The Gators welcome the University of Central Florida Golden Knights to Gainesville (barring rain) tonight. This game kicks off a five games in five days run to end the season starting home stand for Florida. UCF tonight, Sienna tomorrow, and a three game series with La Salle this weekend should definitely test UF’s deep pitching staff. The Knights are the most dangerous of the three and have won four of the eight games here since 1994.

UCF comes in 3-0 after sweeping Savannah State over the weekend. The Knight’s results were surprisingly similar to Florida’s sweep. A standard 7-2 victory on Friday, a blowout 14-4 on Saturday to take the series, and a come from behind with 3 runs in the 8th 8-6 win. Freshman LHP Brian Adkins (0-0) starts for UFC. Adkins went three innings in UCF’s season opener allowing 2 hits while striking out 4.

Florida will counter with RHP Hudson Randall (0-0). The freshman will be making his first career start after making a relief appearance in Saturday’s game with South Florida. Randall went 1.1 innings and allowed one hit. The remaining Florida starters will be determined in a domino type affect depending on what happens in this first game.

UCF is coming off a 22-35 season and isn’t picked to make a bunch of noise in Conference USA. However, C-USA is one of the premier baseball conferences in the nation, finishing in the top five conferences for several years in a row now. This team is definitely a dangerous team in a one game setting. The most dangerous guy from my perspective is Beau Taylor. Taylor was a freshman All-American last year and is the cleanup hitter. On Saturday he went 4-5 with 3 RBI and 4 runs scored.

UCF is a southern team loaded with Florida talent. They had the 4th rated recruiting class and most of their returning position players got drafted. This is a far cry from Sienna, who I will preview tomorrow, who went 1-3 at Stetson over the weekend. Even more so than La Salle, who I will preview Friday, who comes in off 32-3, 18-3, and 15-9 losses to North Carolina State.

Florida’s last meeting with UCF last year was record breaking as Preston Tucker tied the SEC single game record by knocking in 11 RBI. Tucker hit a grand slam to right in the 5th, a three run shot to left in the 6th, and another grand slam in the 7th. Had Florida not sent the runner from second on a base hit prior to the three run home, it would have been three straight grand slams and solo ownership of the RBI record.

UCF is a dangerous team tonight so we better be prepared. Probably UCF lineup

1: Ronnie Richardson CF
2: Derek Luciano 3B
3: Shane Brown RF
4: Beau Taylor
5: Jonathan Griffin 1B
6: Chris Duffy LF
7: Kevin Vasquez DH
8: Austin Johnson 2B
9: Darnell Sweeney SS
P: Brian Adkins