The UCF Knights Baseball team is back to prove that they can do it again. After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 in 2024, the Knights missed the postseason entirely in 2025. This season, head coach Rich Wallace attempts to bounce back.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Knights for 2026:
Last Season
29-26 (9-21 Big 12), 13th in Big 12, Missed Big 12 Tournament
If there was one word to describe the 2025 UCF Baseball team, it
would be unlucky.
Despite wins over Missouri, Miami (FL), a #6-ranked Florida and two against Stetson, the Knights ran into trouble in Big 12 play enough that they missed the conference tournament, much less the NCAA one.
Counting non-conference games, UCF led the Big 12 in team batting average and ERA, but in conference games alone, the Knights drop to the fifth-highest batting average in the league at .285, a still respectable mark, but ninth in team ERA at 5.90.
Big 12 offenses found ways to produce, whether it was via home runs, which UCF gave up the third-most in conference play, or sacrifice flies, which UCF gave up the second-most in conference play. However, the Knights did not do themselves any favors either, turning in the fifth-most walks and the third-most hit-by-pitches in conference play.
This Season
Picked 10th in Big 12 preseason coaches poll
With eight Big 12 teams making the NCAA Tournament last season, UCF getting predicted to finish 10th puts them among the more highly-regarded of the conference’s remaining six teams that missed the dance last season. All eight of those NCAA Tournament teams take the top eight spots again to start this season, led by conference-title favorite TCU.
Who’s in Charge?
Rich Wallace – 3rd Season with UCF (as Head Coach)
It’s been a roller coaster first two seasons for Rich Wallace as he’s taken the helm of his alma mater, from the program’s first NCAA Regional appearance since 2017 in Year 1 to missing the conference tournament in Year 2.
Wallace said that this group of freshman are his first he’s gotten the chance to go through the “whole recruiting process with” and that the team had more versatility, power and athleticism this time around. It helped that the Knights were fortunate to not lose some of their players to the Draft, specifically naming DeAmez Ross as an example.
There are also some new additions to Wallace’s staff. He said his newest assistant coach, Shane Gierke, has helped with outfield defense and baserunning. He also brings one of the 2024 UCF team’s stars, Jack Zyska, back into the fold as Asst. Director of Player Development and Outfield Coordinator. Wallace called him a “PhD” in his system.
After his first season showed he can get the Knights to the NCAA Tournament, his third gives fans the chance to see how Wallace handles adversity from season-to-season.
Hear what Wallace had to say at Baseball Media Day below:
What to Watch for
Putting It All Together
The Knights had bright spots both on offense and defense last season. It was just rare that the two of them happened at the same time when both were required to come away with a win.
With a squad made up of mostly new faces this season, time will tell if such changes can produce a more consistent performance from both sides of the ball.
Pitching
Despite a dominant non-conference stretch, UCF’s pitching took a dive during the Big 12 portion of the schedule.
Last season’s opponents were able to find different ways to advance runners, whether it was via home runs, getting hit by a pitch or hitting a sacrifice fly.
A team can score as many runs as it wants, but if the pitchers cannot stop the other offense, all that scoring would be for naught. An improvement here is going to be crucial to better fortunes for the Knights this season.
Advancing Runners
For as good as UCF’s batting average was, the Knights were 10th in the Big 12 last season in on-base percentage and 11th in runs scored. Despite some of the best hitters in the Big 12 like Williamson, Ross and Andrew Sundean being on their side, the rest of the UCF offense could not advance them to get runs on the board often enough.
Passing the bat will also be a key to improvement offensively this season.
Returning Players to Watch
Andrew Williamson – Outfielder
Back for a junior season, Andrew Williamson has been receiving the Knight receiving the most attention from the college baseball world.
He may have only been an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention last season, but he still led UCF in doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and on-base percentage. Plus, he also went a perfect 13 for 13 on stolen bases and his .352 batting average was second on the team. His batting average, .352, was also the 10th-highest in the Big 12.
After spending the summer with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod League, Williamson is back sporting a Preseason All-Big 12 nod and a spot on the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the best amateur baseball player in the country. Two Knights, Chris Duffy and 2010 and Tim Barker in 1985, have been finalists for the Award.
Kris Sosnowski – Pitcher
Back for one last season, Kris Sosnowski is looking for a bounce-back season after going from a 3.38 ERA in 2024 to a 5.22 ERA in 2025.
Sosnowski, alongside Kevin Schoneboom, are the two pitching captains on this season’s Knights squad, making them the player leaders for a bullpen that struggled against Big 12 opponents last season.
DeAmez Ross – Outfielder
DeAmez Ross got the honors of the most hits and the highest batting average on the team last season at 84 hits and a .359 average, respectively, which helped him earn an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention nod. In fact, his batting average was the sixth-highest of the entire Big 12.
Now back for his senior season, Ross has assumed a vocal leadership role in the team, which is bolstered by his new role as a student-athlete representative on the NCAA Division I Baseball Oversight Committee.
Who’s New That’s Good
Braden Smith – Pitcher
The first UCF starting pitcher of the 2026 season is a newcomer to Orlando from Division 2 in Braden Smith.
Smith is coming off making 12 starts with Maryville last season, in which he pitched 76.2 innings, went 7-2 with a 3.52 ERA, 79 strikeouts and his batters only hitting for a .256 average off of him. He ended up earning first-team all-conference honors as well as Second-Team All-Region honors from NCBWA and D2CCA.
Austin Jacobs – Infielder
After redshirting his true freshman season at Clemson, Austin Jacobs has transferred to his hometown school for his on-field college baseball debut.
Jacobs graduated from Hagerty High School, located just a few minutes up the road from the UCF campus, which has produced the likes of several MLB players, such as Zach Eflin, Ryan Mountcastle and two-time all-star Riley Greene. He was rated the 250th best player of his entire recruiting class by Perfect Game.
The Geneva native also had an impressive showing during fall ball, when he got opportunities to start at shortstop and compete for the job against another promising young freshman, Jordan Lodise.
Who We’ll Miss
Antonio Jimenez – Shortstop
A transfer from Miami (FL), Antonio Jimenez was one of three Knights to play in all 55 games last season as a shortstop. He hit for a .329 batting average, the 24th-highest in the Big 12, and ended up finishing second on the team in both home runs (11) and RBIs (51). He was also the only Knight to get selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team or better.
Jimenez ended up entering the 2026 MLB Draft, which was the first Knight to get selected, getting picked by the New York Mets in the third-round with the 102nd overall pick.
Edian Espinal – Infielder
A transfer from Chipola, Espinal came out swinging to start the 2025 season, with a 14-game hitting streak during its earlier stages. While he cooled down in the latter half, he still had some bright spots that helped him finish in a tie for the 18th-highest batting average in the Big 12 at .335. He mostly played second base, but he got time at designated hitter as well.
He was selected in the 10th round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
Dylan King and Andrew Sundean – Catchers
The Knights are going to need to overhaul their backstops with both Dylan King and Andrew Sundean’s graduations.
The former broke out as a team captain in 2025 to earn an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention nod after hitting for a .326 batting average with 13 doubles and nine home runs, and tied for the 13th-highest on-base percentage in the conference at .442. His performance caught the eye of the Cincinnati Reds, who selected him in the 17th round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
As for Sundean, he was a main contributor in all four of his seasons in Orlando, even getting a pair of All-AAC honors before the Knights moved to the Big 12. In the Rich Wallace era, he mostly served as a designated hitter, though he also got some time behind the plate. He ended up hitting for a .340 average, the 15th-highest in the Big 12.
He ended up signing with an independent baseball team, the Milwaukee Milkmen, for the 2025 season.
Alex Galvan, Angelo Smith and Dominic Castellano – Pitcher
The Knights are going to need to replace several of their bullpen bright spots from last season.
Galvan and Smith were the only two arms out of the bullpen to finish with an ERA of under three runs, while Castellano led the team with 60 strikeouts. Galvan also fanned quite a few batters for the limited number of innings that he pitched (28.1), with 38.
Galvan and Smith were both selected in the 2026 MLB Draft, with Galvan coming off the board in the 13th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Smith in the 18th round to the Los Angeles Angels.
Roster Breakdown
- 16 Seniors
- 8 Juniors
- 3 Sophomores
- 16 Freshmen
- 28 Floridians (13 Central Floridians)
- 1 International Player (Australia)
Schedule Breakdown
After the traditional opening weekend series with Siena, the Knights receive some early-season tests with a midweek on the road against a Miami (FL) team coming off a Super Regional appearance before going to Jacksonville for the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic, which includes a game against the defending College World Series champion LSU.
The Knights also get to host a College World Series team, Murray State, and the Hurricanes, before Big 12 play even begins.
As for that Big 12 slate, it does not give the Knights much space to breathe with only two of their opponents not making the NCAA Tournament. The most marquee conference series will be when the Knights host an Arizona squad coming off a College World Series appearance from Mar. 27-29.
As for those midweeks, they include a home-and-home with the aforementioned Hurricanes and Bethune-Cookman, hosting Columbia fresh off an NCAA Regional appearance, a road bout against Penn State and three games against a Stetson team coming off an NCAA Regional appearance, one in Orlando, one in DeLand and one on a neutral field.
Location: Surprise Stadium – Surprise, Arizona
Dates: May 19-23
The Last Time…
UCF won a conference tournament: 2002. It has been over two decades and three conferences ago (ASUN) since the Knights last tasted conference tournament glory. They came close in 2021 but lost in the AAC championship game to USF.
