College Fall Report: UCF

Craig Cozart

Photo: Matthew Prevesk (UCF Athletics)

Players Mentioned: Dominic Stagliano, Wiley Hartley, Camden Wicker, Tyler Kozera, Grant Siegel, Dominic Castellano, Kristopher Sosnowski, Isaac Williams, Drew Bellis, Chase Krewson, DeAmez Ross, Andrew Williamson, Matthew Prevesk, Antonio Jimenez, Kendrey Maduro, Braden Calise, Edian Espinal, Dylan King, Andrew Sundean,

Last Spring: The Rich Wallace era got off to an impressive first season as he and his staff molded a depleted roster into a blue-collar winner. As if taking over as head coach at your alma mater didn’t bring enough challenges by itself, Wallace also had to lead the Knights into their first season in the new look Big 12 Conference. His club went 37-21 overall with in-state victories over Miami, FAU, South Florida, Florida, Jacksonville, North Florida, Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast on their way to the programs first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017.

Carrying Tool for 2025: UCF flashed the leather to the tune of an impressive .976 FLD% in 2024 and this year’s version of defense will be even better. They will be much more athletic across the diamond and have the ability to not only make the routine play but will take hits away at a high level. Combine the defensive prowess with a ramped up offense and you could have a team ready to compete for a Big 12 championship. Senior Matthew Prevesk and FSU transfer DeAmez Ross will most likely set the tone at the top of the lineup. Prevesk is the top returning hitter after batting .342 last season, he has cut down on his swing and miss and the power is trending upward. Meanwhile, Ross possesses game changing speed, values moving the baseball and should be a premium run scorer. JUCO transfer Kendrey Maduro is basically a shortstop who will handle the hot corner and be a presence in the middle of the lineup with his easy power to all fields.

Antonio Jimenez transferred in from Miami and may be the most tooled out player on the roster. He is a physical, 6-1/200 middle infielder with the combination of barrel control and power that develop into an all-conference type player. Andrew Williamson had a great fall, started 42 games as a freshman last year and Braden Calise is a spark plug that can help his club win in all aspects of the game. Duke transfer Chase Krewson hit .331 in the ACC as a freshman last season, has a cannon for an arm and will be in the mix in the outfield. Edian Espinal transferred in from Chipola and is the ultimate utility guy that will give the lineup length. Andrew Sundean and Dylan King will give the Knights plenty of depth behind the dish. Sundean is a beast at 6-6/230 and with a healthy season will be a double digit home run guy. King swings it from the left side, is clean behind the dish and looks like he could have a breakout season with the stick.

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