ORLANDO – Fresh off a 12-5 victory over in-state foe FGCU on Wednesday, the UCF baseball team will continue a current 12-game homestand by hosting 2025 College World Series participant Murray State for a three-game series this weekend.
The series will run Friday to Sunday at John Euliano Park. Friday and Saturday’s games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., while Sunday’s finale has been moved up to 12 p.m. to accommodate Murray State’s travel plans. All three games will air live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available for the games by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Knights will enter Friday with a 6-5 record and having won two straight with a 2-1 walk-off win in the finale over South Florida last Sunday and the 12-5 victory over the Eagles on Wednesday.
UCF’s bats came alive in Wednesday’s midweek victory, as the team scored 12 runs on a season-high 17 hits. Andrew Williamson led the way by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a grand slam, five runs batted in and two runs scored. It marked the first grand slam of Williamson’s career and helped put the game away for the Knights as it capped a six-run seventh inning. The five RBIs marked a career-high for Williamson and he finished just a triple shy of the cycle in the game.
Willy with the ELECTRIC grand slam ⚡️@Kia Electric Moment of the Game pic.twitter.com/C9VGNf681A
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) March 5, 2026
In all, six different Black and Gold hitters tallied multiple hits on Wednesday. Landon Moran and Austin Jacobs each had three-hit outings while DeAmez Ross, Zak Skinner and Javier Crespo all had two. Skinner also drove in multiple runs on the day with two RBIs and a total of six Knights drove in runs in the game.
With UCF holding to a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh and FGCU threatening with the tying runners in scoring position and nobody out in the frame, Black and Gold reliever Evan Jones entered and retired the first three batters he faced to leave the Eagle runners stranded. With the momentum back in UCF’s favor, the Knights managed to put up a six-run seventh inning to take a commanding 12-4 lead. Moran and Jacobs started the scoring in the inning with back-to-back RBI singles. Williamson then capped the big inning with his grand slam to deep right field.
Camden Wicker started on the mound and allowed just two runs on three hits while striking out four over 4.1 innings. Redshirt freshman Anthony Lariz then came on and tossed an inning and a third of scoreless relief to earn his first collegiate victory. Jones had the strong outing late with a pair of scoreless frames.
Season Leaders
The senior catcher Skinner leads UCF on the season with a .333 batting average. He also has four extra-base hits and is second on the squad in RBIs with 10. The junior outfielder Williamson is next with a .325 average and tops the team in doubles with four, triples with two, home runs with two, extra-base hits with eight, 12 RBIs, and is second on the team in runs with nine. Crespo follows with a .308 average, while John Smith III has a .417 average over five games played.
Matt Sauser leads the team from the mound with a 0.00 ERA, as he hasn’t given up a run over 13.0 innings of work. The right-hander is limiting opposing hitters to just a .116 batting on the year and is second on the team lead in strikeouts with 12. In relief, Jones holds a 1-1 record, 2.16 ERA and 11 strikeouts while Kevin Schoneboom has a 2.45 ERA with five punchouts over five appearances.
About Murray State
The Racers will come to Orlando with a 10-3 record on the season and had won eight straight games before falling at Middle Tennessee by a score of 5-2 in midweek action on Tuesday. Murray State advanced to its first Men’s College World Series in program history last year after winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as well as both the Oxford Regional with wins over No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 18 Georgia Tech and the Durham Super Regional by taking two of three from Duke. This season, MSU was picked to win the MVC in the league’s preseason poll.
D1Baseball Preseason MVC Pitcher of the Year Nic Schutte fronts the Racers’ pitching staff with an unblemished 3-0 record, 2.70 ERA, and 18 strikeouts over 16.2 innings. Dylan Zentko leads the way from the bullpen with a 1-1 record, 1.59 ERA and a team-best three saves. Catcher Parker Airhart leads Murray State offensively with a .438 batting average. He is also second on the squad in RBIs with 13. MVC Preseason Player to Watch Luke Mistone is next with an even .400 average and has a team-best four doubles and 16 runs batted in. Fellow MVC Preseason Player to Watch Kainen Jorge is batting .320 and paces the team with eight extra-base hits and 17 runs scored.
Murray State is coached by head coach Dan Skirka. Skirka is in his eighth season at the helm of MSU and led the team to a program-record 44 wins a season ago.
Series History vs. Murray State
Friday’s series opener against the Racers will mark the first all-time meeting between UCF and Murray State.
Scheduled Starting Pitchers for the Series
UCF will go with a trio of junior right-handed pitchers for the second straight week in Braden Smith (1-1, 4.60 ERA) on Friday, Matt Sauser (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Saturday, and Joey Trombley (1-1, 3.14 ERA) on Sunday. Sauser leads the way with a perfect 0.00 ERA as he’s yet to give up a run on the season. He and Smith are tied for second on the team in strikeouts with 11. Murray State will go with RHP Nic Schutte on Friday (3-0, 2.70 ERA), RHP Jacob Hustedde on Saturday (0-0, 4.50 ERA), and LHP Ethan Lyke on Sunday (0-1, 8.00 ERA).
12-Game Homestand Continues
The Knights are in the midst of 12-game homestand. Over the homestand, UCF will face six different opponents. The home stretch will span nearly three weeks, and the Black and Gold will play the 12 games over a 19-day span. UCF will face in-state foes South Florida, FGCU and Miami during the homestand as well as 2025 College World Series participant Murray State, Columbia and open Big 12 play against Oklahoma State.
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.
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
The Knights will continue the homestand by hosting Sunshine State foe and 21st-ranked Miami next Wednesday. Following the Miami game, the Black and Gold will open their third season of competition in the Big 12 Conference with a home series against Oklahoma State next weekend.