ORLANDO – The UCF baseball season will officially begin its 2026 campaign on Friday when it welcomes Siena to town to open a three-game weekend series.
The season-opening series will run Friday to Sunday at John Euliano Park. Friday’s Opening Knight contest is scheduled for 6 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday are both set to begin at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats can be followed by visiting UCF.Statbroadcast.com. Friday's opener will also be live on FM 96.9 The Game and the iHeartRadio app.
“The guys have put together a really focused fall and early spring, and I feel like we’re trending in the right direction,” UCF head coach Rich Wallace said. “This group can play our style of baseball at a high level. The real question is whether we can do it consistently, in every circumstance. If we keep progressing the way we have since August, we’ll give ourselves a real shot.”
The Knights posted a 29-26 overall record a season ago and finished 9-21 in Big 12 Conference play. UCF led the Big 12 in batting average, on-base percentage, ERA, and WHIP. The Black and Gold’s impressive .319 batting average not only led the Big 12 but also ranked sixth in the nation. UCF’s notable offensive stats did not stop there, as its .409 on-base percentage again topped the league and ranked 46th nationally.
The Black and Gold’s pitching staff also delivered a big performance last season by leading the conference with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Nationally, the Knights ranked 19th in ERA and 16th in WHIP, showcasing the program’s all-around strength on the mound.
Returning Knights
The 2025 Knights return many of their key contributors on both sides of the ball this season. Among those returning is senior outfielder DeAmez Ross, who paced the Knights with a .359 batting average, totaling 84 hits, 35 RBIs, 15 doubles, and 53 runs scored. Ross earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors for his standout 2025 campaign. Also back for the Black and Gold is junior outfielder Andrew Williamson, who ranked second on the team with a .352 average. Williamson recorded 75 hits, 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 58 runs scored, establishing himself as one of UCF’s most productive bats last season. After his stellar sophomore campaign a season ago, too was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and recently earned both Preseason All-Big 12 and Preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List honors. Rounding out UCF’s returning offensive core is redshirt senior infielder Braden Calise, who hit .301 with 55 hits, six doubles, 35 runs, 29 RBIs, and a .739 OPS.
On the mound, the Black and Gold return a strong core of starting pitchers in Grant Siegel (RHP, 3.88 ERA, 5-2, 44 SO), Matt Sauser (RHP, 4.58 ERA, 3-2, 31 SO), and Camden Wicker (RHP, 4.59 ERA, 31 SO). UCF also welcomes back key bullpen contributors Kevin Schoneboom (RHP, 3.67 ERA, 24 SO) and Kris Sosnowski (RHP, 5.22 ERA, 3-4, 24 SO). The Knights also return sophomore LHP Drew Bellis, sophomore RHP Mateo Gray, and redshirt freshman RHP Anthony Lariz, who have all shown promise early in their careers.
In total, UCF returns three starting pitchers, three position player starters, and 12 returners in all from the 2025 squad.
New Knights
Of the 2026 newcomers, redshirt freshman transfer Austin Jacobs (INF from Clemson) is one of the top portal grabs for the Knights. Jacobs was ranked the No. 9 shortstop in the state of Florida (Perfect Game) and looks to be a key contributor to the Knights infield this season. Also joining UCF, from the SEC, is redshirt senior JD Rogers (OF from Vanderbilt). The Black and Gold also expect to see big things from redshirt seniors Zak Skinner (C from Lamar), Javier Crespo (INF from FIU) and Mason Wilson (C/OF from Rollins), as well as senior Landon Moran (1B/OF from Stetson) and redshirt sophomore James Hankerson Jr. (1B from Florida State).
Joining the pitching staff, the Knights will look to redshirt senior RHP Roman Kimball (South Carolina), senior RHP Chandler Dorsey (LSU), and redshirt junior Evan Jones (Western Kentucky) to be key contributors on the mound in relief. Juniors Braden Smith (RHP, Maryville) and Joey Trombley (RHP, Sacred Heart) have also looked strong and will look to break into UCF’s pitching rotation. Further strengthening their bullpen, the Knights also welcome junior Matthew Heyl (LHP, Stetson) and senior Michael Gillen (RHP, Clemson).
True freshman Jordan Lodise (Brunswick, Ga.) looks to contribute in the Knights infield, while Sebastian Hurtado (Orlando, Fla.) shows promise behind the plate. Other freshmen to keep an eye on are outfielder Stephen Chucka (Oviedo, Fla.), outfielder Zachary Malvasio, right-handed pitcher Max Murray (Winter Springs, Fla.) and left-handed pitcher Alan Soler (Miami, Fla.).
UCF was ranked the No. 12 recruiting class according to the 2025 Perfect Game College Recruit Rankings. The Knights welcome 30 newcomers to the squad for the 2026 season, with 13 freshmen and 17 transfers. Of the 13 freshmen, three of them are top 250 recruits.
Opening Weekend Scheduled Starting Pitchers
A pair of incoming transfers will get the start on the mound for UCF this weekend along with returning starter Camden Wicker. Junior right-hander Braden Smith, a transfer from Division II Maryville, will take the ball for the Knights on Opening Knight. He went 7-2 with a 3.52 ERA and struck out 79 over 76.2 innings last season. Fellow junior RHP Joey Trombley, a transfer from Sacred Heart, will get the nod on Saturday. Trombley went 5-7 with a 4.89 ERA in 2025 with 52 punchouts over 84.2 innings. Junior RHP Wicker will then get the start for the Black and Gold on Sunday. Wicker went 0-2 with a 4.59 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 33.1 innings. The Saints will go with LHP Tyler Sausville on Friday (4-3, 6.75 ERA in 2025), RHP Matt Murtagh on Saturday (0-4, 10.75 ERA at North Carolina A&T in 2025), and southpaw Sam Falace on Sunday (0-0, 27.00 ERA in 2025).
Opening Knight Success
UCF has been historically strong in season openers, posting a 37-16 record all-time. Last season, the Black and Gold opened the year in dominant fashion with a three-game sweep of Siena, outscoring the Saints 40-5. The Knights will enter Friday having won four straight Opening Knight contests. In Wallace’s first season opener, the Knights earned a 12-11 victory over Bryant behind a go-ahead sacrifice fly by Braden Calise in the eighth inning and a three-up, three-down save from former Knight Chase Centala in the ninth.
The Knights are also a perfect 2-0 on Opening Knight under head coach Rich Wallace.
A Familiar Opponent on Opening Knight
This season will mark the 12th time that the Knights will face Siena in a season opener. In the teams’ previous 11 opening-season meetings, which began in 2011, UCF is a perfect 11-0. The Knights have lost to Siena only once on opening weekend, the second game of the 2013 series. The last meeting between the two programs came a season ago, when the Black and Gold won the season opener 13-4 before sweeping the three-game series by a combined score of 40-5. UCF enters the season having won 32 consecutive games against the Saints.
About Siena
Siena finished the 2025 season with a 22-32 record, going 17-13 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and placed fourth in the league standings. The Saints were picked to finish tied for sixth in the MAAC preseason poll for 2026 and are led by head coach Alex Jurczynski, who enters his third season with the team.
With eight of nine starting position players returning, Siena enters the season with a strong foundation of experience. Returning nearly the entire starting lineup from 2025 suggests a productive offense led by catcher Aidan Paradine, a redshirt sophomore who was named a preseason All-MAAC selection and a top MLB draft prospect in the conference. Paradine started 52 games in 2025 and posted a .370 batting average. The Saints also return infielder Jake Sparks. Sparks, a junior, was named a preseason All-MAAC selection after batting .319 with 14 home runs last season and is expected to be one of the Saints’ top offensive contributors in 2026.
From the mound, left-hander Tyler Sausville is the Saints’ top returning pitcher. Sausville went 4-3 a season ago with a 6.75 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 48.0 innings of work. He tallied 21 total appearances, a pair of starts and five saves.
Williamson Tabbed Preseason All-Big 12
A season removed from earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, junior outfielder Andrew Williamson has been named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Baseball Team. He enters the season off a stellar sophomore campaign in which he slashed .352/.662/.448 for the Black and Gold. The native of St. Petersburg, Florida led the Knights in nearly every offensive category a season ago in which he batted .352 with team-leading tallies of 13 home runs, 19 doubles, four triples, 58 runs scored and 53 runs batted in. Williamson also led the way in walks (34), on-base percentage (.448), slugging (.662), and finished second in stolen bases by going a perfect 13-for-13.
Williamson led the Knights with a 31‑game reached‑base streak, along with 26 multi‑hit games and 16 multi‑RBI performances in 2025. He also started all 55 games in right field a season ago.
Dorsey and Jones Named to NCBWA Stopper of Year Preseason Watch List
Right-handed pitchers Chandler Dorsey and Evan Jones have been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List. Both are new to the Knights this season, as Dorsey is a senior transfer from LSU while Jones is a redshirt junior from Western Kentucky.
A season ago in Baton Rouge, Dorsey posted an ERA just over five over 5.0 innings of work. He struck out four and tossed scoreless outings in three of his five appearances to help the Tigers claim the 2025 National Championship. During his sophomore campaign at South Florida, he had a stellar season in which he went 2-1 with eight saves and a 3.60 ERA. Over 30.0 innings of work that season, the 6-4 right-hander struck out 41 batters and limited opposing hitters to a .180 average.
During the 2025 season at WKU, Jones compiled a 1-1 record with four saves and a 3.18 ERA. He also limited opposing hitters to a .227 average in 11.1 innings of work. Over 14 appearances, he tossed 10 scoreless outings which included a stretch that spanned over seven consecutive games.
Williamson Named to Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
In an award given to the top amateur baseball player in the nation, UCF junior outfielder Andrew Williamson was named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. Jimenez was one of 55 players from both the college and high school ranks and five from the Big 12 Conference to make the cut. Williamson slashed .352/.662/.448 in 2025 with 13 HRs, 19 2Bs, 58 runs and 53 RBIs.
Trio of Knights Named to D1Baseball’s Preseason Player List
A trio of Knights were named to D1Baseball’s Preseason Player Lists prior to the season in outfielders Andrew Williamson and DeAmez Ross, and catcher Zak Skinner. The junior OF Williamson led the group by checking in at No. 14 on D1Baseball’s Top 150 Outfielders. The senior transfer Skinner was next by being ranked No. 47 on the Top 50 Catchers List, while the senior Ross was right behind him by coming in at No. 53 on the Outfielders List.
Oh Captain, My Captain
As voted on by the players, UCF named four captains prior to the 2026 season in outfielders DeAmez Ross (Sr.) and Andrew Williamson (Jr.), as well as pitchers Kris Sosnowski (RSr., RHP) and Kevin Schoneboom (Sr., RHP). Of the group, Sosnowski is a repeat captain for the Knights, as he was one of six team captains in 2025. The other three will join him as captains for the Black and Gold for the first time. The four captains bring a wealth of knowledge to the team, as they combine for 12 seasons of prior collegiate experience. Sosnowski and Williamson were also key in helping the Knights to the program’s most recent NCAA Regional appearance in 2024.
On Deck for UCF
Following this weekend’s action, the Knights will hit the road for four games next week. UCF will first head to Coral Gables to take on No. 21 Miami on Tuesday at 6 p.m., before heading up to Jacksonville to take part in the Live Like Lou Jax Classic for three games next weekend. In Jacksonville, the Knights will face Notre Dame, Indiana, and No. 1 LSU.
Tickets
UCF baseball season tickets and anytime tickets are on sale now! Lock in your seats for every home game starting at just $100. Group options and single-game tickets are also available by visiting ucfknights.com/tickets.
About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.