2022 Banneret Awards: Men’s Freshman of the Year

It’s time for the 2022 Black & Gold Banneret Awards!

Each year we pass out a bunch of awards honoring the best athletes, coaches, teams, and moments of the previous UCF Knights athletic year. Our staff votes, and so do you, the fans.

Here’s how it works: We, the staff, put together our nominees for each award. You can listen to our nominations podcast episode here. Over the next couple of weeks, we will open fan voting for each award. Each staff member gets one vote, and the winner of the fan vote will get one vote. If there is a tie, the fan vote will be the tiebreaker. We will announce the winners in two weeks.

Our 2022 Black & Gold Banneret Awards continue with Men’s Freshman of the Year. Here are your nominees:

---

Andrew Sundean

C- Baseball

Noah Goldberg

2022 Stats: 135 At-Bats/ 47 hits / 23 Runs / 5 HRs / 33 RBIs /.348 batting average/.429 on-base percentage

Andrew Sundean, AKA “Sunny D,” was pushed into service in March after starting catcher Riley Wash sustained an injury that sidelined him for a month. Sundean proceeded to seize the starting job, getting on-base at least once a game in 14-straight games after his first start.

Hear head coach Greg Lovelady comment on Sundean’s emergence after a doubleheader against USF on April 3:

Resume:

• All-AAC 2nd-Team
• 4th in the AAC in Batting Average
• 7th in the AAC in On-Base Percentage
• Hit five doubles in AAC tournament (tournament record)
• Least the team in doubles (13)
• Leads AAC in Hit By Pitches (18), 6th-most in a single season in program history

---

Lex Boedicker

LF- Baseball

Noah Goldberg

2022 Stats: 188 At-Bats/ 62 hits / 38 Runs / 2 HRs / 28 RBIs /.330 batting average/.414 on-base percentage

Lex Boedicker was in head coach Greg Lovelady’s starting lineup from the word “go” this season. While he did play a few games at first base after starting first baseman Nick Romano tore his ACL early in the season, he mainly played in left field.

Resume:

• 3rd on the team in Hits and Batting Average (min. 100 ABs)
• 5th on the team in On-Base Percentage (min. 100 ABs)

---

Darius Johnson

G- Men’s Basketball

Noah Goldberg

Even early on in the season, people like Mike O’Donnell noticed how guard Darius Johnson was playing beyond his years this season for the Knights. This extended off the court as well, showing itself during the Knights’ away game against East Carolina on Jan. 18. Johnson was the one to separate forward C.J. Walker from an assistant coach as they were having an altercation.

Hear head coach Johnny Dawkins comment on Johnson’s leadership after the team's final game of the season on March 11 vs. Memphis:

2021-22 Stats: Played in all 30 games (Started 13) / 64-195 FGs / 26-87 3 PT / 39-53 FT / 100 Rebounds / 89 Assists / 30 Steals

Resume:

• All-AAC Freshman Team
• 13th in the AAC in Assists (2nd on the team)

---

Mikey Keene

QB- Football

Noah Goldberg

2021 Stats: 173-272 Passes / 1,730 Passing Yards / 17 Passing TDs / 6 INTs

Quarterback Mikey Keene faced the daunting task of filling the shoes of Dillon Gabriel after the Hawaii native broke his collarbone on the last play of the Knights’ 42-35 loss to Louisville. Despite early setbacks, he led the Knights to a 7-3 record for the rest of the season, including a win over Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Hear head coach Gus Malzahn comment on Keene’s performance in the Knights’ 20-16 win over East Carolina, the quarterback’s second start of the season and first at home:

Resume:

• 4th in the AAC in Completion Percentage (.636)
• 10th-best Season Completion Percentage in program history (min. 100 attempts)

---

Vote for who you think is the 2022 UCF Men’s Freshman of the Year below: