ORLANDO – It’s one of the biggest days on the sporting calendar, Major League Baseball Opening day. Today, two former UCF baseball players will open the 2025 season on big league rosters: RHP Ben Lively is on the Cleveland Guardians and infielder/outfielder Dylan Moore is on the Seattle Mariners.
Lively, who played for UCF from 2011 to 2013, will begin his sixth MLB season. He previously played with the Cincinnati Reds (2023), Kansas City Royals (2019), and Philadelphia Phillies (2017-18). Last season with the Guardians, Lively appeared in and started a career-high 29 games and 151 innings. He put together a 13-10 record, 3.81 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He also struck out a career-high 118 batters. Lively would also make his postseason debut, pitching in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
Hours before the Guardians’ opening day game against the Kansas City Royals, it was announced Lively had been named as the team’s 2025 Opening Day starter after Tanner Bibee was scratched due to an illness. This makes Livley the second Varsity Knight to be named as an MLB Opening Day starting pitcher, as Mike Maroth previously achieved the feat with the Detroit Tigers in 2003. Lively and the Guardians will get underway at 4 p.m. ET in Kansas City.
Lively was drafted in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013.
For Moore he enters his seventh season, all with the Mariners, as the veteran of his team. Moore, who played for UCF from 2014 to 2015, is currently the longest tenured member of the Seattle roster. He’s played 583 games and holds a career .206 batting average and .701 OPS.
Moore is looking to follow up what was his most successful season. In 2024, Moore played in 135 total games and complied a .687 OPS at the plate, 10 homers, 23 doubles, four triples, 53 runs scored and 42 RBIs. He also stole a career-best 32 bases. His 32 stolen bags and his 23 doubles were good enough to lead the club. He also ranked second on the team in walks in 2024 with 53 and recorded 74 total hits. Moore served as the team’s utility player, playing 49 games at shortstop, 45 at third base, 37 at second base, 22 in left field, 11 at first base and one in center field. For his performance, he earned the American League’s Gold Glove Award for the utility position, which is given to who is deemed the best defensive player at each position. This made Moore UCF’s inaugural Varsity Knight to earn an MLB Gold Glove Award. Moore and the Mariners will host the Athletics this evening at 10 p.m. ET.
Moore was a seventh-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2015.
Eleven other former Knights are currently on Minor League rosters. To start the 2025 season Colton Gordon (Sugar Land Space Cowboys-Astros), Alex Freeland (Oklahoma City Comets-Dodgers), Thad Ward (Norfolk Tides-Orioles) Josh Crouch (Salt Lake Bees-Angels) and Jack Sinclair (Rochester Red Wings-Nationals) are in Triple-A, Connor Staine (Spokane Indians-Rockies) Hunter Patteson (Quad Cities River Bandits-Royals) and Ben McCabe (Fresno Grizzlies-Rockies) are in High-A, Najer Victor (Inland Empire 66ers-Angels) and Chase Centala (Jupiter Hammerheads-Marlins) are in Single-A and Zack Austin (FCL Braves) Rookie League.
Ben Lively gets the 2025 Opening Day start on the mound for the @CleGuardians! @BenLively19 | #BuiltByUCF pic.twitter.com/e3Jq4NYPJD
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) March 27, 2025