ORLANDO – Head coach Greg Lovelady has announced the addition of eight players to the UCF baseball team ahead of the 2021 campaign. Coach Lovelady enters his seventh season at the helm, and currently carries a 192-123 record at UCF
"I'm really excited about this class," said Lovelady. "Ted [Tom] and Nick [Otte] did a great job evaluating and putting together one of the best classes in the entire country. This group has a chance to be really special and really change the trajectory of the program as we head into the Big 12. I can't wait to get them on campus."
Caden McDonald | RHP, 1B, 3B, OF | 6'3" | Tampa, Fla.
McDonald commits to the Knights on the heels of a standout varsity season in his junior year at Sickles High School in Tampa, Florida. The two-way high school star hit .600 with 42 RBI, 30 runs scored, 11 doubles and eight home runs in 28 games for the Gryphons, while also producing a 1.92 ERA in 14 appearances (10 starts) with 81 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 67.2 innings pitched.
He was honored for his accomplishments on and off the field with the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners' 2022 Wade Boggs award that "recognizes outstanding work completed in the classroom and community," according to the Tampa Beacon's Eric Horchy. The Beacon's editor adds that McDonald also helped lead his team to the second state final four in program history, and the first since 1999.
Garrett Baumann | RHP, 1B, OF | 6'8" | Oviedo, Fla.
Baumann will provide a boost to an already-dominant UCF pitching staff that finished second in the AAC with 531 strikeouts in 2022. He specializes as a right-hander on the mound who finished with 100 strikeouts against 23 walks and a 1.62 ERA in 13 appearances as a junior at Hagerty High School in 2022.
Baumann took full advantage of his opportunity in front of scouts and media at the 2022 High School All-American Game at Dodger Stadium in July, throwing 13 pitches in a 1-2-3 fourth inning on the strength of a sinker that sat in the low-to-mid 90 mph range and a changeup that hummed in the low 80s.
His maximum fastball velocity at 96 miles per hour, while his curveball sits in the high 60s to low 70s and his slider in the mid-to-high 70s as well.
Andrew Williamson | OF, 1B | 6'0" | Pinellas Park, Fla.
Williamson represents an experienced and accomplished high school bat that will provide a jolt to the Knights' lineup, having recorded a .346 batting average with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI in 27 games during his junior year and fourth season at Northside Christian High School in 2022. The infielder/outfielder has accrued a .344 average, 25 extra-base hits and 38 RBI in 84 games during his four-year high school career.
Carter White | 2B, SS | 6'2" | Naples, Fla.
White will bring a contact-oriented approach to help round out the Knights' lineup, having hit over .300 in his first full season with consistent playing time at Barron Collier High School. In 31 games, he hit for an average of .312 with 10 extra-base hits, including five doubles, four triples and one home run, and 11 RBI.
Josh Fernald | RHP, INF | 6'2" | Live Oak, Fla.
Fernald represents the second true two-way player the Knights have inked to their newest signing class. The junior made an impact on both sides of the ball during the spring 2022 season, hitting .356 with 22 RBI and 10 extra-base hits, including five doubles, two triples and three home runs, as well as collecting 72 strikeouts and allowing 27 runs (20 earned) in 48.2 innings of work on the mound.
Joey Wimpelberg | RHP, 3B, SS | 6'1" | Winter Springs, Fla.
Wimpelberg rounds out the Knights' three true two-way signees as a product of Winter Springs High School in Winter Springs, Florida. The junior's strength lies on the mound, where he contributed 38.2 innings pitched this spring and has collected 46.2 innings of work in his first three high school seasons. During the 2022 campaign, his first as a pitcher with a consistent workload, Wimpelberg posted a 2.35 ERA with 51 strikeouts against just 15 walks, and of the 23 runs he allowed, only 13 were earned.
His bat will need a bit more development should the Knights want him to continue to grow as a two-way player at the collegiate level, as he managed a .219 batting average in 64 at-bats with three extra-base hits and seven RBI.
Tyler Kozera | RHP, OF | 6'3" | Naples, Fla.
Kozera comes to UCF from St. John Neumann High School. The 6'3" right-handed pitcher throws a fastball that sits around 90 miles per hour, with a change up that sits at 89 miles per hour and a breaking ball that is around 78 miles per hour.
Charlee Soto | RHP | 6'5" | Kissimmee, Fla.
Soto comes to UCF from Reborn Christian Academy. The right-hander can hit 96 miles per hour on his fastball. His split changeup sits in the mid 80's and falls off the table while falling away from left-handed hitters.
