UCF right fielder Eli Putnam stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first.
Putnam, the first batter in the Greg Lovelady era, made sure it was one to remember.
On a 1-0 count, Putnam sent Siena starting pitcher Tommy Miller’s pitch in the air to left field.
It cleared the fences.
The crowd erupted, as Putnam gave the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Lovelady couldn’t have scripted a better start to his tenure.
It got even better.
Designated hitter Ryan Crile hit a three-run home run to cap off a remarkable 10-run first inning for the Knights, helping UCF defeat Siena 17-6 in front of an announced home crowd of 2,621.
“Definitely made me feel a lot better,” Lovelady said. “The nerves definitely calmed [down] after that. Just really proud of the guys. We came out swinging the bats. Eli Putnam, second pitch of the game, really got us geeked up and the rest of the guys followed after that.”
In total, UCF (1-0) sent 14 batters to the plate in the opening frame, with nine getting hits in 28 minutes.
The 17 runs tied UCF’s opening day record set back on Feb. 22, 2008, against Florida A&M.
During practice, first-year UCF baseball coach Greg Lovelady likes to take a different approach.
Players on the team have never seen anyone do it.
Some of them did a double take when they first saw him do it.
Sometimes, Lovelady walks around Jay Bergman Field barefoot.
Other times, he’ll lay down…
During practice, first-year UCF baseball coach Greg Lovelady likes to take a different approach.
Players on the team have never seen anyone do it.
Some of them did a double take when they first saw him do it.
Sometimes, Lovelady walks around Jay Bergman Field barefoot.
Other times, he’ll lay down…
Every starter in the lineup had a hit and the Knights had 21 on the night.
Center fielder Luke Hamblin had a career-high four hits and four RBIs.
“We’re not going to score 17 runs every game, but we’re going to go up there and have quality at-bats,” Hamblin said. “That’s our goal.”
UCF starting pitcher Robby Howell struck out nine batters and scattered three hits over five innings of work to pick up the win.
Howell threw two side sessions during the bottom of the first to stay warm. It helped as he struck out the side in the second and was on cruise control the rest of his outing.
“It’s an overall good night,” Howell said. "[We] put a lot of runs early which makes it a lot easier to pitch.”
Siena (0-1) couldn’t do much at the plate. The Saints got three runs off of Howell and two more against the UCF bullpen when Drew Swain cranked a two-run home run in the seventh.
But the giant first inning was too much to overcome.
UCF continues its season-opening three-game series against Siena at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jay Bergman Field.
“Tomorrow is a new day. It’s the best thing about baseball,” Lovelady said. “We don’t carry any of those runs over to tomorrow, so we got to come out with a lot of energy and be able to play with the same type of intensity and hopefully have the same type of result.”
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, guard B.J. Taylor and center Tacko Fall preview the Knights’ matchup with Tulsa Tuesday.
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, guard B.J. Taylor and center Tacko Fall preview the Knights’ matchup with Tulsa Tuesday.
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, guard B.J. Taylor and center Tacko Fall preview the Knights’ matchup with Tulsa Tuesday.
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, guard B.J. Taylor and center Tacko Fall preview the Knights’ matchup with Tulsa Tuesday.
UCF’s 2017 football schedule was released by the American Athletic Conference Thursday morning.
UCF’s 2017 football schedule was released by the American Athletic Conference Thursday morning.
UCF head coach Scott Frost talks about how they’ve learned to save scholarship spots after National Signing Day to attract more and better recruits.
UCF head coach Scott Frost talks about how they’ve learned to save scholarship spots after National Signing Day to attract more and better recruits.
For the second straight season under UCF coach Scott Frost, the Knights finished with a top-three signing class in the American Athletic Conference.
For the second straight season under UCF coach Scott Frost, the Knights finished with a top-three signing class in the American Athletic Conference.
FSU came out on top while UCF turned in a solid effort. Florida rallied and USF made a huge comback from the bottom of the ladder.
FSU came out on top while UCF turned in a solid effort. Florida rallied and USF made a huge comback from the bottom of the ladder.
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