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Twelve UCF Knights were added to UCF Baseball’s 2021 roster on Monday.
There are seven pitchers, two outfielders, two infielders and a catcher. Two players are graduate transfers while the other 10 are freshmen.
“I’m really excited about the talent and depth of this class,” head coach Greg Lovelady said. “The staff did a great job of evaluating and identifying talent that could really help continue the growth of the program.”
Lovelady is entering his fifth season as the Knights’ head coach with an overall record of 126-68.
The 2020 baseball season was cut short in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic after an 18-game season. The Knights finished the season 15-3 overall. The final D1Baseball.com Top 25 of the season ranked UCF at No. 12.
Always working on the foundation for the future pic.twitter.com/lv7E3jkgb8
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) September 29, 2020
The new dozen is replacing a departed nine players from the 2020 squad, including two who went to the pros. RHP Jeff Hakanson was taken in the 2020 MLB Draft as the 155th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays and RHP Trevor Holloway signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. The Rays and the Yankees both clinched playoff berths this season.
“The two [grad transfers] on the mound really fill the two major holes left by Jeff [Hakanson] and Trevor [Holloway]’s departure,” Lovelady said. “And with not losing many offense pieces, we bring in some really talented kids that are going to push for playing time and challenge the returners.
“The whole class really sets the foundation for the future of our program.”
Here are the 12 newest Knights ready to hit the field:
2021 UCF Baseball Recruit Class
| Pos. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | School |
| RHP | 4 | Vince Bonanni | Fr. | 6-3 | 195 | Jupiter, Fla. | Cardinal Newman |
| RHP | 8 | AJ Jones | Sr. | 6-5 | 220 | Sarasota, Fla. | Jacksonville University |
| RHP | 11 | Kenny Serwa | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 192 | Chicago, Ill. | Saint Patrick |
| RHP | 14 | JoJo Coffey | Fr. | 5-11 | 175 | Winter Garden, Fla. | Montverde Academy |
| RHP | 15 | Zack Bennett | Fr. | 6-0 | 220 | Port Orange, Fla. | Spruce Creek |
| LHP | 20 | Hunter Parris | Fr. | 5-10 | 150 | Vero Beach, Fla. | Vero Beach |
| OF/C | 22 | Colin Flynn | Fr. | 6-1 | 190 | Coral Springs, Fla. | Marjory Stoneman Douglas |
| INF | 24 | Alex Freeland | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 | Cape Coral, Fla. | Mariner |
| 1B/C | 30 | Matthew Menendez | Fr. | 6-2 | 195 | Pembroke Pines, Fla. | Elite Squad Baseball Academy |
| RHP | 35 | Nick Vieira | Fr. | 6-6 | 220 | Margate, Fla. | Elite Squad Baseball Academy |
| RHP | 37 | Ben Vespi | Fr. | 6-3 | 190 | Boynton Beach, Fla. | Central Florida Elev8 |
| INF | 42 | John Montes | Fr. | 6-0 | 170 | Toa Alta, Puerto Rico | Leadership Christian Academy |
Here’s the full 2021 UCF baseball roster:
2021 UCF Baseball Roster
| Pos. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | # | Name | Year | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| RHP | 4 | Vince Bonanni | Fr. | 6-3 | 195 | Jupiter, Fla. |
| RHP | 8 | AJ Jones | Sr. | 6-5 | 220 | Sarasota, Fla. |
| RHP | 11 | Kenny Serwa | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 192 | Chicago, Ill. |
| RHP | 14 | JoJo Coffey | Fr. | 5-11 | 175 | Winter Garden, Fla. |
| RHP | 15 | Zack Bennett | Fr. | 6-0 | 220 | Port Orange, Fla. |
| LHP | 20 | Hunter Parris | Fr. | 5-10 | 150 | Vero Beach, Fla. |
| OF/C | 22 | Colin Flynn | Fr. | 6-1 | 190 | Coral Springs, Fla. |
| INF | 24 | Alex Freeland | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 | Cape Coral, Fla. |
| 1B/C | 30 | Matthew Menendez | Fr. | 6-2 | 195 | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| RHP | 35 | Nick Vieira | Fr. | 6-6 | 220 | Margate, Fla. |
| RHP | 37 | Ben Vespi | Fr. | 6-3 | 190 | Boynton Beach, Fla. |
| INF | 42 | John Montes | Fr. | 6-0 | 170 | Toa Alta, Puerto Rico |
| RHP | 1 | David Litchfield | R-Jr. | 6-0 | 175 | Longwood, Fla. |
| INF | 2 | Matt Archer | Fr. | 5-9 | 185 | Fort Salonga, NY |
| LHP | 3 | Nick Gottilla | Fr. | 6-0 | 176 | Davenport, Iowa |
| UTIL | 5 | Trent Taylor | Jr. | 6-0 | 185 | Merritt Island, Fla. |
| INF | 6 | Tom Josten | So. | 6-2 | 200 | Palatine, Ill. |
| UTIL | 7 | Jordan Rathbone | Sr. | 5-11 | 200 | Spokane, Wash. |
| LHP | 10 | Colton Gordon | R-So. | 6-4 | 225 | Bradenton, Fla. |
| RHP | 12 | Jack Sinclair | Jr. | 6-4 | 170 | Coral Springs, Fla. |
| RHP | 13 | Billy McKay | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 205 | Plant City, Fla. |
| LHP | 16 | Hunter Patteson | Fr. | 6-4 | 170 | Vero Beach, Fla. |
| 1B | 17 | Nick Romano | Jr. | 6-3 | 234 | Tampa, Fla. |
| RHP | 18 | Zack Hunsicker | So. | 6-4 | 230 | Wentzville, Mo. |
| INF | 21 | Noah Orlando | Jr. | 6-0 | 180 | Orlando, Fla. |
| RHP | 25 | Nolan Lepkoske | R-Fr. | 6-5 | 260 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| INF | 26 | Andrew Brait | Fr. | 5-8 | 176 | Melbourne, Fla. |
| OF | 27 | Gephry Pena | So. | 6-0 | 165 | Santiago, Dominican Republic |
| LHP | 28 | Ryan Saltonstall | R-Jr. | 6-0 | 195 | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| UTIL | 29 | Pablo Ruiz | Fr. | 5-9 | 190 | West Palm Beach, Fla. |
| RHP | 31 | Elijah McCormack | Fr. | 6-3 | 173 | Coppell, Tx. |
| UTIL | 32 | Ben Rushing | R-Fr. | 6-0 | 205 | Weston, Fla. |
| LHP | 33 | Keegan Pulford-Thorpe | Fr. | 6-2 | 206 | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
| INF | 39 | Connor Allen | R-So. | 6-4 | 225 | Merritt Island, Fla. |
| C | 40 | Ben McCabe | So. | 6-0 | 180 | Sarasota, Fla. |
| C | 44 | Josh Crouch | Jr. | 6-1 | 200 | Sebring, Fla. |
Daniella Medina is a contributing writer for Black & Gold Banneret. Follow her on Twitter @danimedinanews.