Written By: Joe Zollo
The one week of winter in Florida has come and gone, and it is that time once again Knights fans. The UCF baseball team looks to turn a new leaf this season with newly acquired head coach Greg Lovelady.
Lovelady started as an assistant coach for the Miami Hurricanes in 2002 and then was hired by Wright State in 2005 for the same position. In 2014, Lovelady was promoted to head coach, and for the past three years, he has lead Wright State to three winning seasons with two playoff berths in the NCAA Division I tournament.
With a head coaching record of 46-17 last year at Wright State, Lovelady is looking to help the Knights improve on their poor record of 25-34 in the 2016 season. The American division will be a tougher test than the former Horizon division that Wright State was in but Lovelady, and the entire Knights squad, is ready for the challenge.
One bright spot defensively that the Knights have returning is senior pitcher Robby Howell. The 6’4 right-handed pitcher from Fort White, FL had an impressive ERA of 1.96 last season and is looking to improve in the upcoming season. In the 2017 season so far, Howell has won his only start and struck out nine batters with an ERA of 1.80.
On the offensive side of the game, senior Austin Griffin, who led the team with 10 home runs, a slugging percentage of .489, and 41 RBI’s last season, looks to improve on what was already an impressive stat line last season. Austin’s teammate Kam Gellinger was also impressive at the plate last season, leading the team in doubles and being top 3 in ERA with .282.
As impressive as these three players are, the whole UCF team must improve as a whole, improving their conference record would be a good place to start. An 8-16 record in their conference will not cut it, Lovelady is looking to improve on that. Good news for the fans, Knights have not lost many players, several of the returning players are going to be key roles in their road to success.
It will be easier than ever to follow these Knights no matter where they go this year. In 2017, the Knights baseball team will have record 32 games aired on the local radio 96.9 The Game as well as iHeartRadio so you can always listen in on the games. Every home game will also be streamed live on UCFKnights.tv.
Fans should be looking forward to a promising 2017 season under new head coach Greg Lovelady. The Knights have started off the 2017 season by sweeping Siena College and are looking to keep pulling out the brooms and sweeping their competition. Get ready for a new era under Lovelady, an era of winning.
Knights are starting off the season well being 4-0. Hopefully, this winning streak will carry into the next game. Knights will take on Manhattan Jaspers at Jay Bergman Field on Friday, February 24th at 6:30 pm.
Lovelady started as an assistant coach for the Miami Hurricanes in 2002 and then was hired by Wright State in 2005 for the same position. In 2014, Lovelady was promoted to head coach, and for the past three years, he has lead Wright State to three winning seasons with two playoff berths in the NCAA Division I tournament.
With a head coaching record of 46-17 last year at Wright State, Lovelady is looking to help the Knights improve on their poor record of 25-34 in the 2016 season. The American division will be a tougher test than the former Horizon division that Wright State was in but Lovelady, and the entire Knights squad, is ready for the challenge.
One bright spot defensively that the Knights have returning is senior pitcher Robby Howell. The 6’4 right-handed pitcher from Fort White, FL had an impressive ERA of 1.96 last season and is looking to improve in the upcoming season. In the 2017 season so far, Howell has won his only start and struck out nine batters with an ERA of 1.80.
On the offensive side of the game, senior Austin Griffin, who led the team with 10 home runs, a slugging percentage of .489, and 41 RBI’s last season, looks to improve on what was already an impressive stat line last season. Austin’s teammate Kam Gellinger was also impressive at the plate last season, leading the team in doubles and being top 3 in ERA with .282.
As impressive as these three players are, the whole UCF team must improve as a whole, improving their conference record would be a good place to start. An 8-16 record in their conference will not cut it, Lovelady is looking to improve on that. Good news for the fans, Knights have not lost many players, several of the returning players are going to be key roles in their road to success.
It will be easier than ever to follow these Knights no matter where they go this year. In 2017, the Knights baseball team will have record 32 games aired on the local radio 96.9 The Game as well as iHeartRadio so you can always listen in on the games. Every home game will also be streamed live on UCFKnights.tv.
Fans should be looking forward to a promising 2017 season under new head coach Greg Lovelady. The Knights have started off the 2017 season by sweeping Siena College and are looking to keep pulling out the brooms and sweeping their competition. Get ready for a new era under Lovelady, an era of winning.
Knights are starting off the season well being 4-0. Hopefully, this winning streak will carry into the next game. Knights will take on Manhattan Jaspers at Jay Bergman Field on Friday, February 24th at 6:30 pm.