Twelve UCF Knights was added to UCF Baseball’s list in 2021 Monday.
There are seven boxes, two outfielders, two infielders and a catch. Two players are transfers while the other 10 are first-year students.
“I’m very excited about the talent and depth of this class,” said head coach Greg Lovelady. “The staff did a great job of evaluating and identifying talent that could really help continue the growth of the program.”
Lovelady is entering his fifth season as Knights‘head coach with an overall record of 126-68.
Baseball season 2020 was cut in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic after one 18-match season. The Knights ended the season 15-3 overall. The final D1Baseball.com Top 25 of the season ranked UCF at No. 12.
The new dozen replaces a departure of nine players from the 2020 squad, including two who went to the pros. RHP Jeff Hakanson was caught in 2020 MLB draft as the 155th pick of Tampa Bay Rays and RHP Trevor Holloway signed as a free agent New York Yankees. The Rays and the Yankees won both playoff berths this season.
“Those two [grad transfers] on the mound, really fill in the two big holes that Jeff has left behind [Hakanson] and Trevor [Holloway]departure, ”said Lovelady. “And without losing many fragments, we bring in some really talented children who will push for playing time and challenge the returns.
“The whole class really lays the foundation for the future of our program.”
2021 UCF Baseball Recruit Class
| Bucket. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucket. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | School |
| RHP | 4 | Vince bonanni | Fr. | 6-3 | 195 | Jupiter, Fla. | Cardinal Newman |
| RHP | 8 | AJ Jones | Sr. | 6-5 | 220 | Sarasota, Fla. | Jacksonville University |
| RHP | 11 | Kenny serwa | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 192 | Chicago, Ill. | Saint Patrick |
| RHP | 14 | Jojo coffey | Fr. | 5-11 | 175 | Winter Garden, Fla. | Montverde Academy |
| RHP | 15 | Zack Bennett | Fr. | 6-0 | 220 | Port Orange, Fla. | Chives |
| LHP | 20 | Hunter parris | Fr. | 5-10 | 150 | Vero Beach, Fla. | Vero beaches |
| AV C | 22 | Colin flynn | Fr. | 6-1 | 190 | Coral Springs, Fla. | Marjory Stoneman Douglas |
| INF | 24 | Alex Freeland | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 | Cape Coral, Fla. | Mariner |
| 1B / C | 30 | Matthew menendez | Fr. | 6-2 | 195 | Pembroke Pines, Fla. | Elite Squad Baseball Academy |
| RHP | 35 | Nick vieira | Fr. | 6-6 | 220 | Margate, Fla. | Elite Squad Baseball Academy |
| RHP | 37 | Ben vespi | Fr. | 6-3 | 190 | Boynton Beach, Fla. | Central Florida Elev8 |
| INF | 42 | John Montes | Fr. | 6-0 | 170 | Toa Alta, Puerto Rico | Leadership Christian Academy |
2021 UCF Baseball Roster
| Bucket. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucket. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| RHP | 4 | Vince bonanni | Fr. | 6-3 | 195 | Jupiter, Fla. |
| RHP | 8 | AJ Jones | Sr. | 6-5 | 220 | Sarasota, Fla. |
| RHP | 11 | Kenny serwa | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 192 | Chicago, Ill. |
| RHP | 14 | Jojo coffey | Fr. | 5-11 | 175 | Winter Garden, Fla. |
| RHP | 15 | Zack Bennett | Fr. | 6-0 | 220 | Port Orange, Fla. |
| LHP | 20 | Hunter parris | Fr. | 5-10 | 150 | Vero Beach, Fla. |
| AV C | 22 | Colin flynn | Fr. | 6-1 | 190 | Coral Springs, Fla. |
| INF | 24 | Alex Freeland | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 | Cape Coral, Fla. |
| 1B / C | 30 | Matthew menendez | Fr. | 6-2 | 195 | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| RHP | 35 | Nick vieira | Fr. | 6-6 | 220 | Margate, Fla. |
| RHP | 37 | Ben vespi | Fr. | 6-3 | 190 | Boynton Beach, Fla. |
| INF | 42 | John Montes | Fr. | 6-0 | 170 | Toa Alta, Puerto Rico |
| RHP | 1 | David Litchfield | R-Jr. | 6-0 | 175 | Longwood, Fla. |
| INF | 2 | Matt Archer | Fr. | 5-9 | 185 | Fort Salonga, NY |
| LHP | 3 | Nick gottilla | Fr. | 6-0 | 176 | Davenport, Iowa |
| USEFUL | 5 | Trent Taylor | Jr. | 6-0 | 185 | Merritt Island, Fla. |
| INF | 6 | Tom josten | So. | 6-2 | 200 | Palatine, Ill. |
| USEFUL | 7 | Jordan rattbein | Sr. | 5-11 | 200 | Spokane, wash. |
| LHP | 10 | Colton Gordon | R-So. | 6-4 | 225 | Bradenton, Fla. |
| RHP | 12 | Jack sinclair | Jr. | 6-4 | 170 | Coral Springs, Fla. |
| RHP | 1. 3 | Billy McKay | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 205 | Plant City, Fla. |
| LHP | 16 | Hunter Patteson | Fr. | 6-4 | 170 | Vero Beach, Fla. |
| 1B | 17 | Nick romano | Jr. | 6-3 | 234 | Tampa, Fla. |
| RHP | 18 | Zack Hunsicker | So. | 6-4 | 230 | Wentzville, Mo. |
| INF | 21 | Noah Orlando | Jr. | 6-0 | 180 | Orlando, Fla. |
| RHP | 25 | Nolan lepkoske | R-Fr. | 6-5 | 260 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| INF | 26 | Andrew Brait | Fr. | 5-8 | 176 | Melbourne, Fla. |
| OF | 27 | Gephry pena | So. | 6-0 | 165 | Santiago, Dominican Republic |
| LHP | 28 | Ryan Saltonstall | R-Jr. | 6-0 | 195 | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| USEFUL | 29 | Pablo Ruiz | Fr. | 5-9 | 190 | West Palm Beach, Fla. |
| RHP | 31 | Elijah McCormack | Fr. | 6-3 | 173 | Coppell, Tx. |
| USEFUL | 32 | Legs rushing | R-Fr. | 6-0 | 205 | Weston, Fla. |
| LHP | 33 | Keegan Pulford-Thorpe | Fr. | 6-2 | 206 | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
| INF | 39 | Connor Allen | R-So. | 6-4 | 225 | Merritt Island, Fla. |
| US | 40 | Ben mccabe | So. | 6-0 | 180 | Sarasota, Fla. |
| US | 44 | Josh Crouch | Jr. | 6-1 | 200 | Sebring, Fla. |
Daniella Medina is a contributing author of the Black & Gold Banner. Follow her on Twitter @danimedinanews.