A veteran of new Knights assistant coach Noah Sanders’ baseball teams at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock the last five seasons, former infielder Christian Bernabe has returned to his home state to join the UCF softball team as its newest graduate assistant ahead of the spring 2025 season.
“Being with coach Sanders in Little Rock motivated me to become a coach one day,” Bernabe said. “I’ve already been surrounded by amazing coaches within this program, and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Bernabe, a native of Deltona, Florida, and a graduate of TNXL Academy, was recruited by Sanders and his Little Rock staff out of high school and spent his entire five-year collegiate playing career with the Trojans from 2020-24.
The infielder, who began as a utility player before he earned starting duties at first base both of his last two seasons, appeared in 110 games in Little Rock spanning his five-year career, producing a career .267/.330/.346 line (84-for-315) with 39 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple, five home runs, 109 total bases, 55 RBI and 21 walks.
He also aided the Trojans in increasing the team’s win total in each successive season, from nine in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign to 31 and 32 in 2023 and 2024, respectively, representing the team’s two highest single-season win totals since the squad’s 33-23 showing in 2000.
“I love the environment here,” Bernabe said of UCF. “I love the coaching staff; it feels like family to be a part of the staff here. You can’t beat Orlando, it’s awesome here. UCF was always a dream school of mine, especially when I was in high school. Now that I’m able to be a graduate assistant here is a dream come true.”
In helping lead his team to its 32-win 2024 season, Bernabe appeared in 31 games, hitting .270/.323/.426 (31-for-115) with eight extra-base hits, 49 total bases and 26 RBI. The infielder produced nine multi-hit games as well, including a trio of three-hit games.
“He’s a team guy, all in for the team, and that’s the type of person who, as a coach, you want to work with,” Sanders said. “I knew that coach Ball-Malone was looking to add another graduate assistant, and especially with him being from this area, I thought he’d be a slam dunk. That’s exactly what he’s been so far.”
In 2023, Bernabe aided the Trojans in earning the program’s highest ranked win since 2011 over the then-No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, by an 11-4 final score April 12. He produced one of his eight multi-hit games that season against Arkansas, singling in the top of the second inning before coming through with an RBI double in the top of the seventh that pushed Little Rock’s lead to 7-3 at the time.
His .284 season batting average in 2023 represented the highest mark of his career, as did his .355 on-base percentage and 38 hits. He then set new single-season career-bests in slugging percentage (.426), doubles (3), total bases (49) and RBI (26) in his final year in 2024.
“From the first time he came in as a freshman, you could tell Christian was the type of player to be looking for all the little things during the game, and those types of players make good coaches,” Sanders added. “He’s a guy I hold in really high regard.”