TROY – UCF WEEKEND SERIES
Date: Friday – Sunday, March 10-12
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Site: John Euliano Park
Time: 6 p.m. (Fri.) | 4 p.m. (Sat.) | 1 p.m. (Sun.)
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Tickets
STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Brady Fuller (Troy) vs. RHP Ruddy Gomez (UCF)
Saturday: RHP Zach Fruit (Troy) vs. TBD (UCF)
Sunday: RHP Grayson Stewart (Troy) vs. RHP Cameron Leiter (UCF)
Ruddy Gomez will make his fourth Friday start of the season for the Knights. In his three appearances, Gomes has thrown 15.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, posting a 1-0 record with a 4.60 ERA. True freshman Cameron Leiter will also make his fourth start for the Knights. Leiter has fanned 12 batters over 10.2 innings of work and has an ERA of 10.12.
Troy's Brady Fuller has a 2.76 ERA through 16.1 innings, in which he has struck out 21 hitters and allowed only four walks and five earned runs. Zach Fruit has posted an 8.03 ERA for the Trojans in three appearances, striking out 15, walking seven, and allowing 11 earned runs through 12.1 innings of work. Sunday starter Grayson Stewart has recorded a win in each of his three starts, his most recent in which he earned a seven-inning complete-game shutout. Stewart has allowed only two earned runs across 17 innings for a 1.06 ERA and has surrendered 16 singles, not giving up an extra-base hit this season.
UCF versus Troy History
UCF is 18-11 all-time against the Trojans. In their last meeting in 2021, Troy took a 14-12 game to take the weekend series against the Knights. UCF owns the longest winning streak in series history, taking 10-straight from 4/29/2000-5/23/2002. Eight contests between the two teams have been decided by a single run, three of those are UCF wins. Four have been decided by 10 or more runs, all but one are UCF wins. The largest run differential came in an 18-1 Knights victory on 5/16/2001.
Home Run Derby
Two high-powered offenses face off this weekend as both UCF and Troy are tied at No. 9 in the country in home runs, each team totaling 29–the Knights over 12 games and the Trojans through 13. Both teams have three players recording five or more home runs. Ben McCabe and Tom Josten each lead the Knights with seven home runs apiece and Drew Faurot has five of his own. For the Trojans, Shane Lewis has slugged 8 and William Sullivan and Caleb Bartolero have each hit five home runs.
Scouting the Trojans
Coming into this week, the Trojans (11-2) were riding an 11-game win streak as one of the only remaining undefeated teams in the nation but dropped a two-game midweek series to FGCU. Troy boasts an impressive 38 stolen bases in 44 attempts, averaging 2.92 stolen bases a game—they rank in the nation's top-10 in each of these categories.
As a team, the Trojans are batting .318 and averaging 9.38 runs per game. William Sullivan's .438 batting average leads the team, he also leads the Trojans in runs (19), hits (21), total bases (43) and HBP (5). They have a team ERA of 5.66, led by previously mentioned Grayson Stewart's 1.06 ERA.
Scouting the Knights
The Knights rank in the top two in 13 categories in the American Athletic Conference. In 10 of those categories, UCF is ranked first or tied first. The high-powered offense has a combined 29 home runs, slugging 2.42 per game and sitting top-10 in the nation in each of those categories.
UCF won their most recent matchup against North Florida on Tuesday, taking the game with a 10-3 final score. The Knights added three more home runs to their tally, including a grand slam by second baseman Tom Josten—the third of his career. Dom Stagliano had a purely dominant performance on the mound, earning his second win, going 6.0 innings and allowing only one run and three hits.
UP NEXT
The Knights will host Florida State for a two-game midweek series at John Euliano Park at 6 p.m. March 14 and 4 p.m. March 16. Continuing the 12-game homestand, UCF will also host Dartmouth Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) March 17-19.