The Stetson Hatters will return to action on Tuesday night in Orlando when they take on UCF. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start from John Euliano Park on the UCF campus.
Both Stetson (No. 16) and UCF (No. 22) come into the contest ranked among the best teams in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball. The Hatters are 23-5 on the year while the Knights are 20-9 overall and 3-3 in American Conference play.
The Hatters ended more than a decade of frustration in a 1-0 victory over UCF back on February 20. The win snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Knights going back to May 2, 2007. The shutout victory over the Knights was the second of seven so far this year for the Stetson pitching staff.
The Hatters are tied at the top of the national rankings in shutouts this year with UCF, which also has seven.
Stetson is just two shutouts from tying the program record of nine set in 1972.
The Stetson pitching staff racked up 12 strikeouts against UCF in the first meeting this year, one of 19 games this year in which the Hatters have hit double figures. Stetson is currently ranked fifth nationally in K/9 (10.6) and are seventh in total strikeouts with 297.
UCF comes into the game this week fourth in total strikeouts (303) and ninth in K/9 (10.4). The Hatters hitters struck out a season-high 14 times in the first meeting this year.
Junior
Joey Gonzalez was the featured attraction for Stetson in the win over UCF in February. The right-hander worked seven shutout innings against the Knights, scattering four hits while striking out seven, before turning the game over to closer
Brooks Wilson in the eighth. Wilson struck out five over two frames to wrap up the win.
Wilson continues to have a remarkable season. He appeared on the mound in three of the four games last week and earned three saves, running his season total to an NCAA best 12. He is tied with Mac McCarty of VCU for the NCAA Division I lead.
Stetson bounced back from its first series loss of the season last Tuesday with a 5-3 victory over South Florida in Tampa. Gonzalez improved to 6-1 on the year, working into the eighth inning in the win. He is one of 16 players, along with teammate
Logan Gilbert, to have recorded six wins this year. The nine strikeouts last Tuesday for Gonzalez were a season and career-high. His previous career high for strikeouts in a game came against Florida on March 21, 2017.
Gonzalez (6-1, 0.99) will get his second shot at the Knights on Tuesday. He will be opposed by junior right-hander Cre Finfrock (1-0, 6.14). It will be his first start since the end of the 2016 season after he missed the 2017 campaign with an injury.
Stetson and UCF started their baseball rivalry in 1975 and were conference foes as members of the TAAC/ASUN from 1993-2006. During their time as league rivals the Knights held a 36-27 edge in the series.
Sophomore shortstop
Jorge Arenas was named the ASUN Player of the Week on Monday for his performance last week in leading the Hatters to a perfect 4-0 record. Arenas is the 26th Stetson player all-time, and second this year, to earn the ASUN Player of the Week award, joining with senior P/DH
Brooks Wilson.
For the first time in his career Arenas hit in the three-hole in all four games last week, and the moved seemed to suit him. Arenas had his best offensive week of the season, extending his hitting streak to seven games, and played flawless and, at times, spectacular defense. Arenas started the week by driving in three runs in a 5-3 road win against South Florida and then had an RBI in each game of a weekend sweep of Bethune-Cookman. His first inning home run on Friday gave Stetson all the runs it needed in what became a 2-0 win. For the week he was 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, 2-for-2 with runners at 3rd and less than 2 out, was 6-for-8 in opportunities to advance runners and had three two-out RBI. His performance for the week raised his season average to .299.
The Hatters enter the week ranked first in the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (5.38), in WHIP (1.00) and in team ERA (2.08). The Hatters fifth in K/9 (10.6) and 17th in K-to-BB ratio (2.94). Offensively the Hatters are 19th in triples (10) 15th in sacrifice flies (16) and 28th in stolen bases (44).
After the game at UCF, the Hatters will travel to north Georgia this weekend to open ASUN Conference play on Friday at Kennesaw State.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
