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Fall Report: UCF
FALL REPORTAaron Fitt - November 5, 2018
ORLANDO — It’s been an offseason of transition for UCF, which had to reload after losing six players to the draft (including five key pitchers and lineup centerpiece Rylan Thomas), then had to replace pitching coach Justin Parker, who left for Indiana. Head coach Greg Lovelady and recruiting coordinator Ryan Klosterman brought in a strong group of reinforcements on the recruiting trail, and UCF lured Nick Otte away from Xavier to take over as pitching coach.
As pitchers have gotten used to Otte’s system, the Knights have seen a number of big gains on the mound, and they head into the winter filled with optimism about the state of the revamped pitching staff, as well as the state of a veteran lineup that returns every key piece except Thomas.
“It’s funny because you lose six guys to the draft and it’s like, ‘Holy cow.’ It’s really hard to replace that,” Lovelady said. “JJ (Montgomery) and Thad (Ward) and(Bryce) Tucker and Cre (Finfrock), then (Eric) Hepple was a senior who had a great year in pro ball — it’s like, ‘Man, where are we gonna get the arms from?’ But Ryan did a great job recruiting, bringing in these guys. … We’ve seen a few guys really, really make a jump, and that’s what this game’s all about. Guys leave — next guy up. That’s what growth and development is all about, and the foundation of this program is to develop kids. The coaching staff’s done a great job doing that with guys.”
Righthander Chris Williams is back as a fifth-year senior after making 15 starts and posting a 2.81 ERA a year ago, and certainly he’ll provide invaluable veteran stability. A 5-foot-11 bulldog, Williams bumped 90 mph and showed a quality four-pitch mix in UCF’s final fall world series game last Saturday, though he got hit around a little bit.
But Williams isn’t the only fifth-year senior on this pitching staff. The coaching staff worked hard to find a couple of graduate transfers this summer who they knew could step right in and handle the Division I baseball experience, and they found two good ones: lefthander Grant Schuermann from Furman and righty Kyle Kemp from Belmont. Schuermann, a wily lefty with an 85-88 fastball, really good changeup and a decent curve, has 35 starts and 227 innings under his belt with the Paladins, and he could wind up as a dependable five-inning starter in those crucial Sunshine State midweek games. Kemp can miss bats with his 89-93 fastball, splitter and slider — he struck out 128 in 126.2 career innings at Lipscomb, and he figures to be a key bullpen piece for the Knights.
Along with juco transfers Zack Helsel (a bounceback from Liberty) and Ryan Saltonstall, Kemp and Schuermann have also made a huge impact in the clubhouse.
“Those four guys are very outgoing, they’re very loose. They have a lot of fun, but not like inappropriate fun,” Lovelady said. “A lot of guys come in and they want to impress, they don’t know where they’re supposed to be or what they’re supposed to say or how they’re supposed to react. Those guys don’t care about any of that. They just come out here and compete, and it just loosens everybody up. They’ve fit in very well really quickly, and it just has helped with the camaraderie.”
Helsel figures to be another valuable piece in a bullpen that looks quite deep despite the losses of Montgomery, Ward, Finfrock and Tucker. A sidewinding righthander, Helsel retired all eight batters he faced last Sunday (three via strikeouts), showing good life on his 86-88 sinker and an effective sweeping slider around 78 mph. Saltonstall, a quick-twitch athlete who used to be a two-way player, should serve as a key bullpen lefty on a righty-dominant staff. Seasoned junior Joe Sheridan could give UCF another southpaw if he can work his way back from labrum surgery, but he’s very much a wild card right now.
UCF righthander Nolan Lepkoske (Aaron Fitt)
Several other newcomers who will factor prominently into the overhauled staff also pitched last Saturday. Juco transfer Tom Chesharek has an uptempo delivery with some funk and gets good sink on a 91-92 fastball, along with two distinct and quality breaking balls: an 82-84 slider and a big downer curve at 78-79. He was a strikeout machine at Parklack (Ill.) JC, and he should see plenty of high-leverage situations at UCF. Freshman righty Nolan Lepkoske bears a physical resemblance to Jake Arrieta — or perhaps Paul Bunyan — at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with a big, dark beard. He also has seen his velocity spike this fall; after showing up and throwing 91 mph in his first bullpen, he sat 96-97 for a few batters then pitched at 92-95 on Saturday, though he struggled with his control, especially from the stretch. Like his command, his secondary stuff is still developing, but his body and arm strength are awfully intriguing, and his future is bright.
Righty Trevor Holloway, who helped lead Chipola (Fla.) JC to the national title last year, figures to join Williams and senior righty Jordan Spicer in the weekend rotation. Holloway struck out seven in three innings of work last Saturday, showing the ability to miss bats with his 90-92 fastball or his 81-85 slider, which he manipulates well, throwing it with shorter or bigger tilt depending on the situation.
UCF righty Trevor Holloway (Aaron Fitt)
Spicer was a marquee juco addition himself a year ago, but he struggled with his consistency in his first year of D-I competition. The Knights hope he’s ready to make that typical jump that many juco transfers make as seniors.
“Last year was just a roller coaster, you never knew what you were gonna get. There were days it was Friday night stuff and days it was Tuesday night stuff,” Lovelady said of Spicer. “It was just getting accustomed to college and what the expectations are and what he needed to do to prepare himself every day. I think the pitching maturity has just been better. He has the ability to be 90-94 with an 85-87 mph slider, you just don’t see that very often, and he’s got a change that is just wipeout. So he has the ability, he has experience now, you just hope the consistency is there. This fall has been much more consistent than he had last fall or last spring.”
Sophomores Jack Sinclair and Jeffrey Hakanson have also made nice steps forward since the spring, and both figure to be key bullpen pieces in 2019. Sinclair, a lean 6-foot-4 righty with an easy over-the-top arm action, worked downhill at 89-92 last Saturday, mixing in a slow curve and a decent slider for a chase pitch. He breezed through a scoreless frame. Hakanson was dominant in his 1-2-3 inning, strikeout out two with fastballs at 92 and 93 mph. He presents a different look, with a slingy low three-quarters arm slot and a head whack that gives him a little funky deception. After posting a 5.52 ERA in 14 appearances last year, Hakanson gained confidence in summer ball and has seen his stuff tick up as well; he pumped 92-93 and touched 94 last week. The Knights are working with him to tighten up his slider, which was bigger last year, and his changeup remains in its nascent stages, but he’s got the stuff, the funk and the spin rate to thrive in the bullpen now.
Last but certainly not least, UCF has a senior righty who could anchor the bullpen in Garrett Westberg, who posted a 1.13 ERA in 23 innings last year. He’s been sidelined this fall with a lat issue, but he has shown 90-93 heat and a wipeout hard slider in the past. Lovelady describes him as a competitive bulldog and a screamer, and as long as he can channel that fiery passion in a constructive way, he’ll thrive.
So even though there are a lot of new pieces and unproven returnees on the mound, this staff has plenty of talent and depth. It’s just a matter of gaining experience and fitting the pieces together.
“With some other guys we have, Williams and Holloway and Spicer and Schuermann, you really feel like you have four guys you can trust starting, and we’re just gonna bullpen the crap out of it a lot, I think,” Lovelady said.
The lineup has more known commodities, with six everyday regulars back in the fold plus a couple of part-time players who look ready to assume full-time roles. Fifth-year senior corner outfielder/first baseman Tyler Osik (.310/.391/.485, 9 HR, 56 RBI) is a proven, experienced run producer in the heart of the lineup, and he showed off his righthanded power with a long homer to left field on a hanging slider last Saturday, as well as a double to center and a single to right on 92 mph heat.
Physical junior Dallas Beaver and athletic sophomore Dalton Wingo also went deep in that scrimmage, and both of them could help Osik form a powerful heart of the order and replace the departed Thomas, who led the team with a .343/.447/.587 line and 13 homers. The lefthanded-hitting Beaver showed off his opposite-field juice by blasting a fastball to left field last Saturday. After hitting .284/.372/.399 with six homers as a sophomore, Beaver looks poised for a power surge in 2019. He’s been perhaps UCF’s most improved position player this fall. He figures to see the bulk of his time at first base, but he’s also the backup catcher and a capable third baseman.
“Beaver’s done a tremendous job. Obviously has to step up with Rylan gone,” Lovelady said. “He’s got oppo power, especially with the way the wind blows in this park, to be able to oppo balls up into left-center and let the wind blow them out. But he’s got power to all fields, just has got much better barrel control and feel for the barrel right now than he ever has, and you’re seeing it. He’s just really coming along, really buying in.”
UCF’s Dallas Beaver (Aaron Fitt)
Wingo, who hit .179 in 78 at-bats last year, is more of an X-factor. Lovelady said if you just watch the Knights in batting practice, you’d walk away thinking Wingo is the team’s best player, but it hadn’t translated into game action until last Saturday, when he was a force in the final scrimmage of the fall. He finished 3-for-3 with a walk and an opposite-field homer to right on a 90 mph fastball. The Knights are trying to get him to lift the ball more and hit fewer ground balls with top spin, and if he can figure it out, he could win an outfield corner job.
Fourth-year junior Ray Alejo is back in center field after hitting .295 with 34 steals in 39 tries. He’s a plus-plus runner who was very productive last year despite striking out 73 times compared with 26 walks, but in order to really harness his dynamic talent he must cut down that strikeout rate. Alejo and senior second baseman Matthew Mika are disruptive catalysts who should make this team go, good fits for the aggressive baserunning style that Lovelady prefers. Mika isn’t as fast as Alejo, but he has top of the charts instincts, helping him swipe 27 bags in 33 tries last year while hitting .277.
Lovelady feels great about his defense up the middle, as Alejo has made a nice transition from the infield to center, Mika is a four-year starter and rock-solid defender at second, senior shortstop Brandon Hernandez is a slick defender who started almost every game last year, and fourth-year junior Anthony George is back from an MCL injury to hold down the catcher spot. George is a big-time breakout candidate in 2019.
“He’s been unreal, just lights-out the entire fall, just crushing balls. It came back a lot faster. You thought it would take some at-bats to get used to the speed of the game again, but he’s been tremendous,” Lovelady said. “But he’s a great defender behind the plate, great defender. That was always his specialty. He’s just made great strides, made a huge, huge difference offensively — where are we gonna get offense from? You lose Rylan. We know Mika’s gonna do some things, Alejo’s gonna do some things, and then Osik, but where else? But now (Griffin) Bernardo and George and Beaver and hopefully Wingo, that gives you a middle of the order.”
UCF third baseman Griffin Bernardo (Aaron Fitt)
Bernardo is the final piece of the puzzle, a talented third baseman who has played with abundant confidence. Lovelady said Bernardo was unsure of himself last year, when he hit .269/.425/.463 in 67 at-bats, but he came into his own with a strong summer, and returned to campus this fall as a completely different guy. He’s another good athlete with the ability to hit for average and some power from the right side, and he’s a standout defender at the hot corner.
The Knights won 35 games last year, finished in the middle of the American Athletic Conference pack at 13-10, and 44th in the RPI — but they just missed out on regionals. Lovelady thinks this group is more prepared to endure the ups and downs of the season, and if it all clicks this group has a chance to get back to the postseason and make some noise.
“Last year we had a lot of new players that were playing new positions, or new to the program, that just mentally weren’t prepared, weren’t ready for it,” Lovelady said. “The game just sped up on them a lot when the moments became too big. So now we have our whole offense back except Rylan, so we’ve just got a lot more experience there.”
Fall Report: UCF
FALL REPORTAaron Fitt - November 5, 2018
ORLANDO — It’s been an offseason of transition for UCF, which had to reload after losing six players to the draft (including five key pitchers and lineup centerpiece Rylan Thomas), then had to replace pitching coach Justin Parker, who left for Indiana. Head coach Greg Lovelady and recruiting coordinator Ryan Klosterman brought in a strong group of reinforcements on the recruiting trail, and UCF lured Nick Otte away from Xavier to take over as pitching coach.
As pitchers have gotten used to Otte’s system, the Knights have seen a number of big gains on the mound, and they head into the winter filled with optimism about the state of the revamped pitching staff, as well as the state of a veteran lineup that returns every key piece except Thomas.
“It’s funny because you lose six guys to the draft and it’s like, ‘Holy cow.’ It’s really hard to replace that,” Lovelady said. “JJ (Montgomery) and Thad (Ward) and(Bryce) Tucker and Cre (Finfrock), then (Eric) Hepple was a senior who had a great year in pro ball — it’s like, ‘Man, where are we gonna get the arms from?’ But Ryan did a great job recruiting, bringing in these guys. … We’ve seen a few guys really, really make a jump, and that’s what this game’s all about. Guys leave — next guy up. That’s what growth and development is all about, and the foundation of this program is to develop kids. The coaching staff’s done a great job doing that with guys.”
Righthander Chris Williams is back as a fifth-year senior after making 15 starts and posting a 2.81 ERA a year ago, and certainly he’ll provide invaluable veteran stability. A 5-foot-11 bulldog, Williams bumped 90 mph and showed a quality four-pitch mix in UCF’s final fall world series game last Saturday, though he got hit around a little bit.
But Williams isn’t the only fifth-year senior on this pitching staff. The coaching staff worked hard to find a couple of graduate transfers this summer who they knew could step right in and handle the Division I baseball experience, and they found two good ones: lefthander Grant Schuermann from Furman and righty Kyle Kemp from Belmont. Schuermann, a wily lefty with an 85-88 fastball, really good changeup and a decent curve, has 35 starts and 227 innings under his belt with the Paladins, and he could wind up as a dependable five-inning starter in those crucial Sunshine State midweek games. Kemp can miss bats with his 89-93 fastball, splitter and slider — he struck out 128 in 126.2 career innings at Lipscomb, and he figures to be a key bullpen piece for the Knights.
Along with juco transfers Zack Helsel (a bounceback from Liberty) and Ryan Saltonstall, Kemp and Schuermann have also made a huge impact in the clubhouse.
“Those four guys are very outgoing, they’re very loose. They have a lot of fun, but not like inappropriate fun,” Lovelady said. “A lot of guys come in and they want to impress, they don’t know where they’re supposed to be or what they’re supposed to say or how they’re supposed to react. Those guys don’t care about any of that. They just come out here and compete, and it just loosens everybody up. They’ve fit in very well really quickly, and it just has helped with the camaraderie.”
Helsel figures to be another valuable piece in a bullpen that looks quite deep despite the losses of Montgomery, Ward, Finfrock and Tucker. A sidewinding righthander, Helsel retired all eight batters he faced last Sunday (three via strikeouts), showing good life on his 86-88 sinker and an effective sweeping slider around 78 mph. Saltonstall, a quick-twitch athlete who used to be a two-way player, should serve as a key bullpen lefty on a righty-dominant staff. Seasoned junior Joe Sheridan could give UCF another southpaw if he can work his way back from labrum surgery, but he’s very much a wild card right now.
Several other newcomers who will factor prominently into the overhauled staff also pitched last Saturday. Juco transfer Tom Chesharek has an uptempo delivery with some funk and gets good sink on a 91-92 fastball, along with two distinct and quality breaking balls: an 82-84 slider and a big downer curve at 78-79. He was a strikeout machine at Parklack (Ill.) JC, and he should see plenty of high-leverage situations at UCF. Freshman righty Nolan Lepkoske bears a physical resemblance to Jake Arrieta — or perhaps Paul Bunyan — at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with a big, dark beard. He also has seen his velocity spike this fall; after showing up and throwing 91 mph in his first bullpen, he sat 96-97 for a few batters then pitched at 92-95 on Saturday, though he struggled with his control, especially from the stretch. Like his command, his secondary stuff is still developing, but his body and arm strength are awfully intriguing, and his future is bright.
Righty Trevor Holloway, who helped lead Chipola (Fla.) JC to the national title last year, figures to join Williams and senior righty Jordan Spicer in the weekend rotation. Holloway struck out seven in three innings of work last Saturday, showing the ability to miss bats with his 90-92 fastball or his 81-85 slider, which he manipulates well, throwing it with shorter or bigger tilt depending on the situation.
Spicer was a marquee juco addition himself a year ago, but he struggled with his consistency in his first year of D-I competition. The Knights hope he’s ready to make that typical jump that many juco transfers make as seniors.
“Last year was just a roller coaster, you never knew what you were gonna get. There were days it was Friday night stuff and days it was Tuesday night stuff,” Lovelady said of Spicer. “It was just getting accustomed to college and what the expectations are and what he needed to do to prepare himself every day. I think the pitching maturity has just been better. He has the ability to be 90-94 with an 85-87 mph slider, you just don’t see that very often, and he’s got a change that is just wipeout. So he has the ability, he has experience now, you just hope the consistency is there. This fall has been much more consistent than he had last fall or last spring.”
Sophomores Jack Sinclair and Jeffrey Hakanson have also made nice steps forward since the spring, and both figure to be key bullpen pieces in 2019. Sinclair, a lean 6-foot-4 righty with an easy over-the-top arm action, worked downhill at 89-92 last Saturday, mixing in a slow curve and a decent slider for a chase pitch. He breezed through a scoreless frame. Hakanson was dominant in his 1-2-3 inning, strikeout out two with fastballs at 92 and 93 mph. He presents a different look, with a slingy low three-quarters arm slot and a head whack that gives him a little funky deception. After posting a 5.52 ERA in 14 appearances last year, Hakanson gained confidence in summer ball and has seen his stuff tick up as well; he pumped 92-93 and touched 94 last week. The Knights are working with him to tighten up his slider, which was bigger last year, and his changeup remains in its nascent stages, but he’s got the stuff, the funk and the spin rate to thrive in the bullpen now.
Last but certainly not least, UCF has a senior righty who could anchor the bullpen in Garrett Westberg, who posted a 1.13 ERA in 23 innings last year. He’s been sidelined this fall with a lat issue, but he has shown 90-93 heat and a wipeout hard slider in the past. Lovelady describes him as a competitive bulldog and a screamer, and as long as he can channel that fiery passion in a constructive way, he’ll thrive.
So even though there are a lot of new pieces and unproven returnees on the mound, this staff has plenty of talent and depth. It’s just a matter of gaining experience and fitting the pieces together.
“With some other guys we have, Williams and Holloway and Spicer and Schuermann, you really feel like you have four guys you can trust starting, and we’re just gonna bullpen the crap out of it a lot, I think,” Lovelady said.
The lineup has more known commodities, with six everyday regulars back in the fold plus a couple of part-time players who look ready to assume full-time roles. Fifth-year senior corner outfielder/first baseman Tyler Osik (.310/.391/.485, 9 HR, 56 RBI) is a proven, experienced run producer in the heart of the lineup, and he showed off his righthanded power with a long homer to left field on a hanging slider last Saturday, as well as a double to center and a single to right on 92 mph heat.
Physical junior Dallas Beaver and athletic sophomore Dalton Wingo also went deep in that scrimmage, and both of them could help Osik form a powerful heart of the order and replace the departed Thomas, who led the team with a .343/.447/.587 line and 13 homers. The lefthanded-hitting Beaver showed off his opposite-field juice by blasting a fastball to left field last Saturday. After hitting .284/.372/.399 with six homers as a sophomore, Beaver looks poised for a power surge in 2019. He’s been perhaps UCF’s most improved position player this fall. He figures to see the bulk of his time at first base, but he’s also the backup catcher and a capable third baseman.
“Beaver’s done a tremendous job. Obviously has to step up with Rylan gone,” Lovelady said. “He’s got oppo power, especially with the way the wind blows in this park, to be able to oppo balls up into left-center and let the wind blow them out. But he’s got power to all fields, just has got much better barrel control and feel for the barrel right now than he ever has, and you’re seeing it. He’s just really coming along, really buying in.”
Wingo, who hit .179 in 78 at-bats last year, is more of an X-factor. Lovelady said if you just watch the Knights in batting practice, you’d walk away thinking Wingo is the team’s best player, but it hadn’t translated into game action until last Saturday, when he was a force in the final scrimmage of the fall. He finished 3-for-3 with a walk and an opposite-field homer to right on a 90 mph fastball. The Knights are trying to get him to lift the ball more and hit fewer ground balls with top spin, and if he can figure it out, he could win an outfield corner job.
Fourth-year junior Ray Alejo is back in center field after hitting .295 with 34 steals in 39 tries. He’s a plus-plus runner who was very productive last year despite striking out 73 times compared with 26 walks, but in order to really harness his dynamic talent he must cut down that strikeout rate. Alejo and senior second baseman Matthew Mika are disruptive catalysts who should make this team go, good fits for the aggressive baserunning style that Lovelady prefers. Mika isn’t as fast as Alejo, but he has top of the charts instincts, helping him swipe 27 bags in 33 tries last year while hitting .277.
Lovelady feels great about his defense up the middle, as Alejo has made a nice transition from the infield to center, Mika is a four-year starter and rock-solid defender at second, senior shortstop Brandon Hernandez is a slick defender who started almost every game last year, and fourth-year junior Anthony George is back from an MCL injury to hold down the catcher spot. George is a big-time breakout candidate in 2019.
“He’s been unreal, just lights-out the entire fall, just crushing balls. It came back a lot faster. You thought it would take some at-bats to get used to the speed of the game again, but he’s been tremendous,” Lovelady said. “But he’s a great defender behind the plate, great defender. That was always his specialty. He’s just made great strides, made a huge, huge difference offensively — where are we gonna get offense from? You lose Rylan. We know Mika’s gonna do some things, Alejo’s gonna do some things, and then Osik, but where else? But now (Griffin) Bernardo and George and Beaver and hopefully Wingo, that gives you a middle of the order.”
Bernardo is the final piece of the puzzle, a talented third baseman who has played with abundant confidence. Lovelady said Bernardo was unsure of himself last year, when he hit .269/.425/.463 in 67 at-bats, but he came into his own with a strong summer, and returned to campus this fall as a completely different guy. He’s another good athlete with the ability to hit for average and some power from the right side, and he’s a standout defender at the hot corner.
The Knights won 35 games last year, finished in the middle of the American Athletic Conference pack at 13-10, and 44th in the RPI — but they just missed out on regionals. Lovelady thinks this group is more prepared to endure the ups and downs of the season, and if it all clicks this group has a chance to get back to the postseason and make some noise.
“Last year we had a lot of new players that were playing new positions, or new to the program, that just mentally weren’t prepared, weren’t ready for it,” Lovelady said. “The game just sped up on them a lot when the moments became too big. So now we have our whole offense back except Rylan, so we’ve just got a lot more experience there.”