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.

With a clean bill of health, Kimmy enjoyed cheering on the Knights as they had a successful series against the Thundering Herd. She was overjoyed when the entire team signed a Mother’s Day card and joined her for a photo before the final game of the series.

The touching moment was one of many that Kimmy experienced during her battle with cancer as the 麻豆原创 community rallied to offer encouragement. Kimmy and Lynn have supported 麻豆原创 student-athletes and coaches in the stands at both home and away games for more than 20 years. The Knights showed the couple that they are part of the 麻豆原创 family by offering that support right back.

“That was one of the most wonderful days in my life,” Kimmy said of Mother’s Day with the baseball team. “I had my last radiation treatment on Wednesday and we drove to West Virginia on Thursday. The whole team was so nice to us and seemed to appreciate us coming.”

Kimmy, a former teacher, and Lynn, a former football official, do not have children of their own but served as foster parents for several youngsters. When the couple from Titusville was done raising the children, they had more time to attend 麻豆原创 events, and their love of the university and its student-athletes, coaches and fans began to grow.

“We have met an amazing bunch of people: coaches, players, parents and fans. We have seen some really great things,” Lynn said.

Those great things include nearly every football home and away contest, plus dozens of basketball and baseball games each year on campus and across the nation. Those road trips have only helped the couple connect with the Knights.

“We have gotten to know people. By going on road games, you become more connected with the players,” Kimmy said. “We know their struggles and can pray for them and encourage them academically as well.”

The couple’s love of baseball has always been apparent and was evident a few summers ago when they traveled to Elizabethton, Tenn., (which happens to be Lynn’s hometown) to watch former 麻豆原创 ace Matt Fox pitch for the Twins’ minor league squad.

Baseball head coach Terry Rooney聽says that thoughtful instances like attending the professional game of a former Knight show the dedication and love that the couple has for 麻豆原创.

“It has been a great honor to get to know the Trivetts. We are so very fortunate to have a family like that associated with our program,” Rooney said. “Everybody knows them. All of our players know them. We are so appreciative of everything they do. “When you look up in the stands at the 麻豆原创 baseball complex, you know where they are every single game. Then we look up when we are on the road, and they are there at a handful of away games. That is how much they care.”

The 麻豆原创 family showed how much they cared about Kimmy and Lynn during her bout with cancer. Not only did the baseball team show its support, but so did student-athletes and coaches from other sports. A.J. Rompza聽presented Kimmy with a card and roses, his basketball teammates provided a signed jersey and football coach George O’Leary聽stopped by prior to a basketball game to offer encouragement.

“It was wonderful. That was so encouraging and loving,” Kimmy said. “I got very emotional.”

The Trivetts were touched by the concern that the 麻豆原创 family had for her, just they impact student-athletes and coaches each day with their support.

“No matter what, win or lose, they are always there. They are true supporters, not only for our baseball program, but for every team here at 麻豆原创,” Rooney said. “They are part of the family.”

This story appears in the March issue of Knights Insider magazine. The publication, which is published six times per year, provides an inside look at 麻豆原创 student-athletes, coaches and alumi.

Freeman and Scott were nominated for the award after phenomenal years on the track representing 麻豆原创 all the way to the Olympic Trials this past June. The duo combined for seven All-America First Team honors during the indoor and outdoor campaigns and helped 麻豆原创 to a program-best eighth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and the No. 19 spot overall outdoor.

麻豆原创 baseball coach Terry Rooney was also nominated for Coach of the Year, but Orlando City Soccer head coach Adrian Heath was selected as the winner in that category.

A crowd of more than 350 of Central Florida’s sports elite were on hand to experience the SPORTYS at Full Sail University. Hosted by the Central Florida Sports Commission, the event honored the top area teams, high school, collegiate and professional athletes, coaches, deserving local residents and businesses throughout Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties.

The SPORTYS will be broadcast on WFTV Channel 9 on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. and on WRDQ TV 27 on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.

“Terry has done a great job in establishing a program that consistently competes at the highest level and pushes his young men to become leaders both on and off the field,” Stansbury said.

Since taking over prior to the 2009 campaign, Rooney has turned the Knights into one of the nation’s top programs. After reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2011 for the first time since 2004, Rooney’s 2012 squad advanced to the Coral Gables Regional championship game and was ranked in the top 25 every week, including a stop as high as No. 7.

“I would like to thank Todd Stansbury for providing me the opportunity to continue to lead the 麻豆原创 baseball program,” Rooney said. “I have been extremely fortunate to work alongside a tremendous group of assistant coaches, administrators, support staff and players. We will continue to work together in solidifying 麻豆原创 among the nation’s elite programs.”

Players under Rooney’s tutelage have been ultra-successful on and off the field. In the last three seasons, five players have earned All-American honors while 17 Knights since 2009 have signed professional contracts. Rooney’s student-athletes have also been diligent in the classroom with an average of 22 making the annual Conference USA Honor Roll.

Hicks, who began his professional career with the Elizabethton Twins June 19, finished the 2012 campaign batting .316 with 14 home runs, 72 RBI, a .560 slugging percentage and 56 walks.

“It is an honor and a blessing,” Hicks said from the road about his award. “I couldn’t have done it without all the support over the years. Through the high and the lows, the 麻豆原创 nation always showed their support.

“I also couldn’t have asked for a better home for my college experiences. I especially want to thank my coaches for giving me an opportunity four years ago.”

The Altamonte Springs native closed out his 麻豆原创 career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history. He was a NCBWA Third Team All-America honoree in 2011 and also was the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year in 2012 and the first Knights position player to be named to the Baseball America Midseason All-America Team this past April.

Hicks was a two-time NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team honoree and finished second all-time at 麻豆原创 in sacrifice flies, fifth in home runs, sixth in RBI and seventh in walks. He ranks second all-time with a .995 fielding percentage and made 38 appearances on the mound.

Most recently, Hicks was selected in the 17th round of the First-Year MLB Draft with the 520th overall pick by the Minnesota Twins and signed shortly after.

Eight of 麻豆原创’s 16 teams recorded perfect single-year Academic Progress Rate scores of 1,000.聽Men鈥檚 golf, women鈥檚 basketball, women鈥檚 cross country, women鈥檚 soccer, women鈥檚 tennis, women鈥檚 indoor track and field, women鈥檚 outdoor track and field and women鈥檚 volleyball each had scores of 1,000. Four Knights squads posted perfect scores in the previous year鈥檚 report.

Meanwhile, 14 of 麻豆原创鈥檚 programs either improved on their score from the previous report or tallied consecutive perfect marks. In addition to the eight teams previously mentioned, baseball, men鈥檚 basketball, football, men鈥檚 soccer, men鈥檚 tennis and women鈥檚 rowing each increased their scores.

Wednesday鈥檚 release includes data from the 2010-11 academic year and lists the multi-year APR by sport, which averages the last four reporting years.

While the NCAA does not compile an overall department one-year average, the Knights鈥� average score for 2010-11 was 985, up 16 points. This is the seventh consecutive year the average APR score of 麻豆原创鈥檚 16 sports improved from the previous year. 麻豆原创鈥檚 overall multi-year average for the entire athletic department was 975.

Ten of 麻豆原创鈥檚 16 programs turned in multi-year averages at or above the national average for their respective sports.

鈥淭his is a tribute to the hard work of our student-athletes and to our coaches and academic support staff who create an environment for our student athletes to achieve both academically and athletically,鈥� 麻豆原创 Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. 鈥淎s educators, I believe we are developing future leaders through the intercollegiate athletics experience. Results like this serve as an indicator that is happening.鈥�

Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes Kimya Massey said the credit for the Knights鈥� academic success belongs mainly to three critical聽 groups.

鈥淚 would attribute our academic success to the amazing level of balance our student-athletes have sustained both on and off the field,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淥ur coaching staffs have invested in recruiting high-quality student-athletes, who display the character and determination to succeed academically. In addition, the academic advising staff works tirelessly to help students succeed and reach their goals both on and off the field. They are extremely selfless in their dedication to these great student-athletes.鈥�

The NCAA uses the multi-year average to track a program鈥檚 overall academic progress. The multi-year rate takes the last four reports into account.

The 麻豆原创 football program had another solid year in the classroom. The Knights posted a multi-year average of 974, which is 26 points higher than the national average. Head coach George O鈥橪eary鈥檚 team was tied for the 18th-best multi-year APR average in the nation among Football Bowl Subdivision programs. 麻豆原创 would rank in the top 10 nationally among public FBS institutions, exempting the service academies. The Knights also ranked No. 2 in Conference USA and would rank No. 3 among football programs from public institutions in the BIG EAST.

Another example of 麻豆原创鈥檚 success in the classroom was displayed by head coach Terry Rooney鈥檚 baseball team. The baseball program tallied a 986 score and came in 21 points above the national multi-year average.

None of 麻豆原创鈥檚 teams fell below the 925 multi-year threshold, where teams could be penalized by the NCAA. It is the fifth-straight year the Knights have seen each of their teams come in above the threshold.

The APR provides a 鈥渟napshot鈥� look at a team鈥檚 academic success on a yearly basis. The APR score takes into account graduation, retention and eligibility to determine a clear picture of the current academic culture of a program. The NCAA began compiling this data in 2004.

This positive news comes on the heels of the 麻豆原创 women鈥檚 tennis program earning an NCAA public recognition award for its APR. Public recognition awards are given to programs with multi-year APR totals in the top 10 percent of the nation as compared to other teams in that sport. Head coach Stephanie Nickitas鈥� women鈥檚 tennis program has now compiled a perfect 1,000 score for four-consecutive years.

It was the second-straight year the program has had a fifth-round selection (Beau Taylor, Oakland), as Rogers went to the Detroit Tigers with the 184th overall pick. Madrid was snagged by the San Diego Padres in the seventh round with the 225th overall pick and Sweeney was taken in the 13th round with the No. 416 selection.

For the first time since 2005 multiple Knights were taken in the first 10 rounds. 麻豆原创 has now produced 16 picks in the top-five rounds of the MLB Draft, and 29 overall in the first 10 rounds since 1979 (the program’s first year was in 1973).

Rogers, Madrid and Sweeney become the 81-83 players drafted in program history and the 14-16 since 麻豆原创 head coach Terry Rooney arrived in the fall of 2008. Rooney has now had 43 pitchers selected in the MLB Draft, with Rogers and Madrid becoming the 11th and 12th taken in the first 10 rounds.

“The Tigers came out of nowhere and swooped me up. I was excited,” Rogers said earlier Tuesday. “I was sitting on the computer with Roman Madrid who just got drafted too and we were just hanging out and watching the tracker. I saw my name get called and it was just a very humbling experience.”

Rogers, a native of Winter Haven, closed out his stellar junior campaign with a single-season record 13 saves and broke the 麻豆原创 all-time saves record with his 28th against Marshall on May 11. He registered No. 30 in the 9-8 win over No. 25 Stony Brook on June 2 and finished the year with a 5-1 record and a 1.47 ERA.

“(Rooney) has helped me become the person and the pitcher that I am today,” Rogers said of the man who brought him to 麻豆原创 in 2009. “He has helped me on and off the field become not only tough on the mound, but mentally tougher off of it. Without him I wouldn’t be in the position that I am.”

For Madrid, Tuesday marked the second time he had been drafted in his career. The Cleveland Indians tabbed him in the 44th round in 2009 as a catcher, but he played junior college ball in Texas. The Victoria, Texas, native pitched with an edge in each of his 32 appearances and finished the season with three saves and a team-leading 1.00 ERA.

“I wasn’t trying to watch since I was a little nervous,” Madrid admitted after being selected. “I was just trying to let it happen and I ended up getting the call. There aren’t many things that can beat (getting drafted in the top 10). Getting drafted there is a big dream and just to be a part of it makes me feel very blessed.”

Previously drafted out of high school in the 41st round by the Florida Marlins in 2009, Sweeney boosted his draft stock after starting all but one game in three seasons at shortstop for the Knights. The Miramar native stole a career-best 20 bags in 2012 and was named to the Coral Gables All-Regional Team after making a plethora of defensive plays and smashing a key three-run homer in the 9-8 win over Stony Brook last Saturday.

“It feels good,” Sweeney said when asked about being drafted by a historic franchise like the Dodgers. “Dee Gordon (LA’s current shortstop) is someone I can look up to because he is the same stature and same everything as me.”

麻豆原创’s Selections in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft

1. Joe Rogers – 5th Round, Detroit Tigers – No. 184
2. Roman Madrid – 7th Round, San Diego Padres – No. 225
3. Darnell Sweeney – 13th Round, L.A. Dodgers – No. 416

麻豆原创 was pushed to a winner-take-all game for the NCAA Regional title on Monday after hot-hitting Stony Brook jumped to an early lead, withstood a seventh-inning rally and cruised to a 12-5 defeat of the Knights at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.

That sets up a 7 p.m. showdown on Monday night between second-seeded 麻豆原创 (45-16) and fourth-seeded Stony Brook (49-12) for the right to advance to the Super Regional later this week.

麻豆原创’s mantra “On the Road to Omaha” hit a pothole on Sunday, but head coach Terry Rooney stressed that the Knights are still very much a team on a mission and on the cusp of potential greatness.

“The message to the kids afterward was that we just need to play better and be better in every aspect of the game. (Monday) everything is there for you,” Rooney said. “Everything that you want to accomplish, everything you’ve done to put yourself in position to win a regional championship, is still there. We have a midnight rule (to forget) and we need to regroup. Tomorrow is a new day.”

麻豆原创, which was in the winners bracket after beating Missouri State (2-1 on Friday) and Stony Brook (9-8 on Saturday), is attempting to win a NCAA Regional for the first time in school history. The Knights, ranked as high as seventh nationally this season, lost consecutive games just four times all season, and hope to rebound in Monday’s title game.

“We have to take advantage of our opportunities. You can’t miss those opportunities and expect to win games,” 麻豆原创 standout centerfielder Ronnie Richardson said. “We’re keeping everyone up and we’re used to this. No one ever said it was going to be easy.”

The winner of the Coral Gables Regional will face LSU later this week in the Super Regional. The site for that will be determined by the NCAA on Monday or Tuesday.

“This is why we came here (is to win a regional). We started four years ago with coach (Rooney) and our goals are still right in front of us,” first standout baseman D.J. Hicks said. “We just have to take a hold of it tomorrow and carry it on to the Super Regional.”

Stony Brook pounded out 15 hits and scored three runs in an inning three times. All nine starters had at least one hit, the first five batters combined for 10 hits and standout centerfielder Travis Jankowski is 10 of 19 in the Regional after getting three more hits in Sunday’s nightcap. The Seawolves have scored 10, nine, 10 and 12 runs in four games.

The Knights had seven hits – with D.J. Hicks and Travis Shreve notching two hits apiece. Stony Brook’s Jasvir Rakkar (6-2) got the win in just his third start of the season. 麻豆原创 is 2-1 in the regional, but it has just 20 hits in the three games.

Said Rooney: “Offensively we need to get it going. Stony Brook is an outstanding offensive club and we have an outstanding club. It’s time for our offense to start clicking and putting up double-digit hits and crooked-number innings.”

Down 8-2 much of the night, the Knights mounted a furious rally in the bottom of the seventh to put a scare into Stony Brook. A RBI single by Shreve and a bases loaded walk from Darnell Sweeney got the Knights to within 8-4.

The biggest play of the night came when Chris Taladay hit a sharp liner into the hole, but Stony Brook shortstop Cole Peragine dove to make a catch that prevented two runs from scoring. Alex Friedrich drove in the fifth run and 麻豆原创 slugger Hicks came to the plate with a chance to tie the game. Hicks, who homered in the second inning, was called out on a controversial check swing to end the rally.

Stony Brook got to Sunday’s title game by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to beat Missouri State 10-7. Stony Brook has proven to be an extremely resilient team throughout this NCAA Regional. The Seawolves routed Miami on Friday after the Hurricanes had tied the game at 2. They fell behind 麻豆原创 5-0 on Saturday and clawed back and wiped out deficits of 5-0 and 7-2 earlier Sunday against Missouri State.

Nearly flawless defensively in the first two games of the NCAA Regional, 麻豆原创 had problems with a couple of throws in the second inning to put itself in a hole. When Kevin Krause scored on a ground out to put Stony Brook up 1-0, it was 麻豆原创’s first deficit in 20 innings of this regional.

Throwing errors by Sweeney and Shreve played a big role in Stony Brook’s next two runs, dropping the Knights into a 3-0 hole.

Hicks, who was dropped into the fifth hole in the order before the game, snapped out of a mini-slump with a 390-foot blast to left-center in the second inning. The home run was the first for Hicks since May 6, a span of 23 games.

“I hadn’t been doing too great of late. But the season is coming to an end with a few games left with (Monday’s game), the Super Regionals and Omaha, so I told myself to relax and see the ball better,” Hicks said. “I had to stop trying to do too much. I did that today and I have to carry it over to (Monday).”

Stony Brook broke the game open with a run in the third and three more in the fourth inning to grab a commanding 7-1 lead. Stony Brook had nine hits through four innings, knocking 麻豆原创 starter Eric Skoglund out of the game and greeting reliever Bryan Brown with three straight RBI at-bats.

Rooney has said for days that his Knights came to Miami as a team on a mission, and they will get another chance to complete that mission on Monday night. Rooney has praised his team’s consistency and resiliency all season and they will need a big bounce-back effort on Monday to secure the biggest win in school history.

“I’m extremely confident. (Bouncing back) is what we’ve done all year long,” Rooney said. “We haven’t had many occasions where we have lost consecutive games and we’ve always figured out a way to get the job done.

“The thing I’m most proud of is the consistency we’ve played with all year,” Rooney continued. “Consistency means you don’t have losing streaks because you learned from what you did. Do you learn why you lost? It’s not good enough to just say, `Well, tomorrow is a new day and we’ll be OK.’ You have to know what you need to do to get better. Every goal we want is still ahead of us and we just have to play the game better. Play the game, let it rip and have fun.”

Matos, a free-swinging junior from Lake Worth, crushed a hanging slider some 400 feet in the sixth inning Saturday night to break a 5-all tie and lift 麻豆原创 to a 9-8 defeat of Stony Brook in the NCAA Regional.

Matos’ fifth home run of the season and a jaw-dropping catch by senior right fielder Alex Friedrich in the eighth inning to preserve the lead put the second-seeded Knights (45-15) one win away from winning the regional and advancing to a Super Regional for the first time in school history.

The Knights will play the winner of the Missouri State-Stony Brook Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Missouri State, 2-1 losers to 麻豆原创 on Friday, stunningly eliminated top-seeded Miami earlier on Saturday.

“From our standpoint, we had a bunch of clutch plays, and I couldn’t be prouder of our kids,” 麻豆原创 head coach 聽said. “This is where you want to be聽— where somebody has to beat you twice. But at the end of the day we just have to play one game at a time. … They’re at a point where they expect to win this regional. They do, and that’s what everybody’s mindset has to be. These kids came in here on a mission.”

Friedrich, 麻豆原创’s best defensive player all season, made arguably the most important play of the season in the eighth inning when he jumped at the wall and caught a laser off the bat of Stony Brook slugger William Carmona. The catch kept a runner at second base and preserved 麻豆原创’s one-run lead at the time. It was the second stellar defensive play of the series for Friedrich, who had a diving catch near the foul line in Friday’s victory.

“Off the bat it sounded pretty well-hit, but I thought he might have gotten jammed a little bit. I took a couple of steps back (before the pitch) because the wind was howling and I didn’t want to get burned,” Friedrich said. “I heard (centerfielder) Ronnie (Richardson) talking to me the whole way. I heard gravel (from the warning track) and then I heard fence. I have to give Ronnie for talking me through that play.”

In a season already filled with so many firsts, the Knights can accomplish another first on Sunday if they can win and move onto next week’s Super Regional.

“It’s a big advantage. Instead of having to play a doubleheader (on Sunday), we just have to play one game,” Matos said. “If we lose, we have another day. But they are going to be in the sun all day, and it’s all teed up for us. We just have to take care of our business.”

麻豆原创 raced to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings thanks to a Stony Brook throwing error and a three-run home run by junior shortstop . Stony Brook (47-12) tied the game at 5-all to set the stage for Matos’ heroics.

Matos, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, is somewhat of an all-or-nothing hitter who rarely gets cheated on swings. He entered his decisive sixth inning at-bat with more strikeouts (41) than hits (32), but he certainly didn’t miss a slider than hung out over the plate. The blast to left-center not only sailed over the 365-foot marker, but cleared the 30-foot scoreboard beyond the fence. It put 麻豆原创 up 8-5 and energized the more than 1,000 麻豆原创 fans who made the three-hour drive from Orlando to support the Knights.

“I was looking for an off-speed pitch because that’s what they’ve been throwing me. I saw the hanger and threw my hands at it. I realized it was hit pretty well,” Matos said. “It’s been a little tough (seeing so many off-speed pitches), so I’ve been trying to let the ball get deep because I have quick hands and hit the ball to the opposite field.”

After Matos’ blast, 麻豆原创 added an insurance run that proved to be the difference in the game. Friday hero led off with a walk, stole second, was sacrificed to third by Sweeney and driven home by . It was Taladay who had the game-winning hit on Friday as well.

Said Matos: “We knew those few runs weren’t enough, especially in college baseball. That sacrifice fly by Taladay with moving (Richardson) over was huge. That was a big run for us.'”

Lefty , one of the heroes from Friday with his first collegiate save, pitched five innings in relief of starter 聽on Saturday. He yielded four runs and four hits, while striking out two and walking two.

, who worked out of a bases loaded jam on Friday, got the save on Saturday. He struck out two in the inning and his 13th save of the season came with the tying run on second base.

麻豆原创 loaded the bases in the first and got two runs when Stony Brook second baseman Maxx Tissenbaum hurried a throw on a double-play ball. The errant throw staked the Knights to a 2-0 lead.

Sweeney made Stony Brook pay for pitching around Richardson in the second inning, hitting a 0-2 fastball over the right field wall to give the Knights a commanding 5-0 lead. A Miramar native, Sweeney talked in the days before the regional about it being a dream come true to play a postseason series near his South Florida home.

“We talked this afternoon at our team meal, and I told the kids that we’d have to find a different way to win. I really believed that,” Rooney said. “It was 2-1 yesterday and it was (high-scoring), but another one-run game today. We found a way.”

The 5-0 lead for 麻豆原创 would be short-lived as Stony Brook leadoff hitter Travis Jankowski blasted a three-run home run in the second inning and slugger William Carmona doubled in two runs in the fourth.

That just set the stage for Matos’ tiebreaking home run, Friedrich’s clutch catch and Rogers’ heroics in the ninth inning. Now, the Knights on the verge of making some school history if they can win on Sunday.

“These guys showed up this year when they got back (from the summer break) on a mission,” Rooney said. “We had a bunch of guys who had the opportunity to sign professional baseball contracts and they didn’t. This group of kids got 麻豆原创 back to a NCAA Regional last year. They all came back on a mission to put themselves in position to win a regional. It’s all about the kids and they’ve done a great job so far.”