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The UCF Knights baseball team represents The
University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...
in
National Collegiate Athletics Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps ...
(NCAA) Division I. The Knights compete in the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
. The Knights play their home games on UCF's main campus in
Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
at
John Euliano Park John Euliano Park, formerly Jay Bergman Field, is a baseball stadium located on the main campus of the University of Central Florida near Orlando in Orange County, Florida, USA. The stadium serves as the home of the UCF Knights baseball team ...
.


History


Early history (1973–1983)

Though UCF baseball first took the field in 1973, its history dates back to 1970 with UCF's club baseball team, the FTU Goldsox.2010 UCF Knights Baseball Yearbook
/ref> The Goldsox played in the Amateur Baseball League of Central Florida and were managed by Jack Pantelias, who led them from 1970 to midway through the 1972 season. When Pantelias resigned, he was replaced by Doug Holmquist, who would lead the team through the end of the season on an interim basis before being named head coach before the 1973 season. Bill Moon was the head coach from 1979 to 1982. The 1979 team was UCFs first championship team – sharing the Sunshine state conference title with Florida Southern University. UCF went 27–16 that year and played in the post season regionals. The team has been nationally ranked at times during the course of 11 seasons, including the highest ranking of No. 7 during both the 2001 and 2012 seasons.


Bergman era (1983–2008)

Jay Bergman took over the program in 1983 after serving as the head coach at
Seminole Community College Seminole State College of Florida is a public college based in Sanford, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. History Established by the Florida Legislature in 1965 as Seminole Junior College, the school began operat ...
. The Knights first season in Division I was in 1985 under Bergman. The Knights earned a 52–34–1 record in their first D–I season. Bergman was forced to retire during the 2008 season after allegations surfaced of him harassing an equipment manager. Bergman had a large amount of success in this position, leading UCF to Atlantic Sun Championships in 93, 95, 96, 97, 00, 01, 02, 04 and NCAA Regional Appearances in 89, 93, 95, 96, 97, 00, 01, 02, 04, and brought UCF to a national ranking of No. 7 in 2001. In honor of his long-term success with the Knights, on February 3, 2001, UCF opened and dedicated Jay Bergman Field.


Rooney era (2009–2016)

Terry Rooney became head coach in 2008 after serving as an assistant coach at
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
, Notre Dame,
Stetson Stetson is an American brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company. "Stetson" is also used as a generic trademark to refer to any campaign hat, particularly in Scouting. John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous ...
, Old Dominion,
James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...
, and
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
. In his second season, Rooney led the Knights to a 33–22 (10–14) record, 11 more wins than the prior season and the best conference record since the team started in Conference USA in 2006. On June 21, 2010, Rooney signed a four-year contract extension with the university, making him the Knights head baseball coach through 2014. Following a 38–21 season, Rooney led the Knights to their first NCAA tournament under his leadership in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
. The year was a high for the Knights, defeating the No 4. ranked Florida Gators in Gainesville and the then-ranked No. 5 Gators in Orlando. The Knights also defeated the No. 6 ranked Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee during the 2011 campaign. In
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, Rooney led the Knights to a No. 7 ranking during week ten, and an appearance in the Coral Gables Regional. From 2013 to 2016, the Knights were 121–114 under Rooney's leadership. The Knights joined the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
(The American) in 2013. UCF did not appear in another NCAA tournament despite a 36–23 record in 2014 where Rooney won
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
Coach of the Year. In 2015, the Knights were 22–7 and ranked No. 6 in the nation through their first 30 games but eventually ended the season 31–27. After going 26–33 in 2016 despite a 6–0 start, Rooney departed from UCF and eventually joined the
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
staff as an assistant coach.


Lovelady era (2017–2023)

On August 22, 2016, Jay Bergman Field was renamed John Euliano Park.
Greg Lovelady Greg Lovelady (born January 11, 1979) is an American college baseball coach. Lovelady played college baseball at Miami (FL), where as a catcher and four-year letter winner, he won the 1999 College World Series and 2001 College World Series. He ...
was hired as Rooney's replacement in July 2016 after serving as Head Coach at Wright State. Lovelady brought immediate success back to the UCF Baseball program, leading the Knights to a 40–22 record in 2017. The Knights were crowned
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
Regular season Champions but went 2–2 in the conference tournament, being eliminated by
East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
in the semifinals. The Knights received a 2 seed in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA tournament but were eliminated by
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
after losing their first game to Auburn. Despite a winning record in his 7 seasons at UCF, the Knights didn't make the NCAA tournament under Lovelady after the 2017 season, and he was eventually dismissed on May 27, 2023 ahead of the school's move to the
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...
.


Wallace era (2024–present)

On June 12, 2023,
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
assistant coach Rich Wallace, an Orlando native and UCF alum, was hired as the 7th head coach of the program. Like his predecessor Lovelady, Wallace led the Knights to immediate success in his first season, going 37–21 in 2024, including being ranked at high as #17 in the D1baseball poll. After going 2–1 in the Big 12 tournament, the Knights received a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they were placed in the Tallahassee region once again. After winning their first round game against
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
, they lost to
Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
in the second round before defeating
Stetson Stetson is an American brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company. "Stetson" is also used as a generic trademark to refer to any campaign hat, particularly in Scouting. John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous ...
in the elimination round, only to be eliminated in the regional final by Florida State again.


Championships


Conference tournament championships


Conference season championships


NCAA tournament


Stadium

John Euliano Park is located on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida. It was originally built in 2001 as a state-of-the-art facility, and features an indoor training facility with three batting cages and two pitching mounds. The facility was originally named after the Knights' former head coach, Jay Bergman. It retained the name until 2016, when it was named after alumnus and donor John Euliano.


Renovations

Within the last few years, John Euliano Park has been expanded from 1,980 seats to 2,230. The stadium can also accommodate another 1,000 fans on grass berms along the first and third base lines. In the next few years seating will be further expanded to a total capacity at 4,180.UCF planning expansion of Jay Bergman Field
In addition, a new digital scoreboard and beautification has taken place as part of the renovation.


Head coaches


Year-by-year results


UCF and MLB

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Cody Allen Cody Edward Allen (born November 20, 1988) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians from 2012 to 2018 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. Early life Allen is ...
Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
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Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
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Drew Butera Andrew Edward Butera (; born August 9, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently on the coaching staff of the Chicago White Sox. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodger ...
Catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
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Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
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Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
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Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
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Ben Lively Edward Bennett Lively (born March 5, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, and Cincinnati ...
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Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
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Mike Maroth Michael Warren Maroth (born August 17, 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) starting pitcher and former professional and college pitching coach . Born in Orlando, Florida, the left-handed Maroth attended the University of Cent ...
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Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
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St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
* Chad Mottola – Former
Outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
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Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
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Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
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Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
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Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
* Rob Radlosky – Former Pitcher,
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
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Eric Skoglund Eric Lawrence Skoglund (born October 26, 1992) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2017 to 2019. Playing career Amateur Skoglund attended Sarasota High Sch ...
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Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
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Esix Snead Esix Snead (born June 7, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of the Major League Baseball (MLB) (, ). Snead was known for his speed, with 507 stolen bases in only 9 minor league seasons, but only fou ...
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New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
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Darnell Sweeney Darnell Thomas Sweeney (born February 1, 1991) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. Early life and amateur career Sweeney's fat ...
Infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
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Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
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San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
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Thaddeus Ward Thaddeus James Ward (born January 16, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals. Listed at and , he both throws ...
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Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
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Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
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Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
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Zach Eflin Zachary Adams Eflin (born April 8, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays. The San Diego Pad ...
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Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
) and Infielder
Ryan Mountcastle Ryan Lee Mountcastle (born February 18, 1997) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Mountcastle attended Hagerty High School ...
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Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
) were committed to play for UCF, but were drafted (Eflin 33rd overall in the 2012 MLB Draft and Mountcastle 36th overall in 2015 MLB Draft)


See also

*
List of NCAA Division I baseball programs The following is a list of schools that participate in NCAA Division I baseball. In the 2024 season, 300 Division I schools competed. These teams compete to go to the 64-team Division I baseball tournament and then to Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ...
* List of UCF Knights baseball seasons


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ucf Knights Baseball Baseball teams established in 1973 1973 establishments in Florida