ORLANDO, Fla. – With a return to the NCAA regional tournament very possible after a strong finish to the 2017 campaign, the co-champions of the American Athletic Conference regular season, the University of Central Florida, looks to use its momentum as the Knights enter the AAC tournament this Tuesday.
Crowned for the first time since 2004, when they were still part of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Knights finished the regular season with a 38-18 record, 15-9 in the AAC. With the University of Houston sharing the title, the Knights were led on the mound by senior right-handed pitcher Robby Howell and freshman left-handed pitcher Joe Sheridan.
Sheridan, who led the AAC with 10 wins, had Howell right behind him with nine. The Orlando pitching staff has been dominant in 2017, leading the AAC with a 2.80 staff ERA. The Knights have allowed the second fewest hits (430), the fewest runs (191) and earned runs (163), while also throwing the second fewest walks (176) and striking out the third most batters (501).
But the force giving the pitchers the cushion they’ve needed has been a productive offense led by freshman first baseman Rylan Thomas and redshirt sophomore left fielder Kyle Marsh.
Marsh, who missed the 2016 season with an injury, has been unstoppable at the plate and is a big reason why the Knights were able to secure the regular season title this year. Batting a .316 average, Marsh has started in 55 games in 2017, crossing the plate 33 times while driving in 48 runs. With the second most RBIs on the team, behind that of Thomas (51), Marsh also led the team with 27 extra-base hits, belting out 18 doubles, which was tied for second in the AAC.
Thomas blasted a team-best 13 homeruns, hitting with a .300 average and .538 slugging percentage. The first baseman also saw time on the mound, recording eight innings in relief, tallying a 0.00 ERA.
Senior Luke Hamblin also batted above .300 with a .306 average, walking an AAC best, 40 times, crossing the plate 45 times and stealing 18 bases. But Hamblin only finished third in the conference for steals, with the leader in the AAC being his teammate, sophomore second baseman Matthew Mika, who was 25-for-27.
UCF led the American with 101 steals and crossed the plate 360 times, a conference best. With a successful first year in the books for head coach Greg Lovelady, he’ll now lead the team when they travel to Clearwater, Fla., on Tuesday for UCF’s opening game at 7 p.m. against No. 8 East Carolina University. The Knights are 3-0 against the Pirates this year, and the top two teams remaining in the tournament will face off on Sunday, May 28 at noon. The winner will garner an automatic birth into the NCAA regional tournament, something UCF hasn’t been to since 2012.
A bracket of the AAC tournament can be found below, and all UCF games can be heard on FM 96.9 The Game and iHeartRadio. The Tuesday games will be aired on CBS Sports Network, and the remaining games through the semifinals will be on the American Digital Network, with the championship game showing on ESPN News.