ORLANDO – Ben McCabe, UCF baseball's veteran catcher, has been named to the Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division I All-America Second Team following his historic season, the organization announced Thursday.
Posting the best numbers of his career, McCabe improved in nearly every offensive statistic from previous years. He slashed .371/.466/.692, leading the team in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. McCabe also led the team in hits (83), runs (63), home runs (19), doubles (15), total bases (155) and hit by pitch (23), while pacing the American Athletic Conference in runs scored, hits and home runs and tying for second in batting average. He was second in the league in slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
His last season in the Black and Gold saw some of the most impressive numbers in program history, placing him in the top 10 in five single-season categories, including second in hit by pitch, tied for second in home runs, fifth in total bases, tied for fifth in slugging percentage and tied for ninth in runs. His final numbers also accumulated to one of the most storied careers in UCF program history, landing in the top 10 in nine UCF career categories – first in home runs (49), fourth in total bases (447), fifth in RBI (184), sixth in games played (232), at-bats (822) and runs (171), tied for sixth in doubles (50), seventh in hit by pitch (44) and ninth in hits (246). With each of his five years spent in The American, McCabe also sits in the top 10 in eight offensive categories all-time in the AAC.
In a season that saw historic numbers from many players, the Knights shattered the team single-season home run record of 78, combining for 109 home runs. McCabe soared to the top of the individual home run leader boards with 19 on the season. Behind only Chris Duffy's 21 home runs in 2010, McCabe tied Jonathan Griffin's 2011 season for the second-most single-season home runs in program history. The 19 also brought his career total to 49, breaking the all-time home run record, previously set by Duffy at 43 from 2007-10.
One of only four players in the AAC to have five hits in a game, McCabe accomplished this feat twice in 2023. The first of his two five-hit games came on opening night and was accompanied by five RBI, four runs and a stolen base on top of a program-record tying three home runs, accomplished only four times in UCF baseball history prior to McCabe achieving the feat.
In addition, McCabe hit .389 with runners on base. He tied for third in the AAC in multi-hit games with 25, nine of those with three or more hits. Defensively, the backstop posted a .992 fielding percentage in more than 500 chances. He also threw out 14 runners, landing top four in the league.
McCabe is no stranger to accolades as he was named to D1 Baseball's Top 50 Catchers list, checking in as high as No. 5. Additionally, the Sarasota, Florida, native garnered American Athletic All-Conference First Team honors and was tabbed to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Midseason Watch List.
"In bits and pieces it hits you. It's crazy how quickly time flies, I feel like I just stepped on campus a few months ago," McCabe said during the season. "You think about it, like I really am leaving a legacy, that's something that we talked about all the time. 'Leave a legacy' is something we have inside the building and getting to do that is very special. I hope to show other guys and people who are younger that they can do the same thing."
After five seasons at UCF, McCabe's name is followed with honors, awards and records that mark the end of a storied career.