ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF baseball head coach Greg Lovelady announced the addition of Chris Cates to the Knights coaching staff. The addition of Cates comes after Andy Barkett departed the Knights to take on a new role within the Chicago White Sox organization.
Coach Lovelady shared his praise when speaking about the new addition to his staff; saying, "We're excited to bring Chris on board this season. He brings a ton of college experience and knowledge that will help make a seamless transition to our program and our guys to help continue their development, especially with the timing of Andy leaving for the Chicago White Sox."
Most recently, Cates was an assistant coach at the University of Tampa for the 2020 campaign, where he helped lead the Spartans to a 15-7 record before the cancellation of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The newest UCF coach began his coaching career at Florida State University in 2013, before moving to Tampa for his first stint. In the 2015 season, Cates made the move across town and spent four seasons with the USF Bulls. In his first season at USF, the Tampa, Fla. native helped the Bulls advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. In 2017, Cates helped the Bulls make their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons and reach the 40-win mark for the first time since 1996.
Selected in the 38th round of the 2007 MLB First Year Player Draft by Minnesota, Cates played for five seasons in the Twins' minor league organization. He was named a two-time All-Star in the minors; Cates turned his second All-Star appearance into a promotion to the Double-A Eastern League, where he spent two seasons playing with the New Britain Rock Cats before retiring from professional baseball in 2011.
Cates graduated from the University of Louisville in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in sports administration. A four-year starter at shortstop for the Cardinals (2004-07), Cates started 239 games and hit .302 with 270 hits, 162 runs scored, 101 RBIs, 44 doubles, five triples and three home runs. He also showed great strike zone discipline, finishing his career with 89 walks to just 69 strikeouts. Cates played an integral role in leading Louisville to its first-ever College World Series appearance in 2007, when the Cardinals went 1-2 in Omaha posting a victory over Mississippi State in an elimination contest.
Cates is married to the former Meagan Suárez, as the couple were wed on Nov. 3, 2012 in Tampa. They have one son, Cohen.
SEASON TICKETS
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John Euliano Park will be restricted to 25% capacity for home games this season and proper physical distancing and masks will be required.
ALL seating within John Euliano park will be general admission with seats being available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Season ticket members will receive one ticket for each home event. Due to the fluid nature of our schedule, fans will be able to exchange tickets from games they are unable to attend or from any postponed/canceled games to a different game during the season, online through their UCF account manager.
General Admission Seating: $99 ($4.50 per event)
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
In addition to season tickets, a limited amount of single-game tickets will be made available for purchase for each home event.
General Admission Seating: $10
Youth (17 and under) General Admission Seating: $5
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