has seen a starter throw at least five innings in 17 games this season.
• Dallas Beaver’s 29 RBI sits just one shy of his career best for a season from 2018.
• The Knights have turned 21 double plays to rank 37th in the nation.
• Ray Alejo is ninth in the nation with 41 hits and is second on the team with a .373 clip at the plate.
• Jeffrey Hakanson is second in The American with five saves.
• UCF continues to lead The American with 48 stolen bases, in pursuit of its first back-to-back-to-back 100-steal campaigns since 1988.
• The bullpen has 149 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings of work.
• The two-hole has been very productive for Tyler Osik with a .440 clip and 12 RBI in 11 starts.
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