ORLANDO – Having taken seven of 10 conference series and finishing the regular season in a tie for third place in the league standings, the UCF baseball team will travel to Surprise, Arizona, this week to take part in the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament Presented by Allstate.
The Knights will enter the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed and have earned a double bye and will begin play on Thursday, May 21 in the quarterfinal round. UCF will face the No. 5 seed and 19th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first of four quarterfinal contests at 12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. MST. This year’s tournament will take place at Surprise Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers.
Thursday’s quarterfinal contest will be televised on ESPNU. Marc Daniels and Stephen Branca will also have the call on the radio at FM 96.9 The Game and the iHeartRadio app. Live stats will be available by visiting UCF.StatBroadcast.com.
The Black and Gold will enter the tournament with a 31-20 overall record and finished conference play with a 19-11 Big 12 record to earn the four seed for this week’s league tournament. The 19 conference wins mark the most for UCF since 2005 when it too won 19 conference games as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Knights also marked highs in the Big 12 era in conference series wins with seven and their highest finish by tying for third place. UCF is currently receiving votes for both the USA TODAY Coaches and NCBWA Top 25 polls.
UCF will enter the week having won four of its last six games after closing the regular season with back-to-back conference series wins. The Knights first took two of three at Baylor two weeks ago, before earning a walk-off win in the regular season finale last Saturday to take two of three from Kansas State in its final home series last weekend.
The Black and Gold took Thursday’s opener of the K-State series after scoring five runs in the seventh inning to earn a 10-6 win in game one. Trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Landon Moran tied things up with an RBI single and freshman Stephen Chucka followed with a go-ahead pinch-hit bases-clearing double off the wall to put the Knights ahead for good. In all, five different Black and Gold batters collected multiple hits with Moran and John Smith III leading the way with three hits apiece.
The Wildcats then responded by holding on late to claim game two on Friday by a score of 5-4. After falling behind by a score of 5-0, UCF responded with four runs in the seventh inning to pull within a run. Andrew Williamson led the way in the inning with two RBIs while Austin Jacobs and Zak Skinner each had one. The Knights couldn’t scratch across any more runs the rest of the way, as K-State held on for the win. Jacobs and Skinner led the way offensively in the game by each going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Then in a back-and-forth series finale and rubber match on Saturday, the Black and Gold managed to earn a 6-5 walk-off win. Down 4-3 in the eighth, freshman Jordan Lodise plated Moran with a fielder’s choice to tie the game. After K-State took a 5-4 advantage in the top of the ninth, the Knights again rallied to earn their fifth walk-off victory of the season.
The freshman Chucka led off the last of the ninth with a pinch-hit at-bat and Chucka again delivered by belting out his first collegiate home run to tie things up. With two outs in the inning, Williamson then reached with a two-out single and Crespo followed with a single of his own to move Williamson to third base. In his final collegiate at-bat at home, the senior Moran then put a ball in play on the right side of the infield and Williamson managed to score the winning run as the throw from K-State’s first baseman got away to result in the walk-off win. Moran led the Knights in the game by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double.
For the series, the first baseman Moran led the way by hitting .583 with seven hits, a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Jacobs was next by hitting an even .400 with a triple, while the freshman Chucka hit a perfect 1.000 over two pinch-hit at-bats with a pair of extra-base hits and four RBIs. On the mound, freshmen relievers Kaniel Rosado and righty Anthony Lariz led the way by pitching five combined innings of scoreless relief.
Season Leaders
Senior catcher Skinner leads UCF on the season with a .366 batting average and 71 hits. Senior third baseman Crespo is next with a .333 average, while senior outfielder Smith III is batting .332 and leads the way with 49 RBIs and is tied for the team-lead with 12 home runs. Junior outfielder Williamson is next with a .317 average and leads the way in extra-base hits (28), runs scored (54), walks (39), slugging (.598), and on-base percentage (.437). Junior right-handed pitcher Camden Wicker leads the starting rotation with a 5-3 record and a 3.71 ERA. He also tops the team in both strikeouts (56) and innings pitched (68.0). A trio of right-handers lead the way from the bullpen in Kris Sosnowski (2.10 ERA, 4 SV), Kevin Schoneboom (3.44 ERA, 1 SV) and Evan Jones (3.73 ERA, 4 SV).
Eight Knights Earn All-Big 12 Honors
As announced Tuesday by the league, eight Knights have earned All-Big 12 honors. Outfielders John Smith III and Andrew Williamson, as well as starting pitcher Camden Wicker led the way by being named to the league’s second team. Freshmen Jordan Lodise (SS) and Max Murray (RHP) were named to the all-freshman team, while the trio of Zak Skinner (C), Evan Jones (RHP) and Kris Sosnowski (RHP) received honorable mention recognition.
About Oklahoma State
The Cowboys will enter Thursday’s quarterfinal contest as the No. 5 seed of the tournament after taking fifth in the Big 12 standings with a 36-19 overall record and an 18-12 Big 12 clip. Oklahoma State is currently ranked 19th in this week’s D1Baseball Top 25 Poll. The Pokes have won 12 of their last 15 games and finished the season with four straight Big 12 series victories with sweeps over TCU and Texas Tech as well as taking two of three from both Arizona and Arizona State.
The Cowboys were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll this year after going 30-25 overall and taking seventh in league play with a 15-12 conference mark. OK State had its 2025 season come to a close at the Athens Regional.
First Team All-Big 12 honoree Alex Conover leads the Pokes and ranks second in the league with a .391 batting average. He also holds 29 extra-base hits, 61 runs scored and a team-best 15 stolen bases. Fellow first team all-conference selection Kollin Ritchie is next with a .347 clip. He tops the team in home runs (29), extra-base hits (43), runs scored (73), RBIs (73) and slugging (.856). His 29 homers lead the conference and rank second nationally. Second team honoree Aidan Meola follows with a .317 average and is second in homers (17) and RBIs (68). Southpaw Hudson Barrett paces the OSU rotation with a 5-1 record and a 3.24 ERA, while second team all-conference performer Ethan Lund is also 5-1 with a conference-leading 119 strikeouts over 71.0 innings. Noah Wech is one of the top relievers with six saves and 48 strikeouts over 39.0 innings.
OSU is coached by head coach Josh Holliday. Holliday is in his 14th year at the helm of his alma mater and has amassed over 500 career victories. He has also led the Cowboys to 12 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances.
All-Time History vs. Oklahoma State
Thursday’s quarterfinal contest will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the Knights and Cowboys. UCF holds a 9-6 series advantage after sweeping the three-game series between the two teams earlier this season in Orlando. The two are also 1-1 all-time against each other in Big 12 Tournament play, as they split two games against each other at the 2024 Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas.
UCF All-Time in the Big 12 Tournament
The Knights will enter Thursday’s 2026 tournament opener with a 2-1 all-time record in the Big 12 Tournament. After earning the No. 8 seed for the conference tournament in their inaugural year in the league in 2024, UCF went on to earn an extra-inning win in their opener over Cincinnati followed by an upset extra-inning win over the No. 2 seed Oklahoma State to advance to the semifinals. The Knights then once again matched up against OK State in the semis and the Cowboys managed to claim the contest. The 2025 Knights then just missed out on qualifying the last year’s Big 12 Tournament.
Cardiac Knights
With Sunday, March 29’s walk-off win over Arizona, the Knights pulled out four walk-off victories all on Sundays over a five-week span. The Knights added their fifth walk-off win last Saturday in the series finale vs. K-State. UCF 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 1-1 heading into the last of the ninth, 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. 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 delivered a two-run pinch-hit single and Jordan Lodise evened the score with a safety squeeze. 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 by pulling out a 6-5 walk-off win over OK 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 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.
The Knights then pulled out their fourth Sunday walk-off win on Sunday, March 29, with a 3-2 13-inning victory. All tied at 2-2 since the eighth inning, the Knights then called upon freshman Stephen Chucka to pinch hit. The hometown kid delivered the game-winning hit with a walk-off RBI single through the right side of the infield to bring in Gaskin and complete the sweep.
UCF then recorded its fifth walk-off win in a series finale in the regular season finale on May 16 against K-State. Down a run entering the ninth, the freshman Chucka tied things up with a pinch-hit solo home run. Later with two outs and the winning run on third base, Moran brought in Williamson by reaching on a walk-off error.
Ranked Knights
By entering the top 25 on March 30, the Knights have now been ranked in each of head coach Rich Wallace’s three seasons at the helm of UCF baseball. In his first year in 2024, Wallace helped the Black and Gold spend two weeks in the national rankings in early April and ranked as high as No. 17 by D1Baseball and 16th by the NCBWA. Last season, the Knights spent a week ranked 25th by Perfect Game in mid-March. UCF is 8-14 when ranked in the Rich Wallace era.
After entering the D1Baseball rankings at No. 23 on March 30, the Knights moved up 11 spots to No. 12 the following week in the D1Baseball rankings. After being ranked No. 21 five weeks ago, the Knights are currently just outside of the top 25 this week and receiving votes for both the USA TODAY Coaches and NCBWA Top 25 polls. UCF claimed its first ranked vs. ranked series at WVU since May 18-20, 2017, with No. 29 UCF took two of three from No. 23 South Florida in American Conference action.
The 200 Club
Both seniors Zak Skinner and DeAmez Ross reached the 200-hit club for their careers in the same game on May 9 at Baylor. Skinner achieved the feat in just three seasons at the Division I level while Ross did it in his fourth year. Fellow senior Landon Moran also notched his 200th career hit earlier in the season.
Wicker Tabbed Big 12 Pitcher of the Week
Junior right-hander Camden Wicker was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 27 after tossing a seven-inning complete-game shutout on April 25 at Utah. Wicker tied a career-long by tossing 7.0 dominant innings in which he allowed just two hits and no runs while striking out five and walking just two. He allowed just four baserunners to reach in the contest and faced the minimum in three of his seven innings of work.
Williamson Tabbed Perfect Game National Player of the Week
After his big series at WVU April 3-5, junior outfielder Andrew Williamson was named the Perfect Game College Baseball National Player of the Week. Williamson helped lead the Knights to a big series win at No. 11 WVU by hitting .600 for the series with three home runs, a double, six runs scored and three RBIs. He also drew five walks and posted a stellar 2.333 OPS with a 1.600 slugging percentage and a .733 on-base clip.
He posted his first two-homer game since his freshman season by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored a pair of home runs in a 5-0 victory on Friday. After going 1-for-3 with three walks and a run scored on Saturday, he capped the impressive weekend by going 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks and two runs scored in a 5-1 victory on Sunday to help the Black and Gold capture the pivotal conference series.
On Deck
With a win on Thursday, UCF would advance to the Big 12 Tournament semifinal round for the second time in three seasons on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EDT/4:30 p.m. MST (ESPN+). The Big 12 Tournament championship game is then set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT/4:30 p.m. MST (ESPN2).
