UCF Knights Baseball
2023 UCF Knights baseball team
Founded1973
UniversityUniversity of Central Florida
Head coachRich Wallace (1st season)
ConferenceBig 12
LocationOrlando, Florida
Home stadiumJohn Euliano Park
(Capacity: 3,230[1])
NicknameKnights
ColorsBlack and gold[2]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2017
Conference tournament champions
1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002
Regular season conference champions
2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2017

The UCF Knights baseball team represents The University of Central Florida in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I. The Knights compete in the Big 12 Conference. The Knights play their home games on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida at John Euliano Park.

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.[3][4] 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.[4] 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.[4]

Bergman era (1983–2008)

Jay Bergman took over the program in 1983 after serving as the head coach at Seminole Community College. 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.[4] Bergman was forced to retire during the 2008 season after allegations surfaced of him harassing an equipment manager.[5][6]

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.[4] 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, Notre Dame, Stetson, Old Dominion, James Madison, and George Washington. 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.[7] On June 21, 2010, Rooney signed a four-year contract extension with the university, making him the Knights head baseball coach through 2014.[8]

Following a 38–21 season, Rooney led the Knights to their first NCAA tournament under his leadership in 2011.[9] 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.[10] In 2012, Rooney led the Knights to a No. 7 ranking during week ten, and an appearance in the Coral Gables Regional.

The Knights host Florida in a midweek game.

From 2013 to 2016, the Knights were 121–114 under Rooney's leadership. The Knights joined the American Athletic Conference (The American) in 2013.[11] UCF did not appear in another NCAA tournament despite a 36–23 record in 2014 where Rooney won American Athletic Conference 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 staff as an assistant coach.

Lovelady era (2017–2023)

On August 22, 2016, Jay Bergman Field was renamed John Euliano Park.[12]

Greg Lovelady 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 Regular season Champions but went 2–2 in the conference tournament, being eliminated by East Carolina in the semifinals. The Knights received a 2 seed in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA tournament but were eliminated by Florida State after losing their first game to Auburn.

Championships

Conference tournament championships

Conference Season
Atlantic Sun Conference1993
Atlantic Sun Conference1995
Atlantic Sun Conference1996
Atlantic Sun Conference1997
Atlantic Sun Conference2001
Atlantic Sun Conference2002
Total conference titles 6

Conference season championships

Conference Season
Atlantic Sun Conference2000
Atlantic Sun Conference2001
Atlantic Sun Conference2002
Atlantic Sun Conference2004
American Athletic Conference2017
Total conference titles 5

NCAA tournament

Year Coach Record Pct. Notes
1989Jay Bergman2–2.500Eliminated by Villanova in the East Regional
1993Jay Bergman1–2.333Eliminated by Notre Dame in the East Regional
1995Jay Bergman1–2.333Eliminated by Ole Miss in the Atlantic Regional
1996Jay Bergman1–2.333Eliminated by UMass in the East Regional
1997Jay Bergman0–2.000Eliminated by Florida State in the East Regional
2000Jay Bergman2–2.500Eliminated by Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional
2001Jay Bergman2–2.500Eliminated by South Carolina in the Columbia Regional
2002Jay Bergman1–2.333Eliminated by USF in the Tallahassee Regional
2004Jay Bergman3–2.600Eliminated by Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional
2011Terry Rooney1–2.333Eliminated by Alabama in the Tallahassee Regional
2012Terry Rooney2–2.500Eliminated by Stony Brook in the Coral Gables Regional
2017Greg Lovelady0–2.000Eliminated by Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional
Totals 16–24 .400 12 Appearances
The format of the tournament has changed through the years.

Stadium

John Euliano Park

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.[12]

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.[1] In the next few years seating will be further expanded to a total capacity at 4,180.[13] In addition, a new digital scoreboard and beautification has taken place as part of the renovation.

Head coaches

Tenure Coach Seasons Record Pct.
1973–1975Doug Holmquist366–41–1.616
1976–1977Jack Sexton243–41.512
1978–1982Bill Moon5124–110–6.529
1983–2008Jay Bergman26994–594–3.626
2008Craig Cozart†14–8.333
2009–2016Terry Rooney7261–210.554
2017–2023Greg Lovelady7225–149.602
2023–presentRich Wallace10–0.000
Totals 8 coaches 51 seasons 1,717–1,153–10 .598
† Denotes interim coach

Year-by-year results

UCF and MLB

A Minnesota Twins player leaning on the railing of the dugout during a baseball game.
Drew Butera
A Detroit Tigers pitcher getting ready to deliver a pitch during a baseball spring training game.
Mike Maroth

See also

References

  1. 1 2 UCF Official Athletic Site – Facilities
  2. ↑ "Colors | University of Central Florida Brand Guide". Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ From 1963 to 1978 the University of Central Florida (UCF) was known as Florida Technological University (FTU).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 2010 UCF Knights Baseball Yearbook
  5. ↑ Out-of-step Jay Bergman had to go Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine. Orlando Sentinel, 2008-05-03.
  6. ↑ Bergman reaches settlement with UCF paving way for retirement party Archived 2012-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Orlando Sentinel, 2009-09-15
  7. ↑ UCF baseball coach Terry Rooney inks new contract through 2014 Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. Central Florida Future, 2010-06-21]
  8. ↑ UCF baseball coach Terry Rooney gets contract extension through 2014, likely putting him out of contention for Notre Dame job. Orlando Sentinel, 2010-06-21]
  9. ↑ UCF Receives NCAA At-Large Spot - Will Travel to Tallahassee
  10. ↑ 2011 UCF Baseball Schedule
  11. ↑ McMurphy, Brett (3 April 2013). "Old Big East now American Athletic". ESPN. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  12. 1 2 "John Euliano Park Expansion".
  13. ↑ UCF planning expansion of Jay Bergman Field Archived 2012-07-18 at archive.today
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