CLEARWATER, Fla. — With Temple defeating UConn 9-4 on the final day of pool play at the American Athletic Conference Championship, the UCF baseball team was eliminated from the tournament with a 2-1 record.
The Knights (36-23) finished pool play in a tie with no. 12 Houston, which also finished 2-1. Temple and UConn both finished at 1-2. Since Houston defeated UCF Friday night, the Cougars own the head-to-head tiebreaker and will advance to Sunday’s final against the winner of Pool A.
UCF enjoyed two wins during the week, defeating UConn 7-1 in the tournament opener on Wednesday and then topping Temple 6-2 on Thursday. The Knights received superb pitching performances by Zach Rodgers and Robby Howell to give themselves a chance to advance going into the final day of pool play competition.
With key victories over no. 3 Miami, no. 4 Florida State, no. 5 Louisville (twice), and no. 12 Houston during the regular season, UCF will now await the decision of the selection committee with hopes of earning an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament next weekend.
The NCAA Regional Selection Show will be televised live on ESPNU at noon on Monday. The Knights have received at-large berths to the tournament recently, getting selected in 2011 and 2012. UCF has made 11 total appearances at the Division I NCAA Tournament.