ORLANDO – Fresh off a series win at Big 12 preseason favorite TCU over the weekend, the UCF baseball team will step out of conference play to face Stetson in midweek action on Tuesday night in DeLand.
The midweek contest will mark the first of three season meetings between the Knights and Hatters. Tuesday’s game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Melching Field at Conrad Park and will air live on ESPN+. The game will also be on the radio on 810 AM Orlando and live stats can be followed by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter the contest with a 15-7 overall record and tied for first in the Big 12 standings with a 5-1 conference clip. UCF is currently receiving votes for both the USA TODAY Coaches and NCBWA Top 25 polls this week after winning six of its last seven games as well as 11 of its last 13. UCF opened conference play by sweeping Oklahoma State at home March 13-15 before following that up by taking two of three from the preseason favorite Horned Frogs in Fort Worth over the weekend.
The Black and Gold got off to a strong start at TCU by tallying season-highs in both hits and runs in the series opener on Friday with 18 hits and 18 runs to record an 18-7 victory. The Knights posted crooked numbers on the scoreboard twice in the contest with seven runs in the second and eight more in the ninth.
Seven different Knights recorded multiple hits in the game and Andrew Williamson and Jordan Lodise led the way with four hits apiece. The junior outfielder Williamson finished a home run shy of the cycle with a double, triple, three runs scored and four runs batted in. The freshman shortstop Lodise also went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and three runs batted in.
The Horned Frogs responded by taking game two by a score of 6-0 behind 7.0 shutout innings from starter Lance Davis. But UCF’s Camden Wicker put together a dominant start of his own on the mound on Sunday to help the Knights claim the series behind a 9-1 Sunday victory. Wicker went 6.2 innings and didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning. He ended up surrendering just one hit while striking out four over 6.2 shutout innings.
Senior catcher Zak Skinner led the way offensively for the Knights on Sunday by tying a career-high by going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a double, two runs scored and two runs batted in. Senior outfielder John Smith III was next by going 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Javier Crespo and Lodise tallied two hits apiece, while nine different Knights recorded hits on the day, as UCF outhit the Frogs 17 to 3 in the contest.
The freshman Lodise paced the team for the series by batting .545 with three doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored. Skinner was next by batting .538 with a double, two runs batted in and five runs scored, while Williamson hit .462 with a pair of extra-base hits and Crespo and Smith III both batted .417. As a team, UCF hit .352 for the TCU series. The right-hander Wicker led the rotation by going 1-0 behind 6.2 innings of scoreless action in which he allowed just one hit. Matthew Heyl, Evan Jones, Kevin Schoneboom and Kaniel Rosado paced the bullpen by all tossing scoreless outings in relief.
Stetson will mark UCF’s sixth consecutive opponent out of seven straight that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
Season Leaders
John Smith III fronts the Knights with a .414 batting average on the season. He also has reached base safely in 15 straight games and homered twice last week. Zak Skinner is next with a .385 batting average He is also second on the team in RBIs with 20 and fourth in runs scored with 16. Andrew Williamson leads in the power numbers, as he’s batting .333 with 14 extra-base hits with six doubles, four triples, four homers, 21 RBIs and 25 runs scored. His four triples are tied for the nation’s lead. Right-hander Matt Sauser leads the starting rotation with a 2-1 record and a 0.64 ERA. His ERA is good enough to rank him third nationally, as he’s allowed just two earned runs over a team-best 28.0 innings. Camden Wicker is next with a 2-1 record, 2.84 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 25.1 innings.
About Stetson
The Hatters will enter Tuesday with an 11-14 overall record and currently at .500 in the ASUN with a 3-3 conference mark. After dropping two of three to North Florida in its opening conference series, Stetson responded by taking two of three from West Georgia at home over the weekend. The Hatters will enter Tuesday having won just two of their last six games, as they also fell at Florida last Tuesday. Stetson went 41-22 a season ago and claimed the ASUN Graphite Division with a 24-6 league record. The Hatters advanced to their second straight NCAA Regional a season ago and went 1-2 at the Auburn regional with a win over NC State.
Juan De La Cruz paces the Hatters with a .382 batting average. He also leads with seven doubles, 15 stolen bases and 24 runs scored. Foster Apple is next with a .310 average, while Yohann Dessureault leads in the power numbers with nine extra-base hits, three homers and 21 RBIs. James Hays fronts the Stetson rotation with a 3-0 win-loss record, 3.86 ERA and team-best 32 strikeouts in 28.0 innings of work. Andrew Lepine is one of the top relievers with a 3.45 ERA and three saves over a team-high 12 appearances.
Stetson is coached by head coach Steve Trimper. Trimper is in his 10th season at the helm in DeLand and his 28th season as an NCAA Division I head coach.
All-Time Series vs. Stetson
Tuesday’s midweek contest will mark the 134th all-time meeting between the Knights and Hatters and the first of three season meetings between the two. UCF will enter play holding to an 81-52 all-time advantage. The Black and Gold have won seven of the last eight meetings which included both via shutouts a season ago. UCF is 4-1 against Stetson in the Rich Wallace era.
UCF-Stetson Connection
A pair of current Knights previously played at Stetson, as senior first baseman Landon Moran played his first three seasons in DeLand while junior left-handed pitcher Matthew Heyl spent the last two seasons with the Hatters. Former Knight Corey Robinson, who spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Orlando, now plays for Stetson. Current UCF assistant coach Shane Gierke also previously coached at Stetson, while former UCF head coach Greg Lovelady is now an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Hatters.
Sunshine State Success
Under head coach Rich Wallace, the Black and Gold have had success against in-state opponents. Under Wallace, UCF is 25-12 in games against teams from the state of Florida. Wallace’s 2024 squad went 14-4, which included beating the then ranked No. 4 Florida in Gainesville, a series win over USF, and a win over Stetson in the Tallahassee Regional.
UCF then posted a 9-4 record against in-state opponents in 2025. Those wins included two victories to earn a series win over USF, a 13-3 win over No. 6 Florida, and a 14-4 victory over Miami. It marked the second year in a row that the Knights under Wallace had knocked off the Gators, as well as the sixth consecutive victory over the UF. Two more of those wins came over Stetson, as UCF shut out the Hatters twice last season. UCF is currently 2-4 vs. in-state teams in 2026.
Walk-Off Dubs
UCF recorded a trio of Sunday walk-off victories in as many weeks. The Knights started the stretch with a 2-1 walk-off win over in-state foe South Florida in the series finale on March 1. With the game all deadlocked at 2-1 heading into the last of the ninth, UCF quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Zak Skinner then worked a full count with the bases loaded and came through with a sharp single through the right side of the infield to give the Knights the walk-off 2-1 victory.
Trailing 9-4 entering the bottom of the ninth against Murray State on Sunday March 8, the Knights put together a last-inning rally for the ages by scoring six runs to record their second walk-off win of the streak. UCF again quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Javier Crespo started the scoring with an RBI single, and John Smith III came in to score on a wild pitch. James Hankerson Jr. then made it a 9-8 score with a two-run pinch hit single and Jordan Lodise evened the score with a safety squeeze. After a sac bunt moved the winning run to third base with only one out, Cayden Gaskin delivered a walk-off pinch-hit RBI single to left center to complete the epic comeback.
UCF kept the Sunday walk-off streak alive with by pulling out a 6-5 walk-off win over Oklahoma State on Sunday, March 15 to record its first Big 12 series sweep since joining the conference prior to the 2024 season. After OK State tied things up in the top of the ninth, the Black and Gold offense didn’t waste any time rallying as Landon Moran quickly reached with a sharp leadoff single into right field. DeAmez Ross then dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position and James Hankerson Jr. plated Moran with a walk-off RBI single through the right side of the infield on the first pitch of the at-bat.
Braden Smith Named to National Pitcher of the Year Watch List
UCF junior right-handed pitcher Braden Smith has been named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List as announced by the College Sports Foundation. Smith was named to the watch list and currently holds a 2-1 record and 21 strikeouts while walking just five batters over 27.1 innings. He also holds a 1.54 WHIP as UCF’s Friday night starter.
Smith is one of 13 pitchers from the Big 12 to make the cut and one of 141 pitchers in all.
Sauser Named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week
Matt Sauser earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time of his career on Feb. 23 after tossing 6.0 dominant innings at No. 20 Miami on Feb. 17. The right-hander was nearly perfect in the outing, as he did not allow a hit over six innings of action. The Bloomington, Illinois native issued just one walk and struck out six over the six hitless and scoreless frames.
In all, Sauser retired the Hurricanes in order in five of his six innings of work. He also allowed just one baserunner to reach on the basepaths.
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.
On Deck for UCF
After four straight games on the road, the Knights will return home to welcome the defending Big 12 Tournament champion Arizona Wildcats this weekend at John Euliano Park. The conference series will run Friday to Sunday with games set for 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, as well as 1 p.m. on Sunday.