UCF/S. Fla meet on Tuesday...

[KNIGHTTIME]

from ucfathletics.com

"ORLANDO - UCF (35-8) looks to complete its first season sweep of I-4 rival USF (22-19) since 1995 Tuesday as the Golden Knights venture to Tampa to take on the Bulls. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Red McEwen Field, where UCF won 8-7 over USF earlier in the year. The Golden Knights won last Tuesday in Orlando 10-7 over the Bulls at Jay Bergman Field.

Both teams had successful weekends in conference play on the road. UCF earned its second sweep of the year in the A-Sun, taking all three from Belmont in Nashville. The Golden Knights limited the Bruins to two runs on the weekend as UCF tossed two shutouts vs. the Bruins. USF won two of three on the road at UAB in Conference USA action over the weekend.

Tuesday's game will air live on 740-AM The Team on the UCF ISP Sports Network. Steve Egan will call all of the action for Marc Daniels from Red McEwen Field. The pregame show airs at 6:45 p.m.

No. 1 in the Nation

UCF leads the nation in wins, but is ranked in only one poll. Collegiate Baseball News has the Golden Knights in the No. 25 spot, while Baseball America and the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll fail to have UCF in the top 25.

Off to the Races

UCF has stolen 124 bases in 151 attempts, the third-highest total in the nation as of April 12. The 124 stolen bases are the fourth-highest total in UCF single-season history.

Last season, UCF swiped 111 bags to tie for sixth in the UCF single-season annals. The Golden Knights led the NCAA in 1985 with 253 stolen bases.

UCF Team Stolen Base Leaders

Team      Stolen Bases

1. 1985      253

2. 1981      204

3. 1986      130

4. 2005      124

5. 2001      115

6. 1990      113

7. 2004      111

7. 1995      111

Return of the Long Ball

After hitting just 27 home runs in 65 games in 2004, UCF has hit 44 home runs in 43 games in 2005. The 44 home runs are the most by UCF since 2001, when the Golden Knights blasted 62 home runs. Since the 2001 season, UCF hit just 27 homers in 65 games a year ago, 21 home runs in 56 games in 2003 and 30 home runs in 63 games in 2002.

John-Michael Howell leads the team with 12 while Dee Brown is one home run behind Howell with 11. The last time two UCF players hit double-figures in home runs was 2001 when Chad Ehrnsberger (16) and Jeremy Frost (13) combined to hit 29 long balls.

Inside the USF Series

With Tuesday's 10-7 win in Orlando, the all-time series between UCF now leads the all-time series 45-44. UCF has played more games vs. USF than any other non-conference opponent.

UCF has won three straight games in the series, including an 8-7 win on April 5 in Tampa. The win marked the first time since 2002 UCF won at Red McEwen Field.

In the Polls

UCF is ranked No. 25 in this week's Collegiate Baseball rankings. The Golden Knights are not ranked by Baseball America. In the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll, UCF is receiving votes.

Scouting USF

The Bulls of South Florida won two of three on the road this past weekend at UAB in C-USA action. USF is 22-19 overall and 9-5 in C-USA.The Bulls are fourth in the C-USA standings, two games behind first-place Tulane.

USF is batting .271 as a team coming into the game Tuesday. The Bulls have just three starters batting over .300, led by senior Jeff Baisley. The senior third baseman is hitting .388 with five home runs and 49 RBI.

On the mound, the Bulls sport a team ERA of 4.90 in 353 innings of work. USF is scheduled to start freshman left-hander Blake Tillett on the mound Tuesday. Tillett started vs. UCF on April 5 and lasted just 3.2 innings. For the season, he is 2-1 with a 4.95 ERA in eight appearances. In 20 innings, he has yielded 21 hits with 13 strikeouts and 11 walks.

On the Hill for UCF

Junior RHP Ray Rodriguez gets the call Tuesday for UCF. The New York native has been sensational in his first season in the Black and Gold, going a perfect 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA. Rodriguez has made 12 appearances overall, including eight starts. In 53.1 innings, he has yielded just 14 earned runs and 36 hits with 53 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .185 vs. the right-hander.

Rodriguez gained the win vs. USF last Tuesday at Jay Bergman Field. The New Yorker fanned a career-high nine in 5.2 innings of work.

The Wins Keep on Coming UCF is among the national leaders in victories in the decade. The Golden Knights are 13th in the NCAA in wins in the 2000s with 236 victories as of April 18.

Holding the Lead

UCF has been nearly unbeatable when leading after six innings since the 2002 season. The Golden Knights are an amazing 129-9 (.938) when leading after six innings since 2002.

Jumping Out On Top

The Golden Knights were 25-4 in 2004 when scoring in the first inning. UCF also enjoyed playing with the lead, holding a record of 36-7 when scoring first in 2004.

In 2005, UCF is 24-3 when scoring first and 17-0 when scoring in the first inning of action.

Taking an Early Lead

UCF has jumped on the opposition in 2005, outscoring its opponents 128-34 over the first three innings of play. In the first inning, UCF has outscored the opposition 35-8.

Bombs Away

John-Michael Howell will always remember his first UCF home run. With the Golden Knights trailing 7-6 to Le Moyne in the seventh inning, Howell launched a 470-foot home run with a runner on to give UCF the lead for good, 8-7.

The monster blast landed at shortstop on the practice field, adjacent to Jay Bergman Field.

Howell also had a majestic blast at Belmont as he hit a home run out of the ballpark at Greer Stadium, the triple-A home of the Nashville Sounds.

School Record 16 Free Passes

UCF tied a school record with 16 walks vs. Bethune-Cookman on April 13. The Golden Knights equaled the mark of 16 walks set vs. Pennsylvania on March 10, 1984.

Back, Back, Back, Back, Gone

For the first time since 2001, UCF hit five home runs in a game April 15 at Belmont.

UCF 31st in Latest RPI Figures

According to Boyd Nation of boydsworld.com, UCF is No. 31 in the latest RPI figures released by the website. The Golden Knights lead the nation in wins with 35 and play in the sixth-best conference in terms of RPI in the A-Sun.

Stetson (48), Florida Atlantic (59), Troy (61) and Belmont (77) round out the top five teams in RPI in the A-Sun. "

[DawgPound]

It's a little surprising to see how strong the ASun is.  FAU, Troy, Georgia State and UCF are going to do well in their new homes.

[KNIGHTTIME]

Troy is playing well.  I noticed they had announced attendance of 1,100 for Sunday's game with Georgia State.  

South Florida took 2 of 3 from UAB.   Not a bad weekend for the bulls.   FAU is looking pretty good too.  

[goodknightfl]

A'sun is usually stronger in baseball than they are this year..

[ucfknights04]

Conference RPI is 6th best...behind ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big West and Pac10...while FAU and Stetson are usually better - I don't think our RPI has ever been in the Top 5?