ORLANDO – The 16th-ranked UCF baseball team opens a stretch of four games away from home this week with a Wednesday midweek at Stetson.
First pitch for Wednesday’s Sunshine State battle is set for 6:30 p.m. at Melching Field at Conrad Park. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live audio will also be available by visiting UCFKnights.com and live stats can be found by heading to GoHatters.com.
After winning their fourth-straight Big 12 Conference series over the weekend, the Knights have moved up in the national rankings and are ranked as high as No. 16 by the NCBWA this week. UCF is also ranked 17th by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game, and 19th by both Baseball America and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Black and Gold will enter Wednesday with a 21-8 overall record and an 8-7 Big 12 Conference clip.
After taking two of three from Kansas State last weekend, UCF has won eight of its last 10 ballgames. In the K-State series, the Black and Gold claimed Friday’s opener, 7-4, before dropping Saturday’s contest by a score of 4-3. The Knights then responded in the rubber match by pulling out a 6-1 victory to claim the series.
Junior first baseman Lex Boedicker nearly single-handily helped the Black and Gold pull out Friday’s opener against the Wildcats by going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, and six runs batted in. Boedicker had a two-run double in the third, a two-run homer in the sixth, and a two-run double in the eighth. The six RBIs marks the most by a Knight on the season and Boedicker’s four-hit outing matches his previous mark for the single-game team-high in that category.
In Saturday’s contest, UCF got an eighth-inning home run from senior outfielder Jack Zyska but it wasn’t enough as K-State managed to hold on for a 4-3 victory. The Wildcats led 2-0 early in the game, but the Black and Gold responded with a pair of runs in the fourth to tie the game. Boedicker and Zyska both recorded RBI knocks in the inning. KSU countered back with a pair of runs in the fifth and Zyska looked to jumpstart a UCF comeback with a solo homer in the eighth, but K-State’s Tyson Neighbors entered on the mound and helped the Wildcats secure the victory.
The Black and Gold took advantage of a trio of Kansas State errors early in Sunday’s game to build an early 2-0 lead. That proved to be all the offense that UCF would need, as Dominic Castellano shined in relief for the Knights. The southpaw went a career-long 5.2 innings and struck out a career-high eight batters. He faced the minimum in three of his near-six innings of work and allowed just one unearned run on two hits. Senior reliever Kyle Kramer then came on and tossed the final 2.1 innings of perfect relief to help the Knights claim the series.
Mikey Kluska led UCF in Sunday’s finale by going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Matt Prevesk went 2-for-4 and Dylan King went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
For the weekend, Boedicker led the offense by hitting .385 with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and seven runs batted in. Prevesk was next by batting .308 while Andrew Brait hit an even .300. The UCF bullpen was dominant on the mound in the series, as five pitchers combined to allow just one earned run (two total) over 17.0 innings of work. Castellano, Kramer, Spencer Bauer, Chase Centala, and Kris Sosnowski posted a 0.53 ERA against K-State and struck out 17 while limiting opponents to just a .135 batting average. Over the last four weekends, the Black and Gold bullpen has posted a 2.50 ERA as it has given up just 16 earned runs over 57.2 innings.
On the season, the junior outfielder Prevesk paces the Knights with a .372 batting average, 25 runs scored and a .960 OPS. He also has 11 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs. Andrew Sundean is next with a .311 average and a team-best 25 RBIs, while Zyska follows with a .305 batting average, 25 runs scored, 19 runs batted in, and a team-leading 12 extra-base hits with seven doubles and five homers. Dom Stagliano leads the UCF starting rotation with a 3.74 ERA, while Ben Vespi fronts the team in strikeouts with 34 in 36.0 innings of work. The lefty Castellano is one of the top arms in the bullpen, with a 3-0 record, 3.34 ERA and 33 punchouts in 29.2 innings, while Kramer has a team-best five victories (5-0) as well as a 1.93 ERA. The closer Centala leads the Big 12 Conference and currently ranks fifth nationally in saves with seven on the season.
Scheduled Starting Pitchers for Wednesday
Senior right-hander Cade Boxrucker (3-1, 5.11 ERA) will make his third-straight midweek start and his seventh overall start on the season on Wednesday. Boxrucker was named the Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week on April 1 after finishing just one out away from a no-hitter in a dominant 8.2-inning outing in a shutout victory at Jacksonville on March 26. Right-hander Mike McCully (0-0, 27.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his first start of the season for Stetson.
About Stetson
The Hatters will enter Wednesday with a 22-10 overall record and currently tied for first in the ASUN standings with a 9-3 conference mark. Stetson has won nine of its last 10 games after sweeping both Lipscomb and Eastern Kentucky, topping USF in midweek action, and taking two of three from Kennesaw State last weekend. The Hatters were picked to finish fourth in the ASUN this season after tying for second last year with a 20-10 league mark (35-23 overall).
Kyle Jones leads Stetson on the season with a .360 average and a team-best 10 doubles and 12 stolen bases. Logan Hughes is next with a .328 clip, while Yohann Dessureault is batting .318 and fronts the team in the power number with eight homers, 26 RBIs and 29 runs scored. Anthony DeFabbia leads the starting rotation with a 6-0 record and a 3.23 ERA, while Aric McAtee paces the team in strikeouts with 41 in 33.0 innings of work.
Stetson is led by head coach Steve Trimper who is in his eighth season at the helm in DeLand.
All-Time Series vs. Stetson
Wednesday will mark the second and final meeting of the season between the Knights and Hatters. The Black and Gold claimed the prior season meeting by a score of 7-1 on March 13 at John Euliano Park. UCF blasted out three home runs in the game and Wiley Hartley gave up just one run on two hits while striking out six over 5.2 innings.
UCF has played Stetson the second-most of any opponent, as Wednesday will mark the 130th all-time meeting between the Knights and Hatters. The Black and Gold will enter play with a 78-51 all-time advantage and having won each of the last four meetings. The Knights also hold a 33-25 record with games played in DeLand.
Knights 9-1 vs. Sunshine State Foes, Undefeated in Midweek Action
UCF will enter Wednesday’s midweek with a 9-1 record against in-state competition on the season and undefeated in midweek contests with an unblemished 7-0 mark. The Knights hold road wins over No. 4 Florida, Miami, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, and Bethune-Cookman as well as home midweek wins over Stetson and FAU. UCF also took two of three at home from South Florida. In midweek action, the Knights have outscored their competition by an impressive tally of 57 to 22.
On Deck
Following Wednesday’s contest, UCF will head to Morgantown, West Virginia, for a three-game league series Friday to Sunday at West Virginia. Friday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m., while Saturday will begin at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is set for 1 p.m. All three games of the series are scheduled to air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.