ORLANDO – In a season that will see the Knights attempt to make back-to-back postseasons for the first time since 2012, Rich Wallace’s 2025 UCF baseball squad will be led by some familiar faces and some new ones.
Twenty-six of those players will be pitchers. And with a combination of experiences and power, this season’s pitching core may be one of the most intriguing groups the Knights have had in years. But biggest of all, Wallace believes this group also contains something that last year’s core didn’t have, variety.
“We had truly one left-handed pitcher we could use in a game (last year),” Wallace said. “Now we’re at the five or six that we feel we can match up at certain points because you want good arms, but they can’t all look the same.”
RETURNERS
Of the 26 pitchers on the roster this season, seven of them are returners. Headlining this group is senior right-hander Dom Stagliano, who is expected to be one of the team’s starters. In 16 games, 14 of which he started, Stagliano compiled a 3-4 record with a 4.10 ERA and 66 strikeouts last year. He was named to the All-Big 12 Conference second team at the end of the season and received preseason all-conference honors this year.
Fellow returning starter Wiley Hartley is back for his senior season. In 14 appearances, which included 10 starts, the right-hander recorded a 3-3 record, 5.31 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 39.0 innings in 2024. He is expected to be one of the team’s starting pitchers again this year.
From the bullpen, southpaw Dominic Castellano is back for his senior year. Castellano made 22 appearances last year and went a perfect 7-0 with a 2.83 ERA, three saves and 68 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. For her performance, he earned second team all-region accolades and was also tabbed preseason all-conference this year. He is anticipated to remain in a high-leverage reliever role or perhaps as a starting pitcher.
Also returning is redshirt junior Kris Sosnowski, who served as the Black and Gold’s closer in the second half of the year last season. Sosnowski made 24 appearances in 2024, all in relief, and recorded a 3.38 ERA, 40 strikeouts and a team-high six saves. Stagliano, Hartley, Castellano and Sosnowski were all named team captains for the 2025 campaign by their fellow teammates.
In addition to Castellano and Sosnowski, redshirt seniors Spencer Bauer and Alex Gavan will also be coming out of the bullpen. Bauer made 24 appearances last season and earned a 2-1 record with a 4.32 ERA and 37 strikeouts. Galvan went 2-0 in four appearances with a 5.06 ERA before missing the majority of the season with an injury.
“Last year’s team gave us good experience for what we have to go through this year,” Stagliano said. “So, I think it’ super important we have a bunch of experience coming back.”