Skoglund, who was a unanimous choice to the All-AAC First Team, was joined on the squad by junior short stop Tommy Williams. Zach Rodgers, James Vasquez, Dylan Moore, Derrick Salberg, and Sam Tolleson all earned second team honors to give the Knights seven players on the first and second teams.

麻豆原创鈥檚 previous high was six players earning First and Second Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors in both 2000 and 2001. Erik Barber added Third Team All-AAC accolades to give the Knights eight all-conference team members on Tuesday.

Skoglund becomes just the second ever conference Pitcher of the Year honoree for the Knights, following Matt Fox who was the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year in 2004. Skoglund holds a 9-2 record and a 2.04 ERA, while leading the league with 92 strikeouts. He has three complete games and was recently named to the Gregg Olson Breakout Player of the Year Award Watch List.

Rooney was named Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to a 17-7 conference record and a second place finish in The American. 麻豆原创鈥檚 current record of 34-22 is much improved over last year鈥檚 mark of 29-30. The Knights went just 13-11 in Conference-USA a year ago. Rooney joins Jay Bergman (2001, 2002, 2004) as the only 麻豆原创 skippers to be named conference Coach of the Year.

Williams, who leads the league and is ranked 21st in the nation with 11 home runs, joined Skoglund on the First Team. The short stop has also added eight doubles, a triple, and is second on the team with 44 runs batted in.

Rodgers has played nearly every pitching role possible for the Knights this season. He holds a 6-1 record, has five saves, and is third in the league with a 1.41 ERA. The first baseman, Vasquez is in the Top 10 in The American in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.340, 3rd) and RBIs (50, 2nd).

At second base, Moore leads the Knights and is third in The American with 68 hits. He has also added a team-best 15 doubles. Centerfielder Salberg is second among the Knights with a .315 average, while designated hitter Tolleson is fourth at .286 with three homers.

Barber joins Salberg as Knight outfielders to be honored. The right fielder was selected to third team after a 13-double, five home run regular season.

2014 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL AWARDS

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jeff Gardner, OF, Louisville (Sr., Louisville, Ky.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Eric Skoglund, LHP, 麻豆原创 (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

Andrew Lantrip, RHP, Houston (Fr., Livingston, Texas)

Gaby Rosa, RHP, Rutgers (Fr., Perth Amboy, N.J.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR

Terry Rooney, UCF

All-Conference Team

First Team

Pos Name School Cl Hometown

* = Unanimous Selection

Second Team

Pos Name School Cl Hometown

The Knights (25-15, 12-2 American Athletic Conference) topped the Cardinals (27-11, 7-4), 8-2, in the opening contest before returning later in the evening and delivering a walk-off thriller in the nightcap, 4-3, in 11 innings.

鈥淲e talked about as a team that the theme today was toughness,鈥� head coach Terry Rooney said after the game. 鈥淭oday was something different and something new, a weekday doubleheader starting in the middle of the day. I couldn鈥檛 be more proud of these kids today. To win a doubleheader against an outstanding Louisville team, every single person did an outstanding job.鈥�

GAME 1 Recap

Skoglund (6-1) shined over the first eight frames as he allowed just four hits and no runs before giving up a pair in the ninth inning. The Sarasota native went 8.2 innings total, allowing eight hits and two runs to go along with a walk and seven strikeouts.

鈥淚 was able to throw strikes, pound the zone, and have command of all three of my pitches,鈥� Skoglund said. 鈥淓stablish my fastball and work my off-speed stuff off that. Sitting in the dugout during the second game was an emotional rollercoaster, but it was definitely awesome we got those two wins. It鈥檚 great for our team.鈥�

The Knights struck first in game one without recording a single hit. After junior Dylan Moore (2-for-4, 3 R) led off the game by reaching on an error, Louisville issued three-consecutive free passes to bring in a run. Freshman Matt Diorio was the beneficiary of an RBI on the bases-loaded walk.

Both Skoglund and Cardinals鈥� starter Kyle Funkhouser (7-2) settled into a groove and put up zeroes over the next six innings before 麻豆原创 broke the game open with seven runs in the seventh and eighth frames.

After back-to-back singles by Moore and junior Derrick Salberg put two runners on in the seventh, the Cardinals decided to intentionally walk junior James Vasquez (2-for-3, 3 RBI) to load the bases. This would prove costly as Diorio stepped in next and earned his second RBI of the afternoon without taking a swing as he was hit by a pitch with the bags full. Junior Tommy Williams (2-for-4, 2 RBI) then delivered a big two-run single up the middle to put the Knights up 4-0.

Vasquez would put an exclamation point on the victory in the eighth when he crushed his fourth home run of the season, a three-run blast, to right field. 麻豆原创鈥檚 cleanup hitter has reached base in 30-consecutive games, the longest stretch by any Knight this season.

Redshirt freshman Jarrod Petree came in relief of Skoglund in the ninth got the final out of the game to seal the victory.

GAME 2 Recap

After a 45-minute break to prep the field, the two teams got back to action for game two at approximately 7:20 p.m. After 18 innings of baseball on the day, the two squads decided that was not enough as they went two additional frames in the Black and Gold鈥檚 eighth extra-inning contest of the season.

The Knights became the first team this year to score a run off Cardinals鈥� elite closer Nick Burdi when they walked off in the 11th. After Moore led off the inning by reaching on an error, Burdi uncorked three wild pitches to let the Yorba Linda, Calif., native race home from third and into the arms of his celebrating teammates. It was the first run allowed this season by Burdi in 18.2 innings pitched.

Skoglund鈥檚 long outing in the opener provided the Knights鈥� bullpen with fresh arms as five relievers combined to throw nine innings of two-hit ball in relief of starter Tanner Olson.

Freshman Trent Thompson (1-4) earned his first-collegiate victory after spinning two perfect innings in the 10th and 11th to give the 麻豆原创 offense an opportunity in its final at-bat.

鈥淢y mindset coming in is to throw up a hoop and give us a chance to walk off,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭his year is the first time ever in my playing career being used in a relief role and coming into big pressure roles is something honestly that I love. I just wanted to let our hitters do what they do best, and that鈥檚 come through in the clutch.鈥�

Sophomore Zac Favre shutdown a potential threat in the third inning. With two on and none out, the Jacksonville native came into the game and retired the next three Louisville hitters in order to get his team out of a jam.

Trailing 2-0 in the first, junior Erik Barber (1-for-4, 2 RBI) launched his third home run of the season, a two-run jack, over the wall in right to tie the game. Four innings later, the Black and Gold took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Moore than scored junior Jordan Savinon (3-for-3, 1 R). Savinon not only had a nice night at the plate, but he swiped his first-career stolen bases in the contest.

Junior Parker Thomas came up with perhaps the biggest out of the ball game in the ninth. With two on and two out, Louisville brought The American鈥檚 leading RBI man, Jeff Gardner, to the plate. Thomas, who was brought in to replace junior Zach Rodgers who allowed an unearned run on one hit in over 2.2 innings pitched, got Gardner to fly out to center to end the threat.

麻豆原创 will look to sweep the series as the action concludes tomorrow with 6:30 p.m. start. If the game is unable to be played due to weather, the squads will meet on Saturday at 11 a.m. Sophomore RHP Anthony Kidston will start for Louisville against a to-be-determined starter for the Knights.

Multi-game packages and single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the 麻豆原创AA Sales & Service Office at (407) 麻豆原创-1000. Stay up-to-date on all the latest baseball news by following the team on Twitter @麻豆原创_Baseball, Facebook and Instagram.

So it鈥檚 only fitting now 鈥� two games deep into an epic 麻豆原创-Rice winner-take-all series 鈥� that the two teams are again tied with one final game on Saturday at 1 p.m. to decide the regular-season champions of Conference USA.

No. 13 麻豆原创 (41-13 overall and 16-7 in C-USA play) outlasted No. 4 Rice 8-6 in the conclusion of Game 1聽 of the series to put itself in position to win its first C-USA title. However, No. 4 Rice (38-15 and 16-7) refused to go away quietly, topping the Knights 9-2 in the rain-delayed nightcap to set up a deciding game on Saturday for the league title.

鈥淲e talk all of the time about championship Sunday; well, it鈥檚 championship Saturday now,” 麻豆原创 head coach Terry Rooney said. “Every single weekend we鈥檝e talked about (winning a championship). So we鈥檒l be there at 1 o鈥檆lock. What else could you ask for?”

Friday night鈥檚 result put somewhat of a damper on 麻豆原创鈥檚 8-6 win earlier in the day and its chance to win a first conference title since 2005 when it was still a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. A boisterous crowd of 2,687 fans 鈥� the fifth-largest all-time at the 麻豆原创 Baseball Complex and most ever against a non-Florida team 鈥� saw the Knights tie the game at 2-all in the fourth inning. However, Rice put the game away by scoring two runs in the fifth, two in the eighth and two in the ninth.

麻豆原创 knew all along knocking out Rice would be extremely difficult considering the Owls鈥� championship pedigree. Rice has made 17-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and has reached the College World Series six times. Now, the Knights must knock out the longtime champs in order to get themselves a championship ring.

鈥淲e kind of figured it would come down to this,鈥欌�� said junior center fielder Ronnie Richardson, who scored two twice in 麻豆原创鈥檚 8-6 Game 1 win and had a hit in Game 2. “We just have to go win (on Saturday). It鈥檚 the definition of championship Sunday, even though it won鈥檛 be Sunday.鈥欌��

Rooney now must decide on a starting pitcher for Saturday鈥檚 winner-take-all game. He could start veteran lefthander Brian Adkins (3-4, 4.20 ERA), Ray Hanson (4-1, 3.51 ERA) or freshman lefty Eric Skoglund (5-1, 2.01). Rooney said he鈥檒l opt for the pitcher who can throw the most strikes after the Knights鈥� pitchers walked 14 batters and hit three in the two games.

Adkins, a fixture of the rotation the past three games, is desperately hoping he gets the chance to start after slumping down the stretch. Adkins is a finesse pitcher who relies on location and change of speeds.

鈥淚t鈥檚 huge. Personally I鈥檝e never had a chance to play for a championship of this magnitude, so I鈥檓 very excited and hoping to seize this opportunity,鈥欌�� Adkins said. “(Starting) is what I鈥檓 hoping for. Obviously, I want the ball with the game on the line or the series on the line.鈥欌��

Trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, the Knights turned to the bottom of their order to tie the game up. Jeramy Matos drilled a double into the left field corner to plate Ryan Breen, who had walked. With two outs, Travis Shreve lined the ball up the middle 鈥� his fourth hit in the two games 鈥� to knot the game at 2-all.

鈥淎ll season we have given coach gray hairs with one-run games, so it鈥檚 kind of fitting that it will come down to this last game for championship (Saturday),鈥欌�� said Shreve, who pointed at his family in the stands upon tying up the game. “They鈥檙e going through the same conditions as us, so there are no excuses. What it comes down to is the tougher team is going to win. They鈥檙e a great team and we鈥檙e a great team, and we have to do what we can to win.”

Rice retook a two-run lead in the fifth inning without getting a hit. Two walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch and a fielder鈥檚 choice plated two runs to put the Owls up 4-2.

麻豆原创 closer Joe Rogers finished off Rice in Game 1, striking out Michael Fuda with two runners on to preserve the 8-6 victory. Remarkably, the conclusion of the game came just a few minutes shy of when it started 24 hours earlier. Rogers, already 麻豆原创鈥檚 all-time leader in saves, tied a 麻豆原创 season-record with his 12th save of the year.

The Game 1 victory was 麻豆原创鈥檚 first defeat of a top-five team since last April when the Knights topped No. 5 Florida at the 麻豆原创 baseball complex.

麻豆原创 started Friday with an 8-3 lead, but the advantage shrunk to 8-6 after reliever Roman Madrid walked in two runs and gave up a run-scoring single. Right fielder Alex Friedrich made sure Rice got no closer, throwing out Rice鈥檚 Shane Hoelscher at the plate for his seventh outfield assist of the season.

In the early innings on Thursday, 麻豆原创 rattled and knocked Rice standout starter Matthew Reckling out of the game in third inning with a pair of two-RBI hits from Darnell Sweeney and Chris Taladay. Sweeney drove a 3-1 pitch to the opposite field for a double that scored Nick Carrillo and Travis Shreve, who had reached on a walk and a hit-and-run single respectively. Taladay made it 4-0 with another hit to left-center and D.J. Hicks pushed the score to 5-0 with his 66th RBI of the season.

Friedrich, 麻豆原创鈥檚 most consistent hitter all season, made Rice pay for intentionally walking Hicks in front of him by stroking a double to clear the bases in the fourth inning. The three-run shot to the wall gave the Knights a commanding 8-0 lead after four innings.

Now, after a season鈥檚 worth of games, a suspended contest, lengthy rain delays on Thursday and Friday and victories by both squads it comes down one game on Saturday for 麻豆原创 or Rice to win a championship. Richardson said he鈥檚 fully confident that his team will rise to the occasion on the big stage and produce in Saturday鈥檚 winner-take-all game.

鈥淲e dreamed about this and this is why we came to 麻豆原创. Coach Rooney put together the foundation of this team and now it鈥檚 just about us going out to perform.鈥欌��

The story of the night was 麻豆原创’s stellar pitching. Freshman Eric Skoglund started and earned his team-leading fourth win. He gave way to Matt Collins, Ben Lively, Bryan Brown, Roman Madrid and closer Joe Rogers. The staff combined for 10 strikeouts and stranded 10 Hurricanes on the base paths.

Juniors Ronnie Richardson and D.J. Hicks, who was named to the Baseball America Midseason All-American team earlier in the day, continued their clutch hitting by combining for three of the Knights’ four hits and a pair of RBI.

“The theme for tonight was being clutch,” 麻豆原创 head coach Terry Rooney said after the game. “When you are playing great teams, that’s what it comes down to – who makes the clutch pitch and who makes the clutch hit. Obviously we had that tonight.”

The Knights, who have won 14 of their last 16 games, return home to the friendly confides of the 麻豆原创 baseball complex for a three-game weekend series with UAB beginning Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

With a scoreless game in the top of the third, Richardson took a 2-0 Javi Salas pitch just around the left-field foul pole for his third home run in five games. The Knights have now hit a dinger in seven-straight contests this season.

Hicks led off the fourth inning with what looked like a harmless fly ball, but with the wind blowing well out to left-center, it carried and dropped in front of Miami’s Rony Rodriguez. Hicks advanced on a fielding error after the ball dropped and was brought home by Taladay who grounded a chopper to the shortstop for his 23rd RBI of the season.

Miami wouldn’t go down easily as they entered the scoring column on a Stephen Perez RBI double to right-center off Brown. Madrid came in with one out and the tying run on third. He promptly struck out Dale Carey and forced All-American Peter O’Brien to ground out to him on a nasty slider.

麻豆原创 responded in the top of the eighth with two runs of its own. Richardson led off the frame and took first on his 16th hit-by-pitch of the season. Darnell Sweeney laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Hicks, tied for first in the nation in RBI entering the game, belted home his 43rd of 2012 on a 3-2 line drive down the left-field line. Alex Friedrich was able to score Hicks as he sent a chopper that ate up Perez at short.

Madrid returned in the eighth and featured more of his filthy repertoire by striking out a Miami batter to begin and end the frame. Rogers worked a perfect ninth, including a strikeout to finish the game, for his 24th-career save and seventh of 2012.

Freshman Eric Skoglund (Sarasota, Fla.) struck out a career-high seven in 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn his first victory of the season. He struck out five of the six batters he faced in the second and third innings.

麻豆原创 pitchers were backed by clutch hitting all night as the team put up the Knights’ largest run total against the Bulls since 2001.

Darnell Sweeney (Miramar, Fla.) extended his hitting streak to five games with a three-hit evening, and D.J. Hicks (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) drove in four runs for the Knights, who led 12-0 after seven innings before the Bulls ended the shutout bid.

“Tonight was probably the best overall team effort from top to bottom of all of our games this season,” 麻豆原创 head coach Terry Rooney said. “I am very proud of our effort.”

麻豆原创 opened the scoring with three runs in the second inning. Senior Travis Shreve (Auburn, Wash.) doubled down the right-field line to bring home rookie James Vasquez (Palm City, Fla.), who made his first career start at first base. Sweeney, who won Sunday’s game with a walk-off hit, followed with a two-run double that drove home Nick Carrillo (Glendale, Ariz.) and Shreve.

In the third, Shreve collected his second RBI of the game, and his seventh of 2012, with another hit down the right-field line.

Senior right fielder Alex Friedrich (Orlando, Fla.) continued his stellar senior campaign, blasting his fourth double of the year to the left-field wall to plate catch Ryan Breen (Palm City, Fla.) in the fifth inning. Coming into the season, the University High School product had only three career doubles. He had two Tuesday evening to raise his season total to five.

After Skoglund worked himself into a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth, junior RHP Roman Madrid (Victoria, Texas) struck out USF’s Andrew Longley to keep the shutout intact.

In the seventh, the Knights batted around and scored six runs on five hits, all with two outs. The inning included a two-run homer by Carrillo, who joined Hicks as the only Knights with two home runs in 2012. Three more runs scored on a double by Hicks to bring his team-leading RBI total up to 12.

The Knights will travel to Daytona Beach tomorrow to take on Bethune-Cookman at 6 p.m. 麻豆原创 went 3-0 against the Wildcats in 2011, including a 16-5 victory in the NCAA Regional.

Head coach Terry Rooney challenged his team to play more fundamentally sound on Saturday and they did just that.

“I’m very proud of the effort of our guys,” Rooney said. “We talk about it every time that we are going to be better in March than February and we are going to be better in June than we are in May. That was the challenge yesterday. Fundamentally we did not play a very good game of baseball yesterday. There were a lot of great individual efforts, but as a team, we played better today.

“Winning college baseball games is not easy. Anytime you put yourself in a position to win a series, and potentially sweep a series, it is a great weekend.”

Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year D.J. Hicks (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) ended the weekend batting .538 with seven RBI and his back-to-back two-strike homers in game two Saturday gave him his fourth-career two-dinger game.

Next up for the Knights is a trip to Gainesville Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against the No. 1 Gators. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Florida.

Friday, Season Opener

A little rain prior to Opening Knight wouldn’t stop baseball fans from central Florida from coming out and seeing the No. 21 Knights claim a 13-7 victory over LIU Brooklyn in the newly renovated 麻豆原创 baseball complex. A crowd of 2,038, the six-largest in school history and second-most on Opening Day, witnessed the fifth-straight season-opening triumph.

The many fans in attendance were treated to a festive night at the ballpark as 麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt, interim director of athletics Al Harms and head coach Terry Rooney conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to the game to celebrate the addition of 1,100 brand-new bench-back seats along the first base line.

Spectators were also treated to a tight game throughout. Heading into the seventh inning, the Knights and Blackbirds were tied 7-7 before two runs in the seventh, and four more in eighth, sealed the win. Rooney, a winner in each season-opener at 麻豆原创, was pleased with his team’s effort to ensure a victory in the last three innings.

“Everyday I tell our guys, `No matter what, win the last three (innings),'” Rooney said after the game. “The first six are important, but no matter what happens if you are down, you have to have confidence to battle your way back, and if you are up, you have to have the poise to hold onto it. We did that tonight. I told our guys that we did a good job of battling back. The reason we did that was because of our confidence.”

Junior Brian Adkins (Orlando, Fla.) took to the mound for his first-career Opening Day start. The University High School grad logged five innings, allowing four runs while fanning five batters. Adkins, 2011’s leader in innings pitched, ran into trouble in the first, but used a nasty breaking ball to strike out Julian Castro to leave the bases loaded.

The Knights would take an early 1-0 lead after a double-steal attempt by juniors Darnell Sweeney (Miramar, Fla.) and Ronnie Richardson (Eagle Lake, Fla.) saw LIU Brooklyn catcher Tyler Jones send the throw to second into center field allowing Sweeney to advance home on the error.

麻豆原创 pounced on Blackbirds starter Chris Franzese in the second inning, tagging him for three runs on one hit. Freshman James Vasquez (Palm City, Fla.) started off his 麻豆原创 career with an RBI in his first plate appearance after an error by second baseman Diego Perez pulled first baseman Tito Marrero off the bag to allow junior Nick Carrillo (Glendale, Ariz.) to score. He would later come home on a Franzese wild pitch.

Allowing 10 free passes to 麻豆原创 hitters, Franzese got into trouble in the fourth when he walked junior D.J. Hicks (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) for his ninth base on balls of the evening. Fellow junior Chris Taladay (Windermere, Fla.) came through with a single to right that brought in Richardson. Junior Ryan Breen (Palm City, Fla.) followed with his second-career triple down the right-field line that brought Hicks and Taladay around, knocking Franzese out of the game.

The Blackbirds would tie up the game in the sixth after striking for three runs on a bases-loaded walk and two-run single by Chris Untereiner.

麻豆原创 bounced back in the bottom of the seventh taking advantage of Rafael Guerrero’s free passes. Richardson and Taladay both coaxed bases-loaded walks to give the Knights a 9-7 lead.

In the top of the eighth, junior Roman Madrid (Victoria, Texas), with the lead in hand, struck out a pair of Blackbirds in his 麻豆原创 debut. The bottom of the eighth saw the Knights open it up after two-more free passes gave way to Richardson who drilled a shot to left to plate both senior Travis Shreve (Auburn, Wash.) and Sweeney for his third and fourth RBI of the game. Hicks followed that at-bat up with his first RBI of the year, sending a single to right center.

Junior closer Joe Rogers (Winter Haven, Fla.) came out in the ninth and converted the inning with two-consecutive swinging-strikeouts to end the game.

Overall, Taladay snagged a team-high three hits in four at-bats with two RBI and two walks. Both middle infielders Sweeney and Shreve coaxed four walks apiece from the No. 1 and No. 9 spots in the lineup.

Saturday, Game 1

Game one was an impressive showing by the underclassmen on the 麻豆原创 pitching staff. Sophomore Ben Lively (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) turned in a solid afternoon on the mound going five innings, surrendering only three hits, one run while striking out four.

Rookie relievers Eric Skoglund (Sarasota, Fla.) and Garrett Nuss (Sorrento, Fla.) followed suit by shutting down the Blackbirds over the last four innings to preserve the win for Lively, the sixth of his career.

Junior Darnell Sweeney (Miramar, Fla.) got the offense started Saturday after he connected on the first pitch of the afternoon, sending the ball to deep right and out of reach of LIU’s Mike Garcia for a triple. Ronnie Richardson (Eagle Lake, Fla.) stepped up to the plate and sent the first pitch to right for a sacrifice fly to bring Sweeney home.

麻豆原创 took advantage of a second-straight inning with the bases juiced, plating four runs total on five hits in the bottom of the second.

Senior Travis Shreve (Auburn, Wash.) brought in the first run of the frame with a shot up the middle to bring home fellow senior Alex Friedrich (Orlando, Fla.) after he led the inning off with a double. After a Richardson fielder’s choice brought home rookie James Vasquez (Palm City, Fla.), Hicks stepped up to the plate and sent a two-strike pitch the opposite way into left for a two-run double.

Shreve plated his second run of the afternoon with a bloop single to right, bringing a hustling Friedrich all the way home from second base.

Hicks added to his RBI total in the fourth after sending a shot up the middle to bring home the speedy Richardson from second.

Friedrich continued his punishment of the ball in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff triple, the second of his career and first since 2010, to the power ally in left center. He’d come around to score on a Vasquez double over the head of left fielder Julian Castro.

Skoglund and Nuss both made impressive collegiate debuts in relief of Lively. Skoglund, a 6-foot-7 lefty, surrendered only one hit and struck out three while pitching both the sixth and seventh frame. Nuss followed his teammate’s lead, stifling the Blackbirds to the tune of no hits allowed and three punch-outs.

Saturday, Game 2

After hitting 14 home runs in 2011, Hicks stepped up to the plate in the first inning and grooved a Brad Reimer two-strike pitch off of the video board in right for his first of the year.

麻豆原创 continued its hot hitting in the second inning of the series, tagging LIU starter Brad Reimer for five earned runs and knocking him out of the game. Overall, the Knights totaled 12 RBI in the second frame for the series.

Friedrich got the party started with a single up the middle to bring home Carrillo who walked to start the frame. A JoMarcos Wood’s (Orlando, Fla.) single gave way to a Shreve double over left fielder Castro’s head to bring home Friedrich and Woods. The senior second baseman would score on a Reimer wild pitch and see Hicks step up to the plate and smack his second two-strike homer of the evening.

麻豆原创 added another run in the fourth with a Hicks sacrifice fly to push his weekend total up to seven. Shreve added his third RBI of game on a single to right and Richardson walked to bring home Friedrich for his seventh RBI of the three-game set.

Redshirt junior Chris Matulis (Boynton Beach, Fla.) earned his first collegiate victory in nearly two years after going six innings while allowing four hits, one run and striking out five in his 麻豆原创 debut. Senior Matt Collins (DeLand, Fla.) tossed two hitless innings, and junior college transfer Jimmy Reed (Spokane, Wash.) preserved the sweep in his 麻豆原创 debut.

Five players turned down professional contracts to sign with the Knights out of the team’s 2011 recruiting class, and two players returned to school after being drafted as upperclassmen.

Pitchers Roman Madrid, Ryan Meyer, Garrett Nuss, Eric Skoglund and infielder Tommy Williams all chose to forgo the chance to play baseball for the professional organizations that drafted them and instead chose to suit up for Rooney at 麻豆原创.

Skoglund said that going into the draft, he had to consider his opportunity at both the professional and collegiate levels and decide which was better for him. As a pick in the 16th round, he had to weigh a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates or the chance to earn a degree.

For Skoglund, the opportunity to get an education while gaining experience on the diamond was too good to pass up.

“I really saw myself coming to 麻豆原创. I came on my unofficial visit and loved it,” Skoglund said. “Education definitely is the No. 1 key. My family is really high on education. Experience is definitely a huge key, especially playing three years of college baseball.”

Major League Baseball differs from basketball and football in that teams can select prospects directly out of high school. Most players spend a few years in their team’s minor league system before making it to the majors.

But if a player chooses to attend college and pass up his contract offer, he is eligible for the draft again after playing at least three years in college, playing at least one year at the junior-college level or turning 21.

Junior outfielder Ronnie Richardson and junior transfer pitcher Chris Matulis were both selected in the 2011 draft but returned to 麻豆原创.

Most players play college baseball with the hope of leaving as a more highly rated prospect, but that is not always the case. Richardson was selected in the 11th round by the Minnesota Twins out of high school and was more recently chosen in the 31st round by the Chicago Cubs last year.

Despite each player’s individual draft situation, they share the same goal as college players: make it to Omaha to play in the College World Series.

“Our goal is Omaha,” Matulis said. “That’s our team goal, and that’s my individual goal. I want to come back, make it to Omaha, win as many games as possible and do whatever I can to help the team win.”