ORLANDO – Fresh off a season-opening win over Bryant last weekend, the UCF baseball team will hit the road for the first time in 2024 with a Wednesday midweek tilt at Miami.
First pitch for Wednesday’s in-state contest is set for 5 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park. The game will air live on ACC Network Extra and live stats will be available by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
After pulling out a back-and-forth 12-11 victory over Bryant on Opening Knight last Friday, rain washed out the next two games of the opening series for the Knights (1-0, 0-0 Big 12). After waiting out a five-hour rain delay on Saturday, UCF and Bryant were able to play into the top of the fifth inning of the second game of the series but heavy rain then suspended the game until Sunday. The wet weather continued Sunday, and the game couldn’t be finished so it officially was ruled a no contest. The third and final game of the series was also canceled due to the inclement weather.
The UCF offense looked strong during Friday’s opener, as the team tallied 15 hits en route to scoring 12 runs to top Bryant. Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, the Black and Gold rallied for eight runs in the last of the frame to take an 11-6 lead. Danny Neri, Mikey Kluska, and Lex Boedicker all delivered RBI singles to tie the game at 6-6. Junior catcher Andrew Sundean then stepped up with the bases loaded and cleared the bases with a three-run double to left center to give the Knights the lead. Senior transfer Jack Zyska then capped the big inning with a two-run home run to center.
The Bulldogs countered back with four runs in the seventh and another in the eighth to tie the game at 11-all. UCF again responded in the bottom of the eighth, however, as Zyska led off the inning with a hustle double to left and Matt Cedarburg followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Zyska to third with one away. Braden Calise, who had entered the game an inning prior as a defensive replacement, then delivered a clutch sac fly to center for what proved to be the winning run as it gave the Black and Gold a 12-11 advantage.
Senior right-hander Chase Centala then came on for the Knights in the ninth and shut the door on Bryant by retiring Bulldogs in order to record the save.
In his first game in a UCF uniform, Zyska went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Two-time all-conference performer Sundean tallied a 2-for-5 outing with a trio of RBIs, while Brait, Neri and Kluska also recorded multiple hits in Friday’s opener for the Knights.
Friday’s victory marked head coach Rich Wallace’s first win of his coaching career.
Probable Starting Pitchers for Wednesday
Senior right-hander Cade Boxrucker is scheduled to make his first start and appearance in a UCF uniform at Miami. Boxrucker is a transfer from Campbell that went 2-1 a season ago with a 4.50 ERA and struck out 56 batters over 42.0 innings. He also limited opposing hitters to just a .194 average. He will face off against fellow RHP Ben Chestnett. Wednesday too will mark Chestnett’s first start and appearance of the season. The righty went a perfect 7-0 on the mound for the Hurricanes last season with a 5.71 ERA in 63.0 innings of work. Chestnett, who is in his second season at Miami, previously played three seasons at the College of Central Florida.
About Miami
The Hurricanes are off to a 3-0 start on the young season after sweeping NJIT at home on opening weekend. After pulling out an 8-7 win in the opener, Miami then pulled out both games of a Saturday doubleheader by a combined 35-2 score (19-2 and 16-0). The two then had Sunday’s finale canceled due to rain. The Hurricanes were picked to finish fourth in the ACC Coastal Divion this year after going 42-21 overall and placing second in the Coastal Division of the ACC standings last season with a 18-12 league record. The Hurricanes then capped their 2023 campaign by going 2-2 at the Coral Gables Regional, which marked the fourth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for Miami.
Freshman infielder Daneil Cuvet is leading Miami with a .692 average, two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs. Sophomore infielder Jason Torres is right behind him with a .538 average, two homers, two doubles and a team-best eight RBIs. Herick Hernandez is leading the way from the starting staff by tossing 6.0 scoreless innings against NJIT last weekend (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 strikeouts). Seven other pitchers have also tossed scoreless outings on the young season for the Hurricanes.
Miami has advanced to the College World Series 25 times—the second-most of any program (Texas leads with 37. The Hurricanes have also won four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001) to tie for fifth-most all-time.
All-Time Series History
Wednesday’s contest will mark the 43rd all-time meeting between the Knights and Hurricanes. Miami holds a 31-11 record overall and a 16-8 advantage with games played in Coral Gables. Since UCF jumped to the NCAA Division I level in 1985, the Hurricanes hold a 24-9 all-time lead. Miami has won the last two contests, both of which that were played at Alex Rodriguez Park, by scores of 14-3 (April 4, 2023) and 16-10 (May 11, 2022).
On Deck for UCF
Following Wednesday’s contest, the Knights will return to Orlando to host Samford for a three-game series Friday to Sunday, Feb. 23-25, at John Euliano Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 1 p.m.