UCF's Chris Taladay celebrates with his teammates during the Knights' recent series against Rice. Credit: Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel.

Sentinel contributor Brendan Sonnone provided the following recap of the Knights’ win at the Conference USA baseball tournament Friday.

With little to play for other than pride, the No. 19 UCF baseball team (42-15, 17-8 C-USA) avenged a forgettable 15-1 mercy-rule loss to UAB on Thursday by inflicting a mercy-rule victory of its own, defeating East Carolina (34-22-1, 13-11-1 in C-USA) 11-1 in eight innings Friday afternoon in the Knights’ second game of the Conference USA tournament at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.

A three-run second inning propelled UCF to take a 4-1 lead into the third inning. Catcher Chris Taladay then added to the scoring onslaught with a three-run homer in the fourth inning to give the Knights both a 9-1 cushion and stranglehold on the contest.

Taladay, who accounted for five RBI on the evening, recorded a RBI triple in the eighth inning, which was followed by an Erik Barber RBI double to give UCF a 10-run lead. C-USA rules dictate that the mercy rule is activated when a team leads by 10 runs or more after seven innings, so the contest ended when ECU came up scoreless in the bottom of the eighth inning.

UCF finished with 14 hits and starter Ben Lively (9-2) earned the win after surrendering six hits in as many innings.

The Knights’ blowout loss to UAB on Thursday coupled with the Blazers’ 6-3 win against Tulane on Friday eliminated UCF from advancing to the championship round of the tournament. Conference USA regular season champion Rice also was eliminated from contention for the tournament title. No. 7 seed UAB will play No. 5 seed Memphis for the tournament championship Sunday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Because UCF had no chance of moving on, head coach Terry Rooney opted to play it safe and held out dinged-up catcher Ryan Breen and second baseman Travis Shreve against East Carolina.

UCF, which is likely to receive an at-large bid for next week’s NCAA Regional, finishes off the C-USA tournament 12 p.m. Saturday against Tulane.

Senior Jackie Coward is one of 14 UCF athletes competing at the NCAA preliminary meet. Credit: Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel.

The No. 14 UCF women’s track and field team is off to a strong start at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville. The Knights sent a school-record 14 athletes to the meet. The qualifying rounds began Thursday and the meet ends Saturday. The top 24 performers in each event advance to the NCAA outdoor track and field championship in Des Moines, Iowa, June 6-9.

UCF junior Sonnisha Williams and senior Jacquelyn Gilchrist finished in the top 10 in the long jump, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. UCF’s elite lineup of sprinters, including sophomore Aurieyall Scott, freshman Octavious Freeman and senior Sheila Paul all advanced to in the final round of the 100-meter dash. Scott shattered the Hodges Stadium record with a time 11.25 seconds, surpassing the top previous mark of 11.57 seconds. Freeman finished the race in 11.29 seconds.

The competition among UCF’s sprinters and senior hurdler Jackie Coward has helped the group improve. I caught up with the athletes for an article in today’s Sentinel. They talked about their unique relationship and their goal of help UCF’s track program win a national championship.

Visit UCFAthletics.com for live coverage of the Knights competing at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

Scroll down and press play to listen to the full interview.

Click on this link to listen to the video on your iPhone or other mobile device.

Credit: Joshua C. Cruey / Orlando Sentinel.

The Big East is still exploring the best options for the league’s new football divisions. The conference will have at least 12 football playing members, including UCF, when in 2013. Big East officials will be asking consultants which division model might be viewed most favorably by television networks. The conference also is eager to protect rivalries and allow fans to attend as many games as possible.

One option discussed was Eastern and Western Divisions. While the league did not commit to which teams would be in the divisions, it seems likely Rutgers, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, USF and UCF would be in the Eastern Division and SMU, Houston, Memphis, Temple, Boise State and San Diego State would be in the Western Division.

Another option discussed was North and South Divisions. Few details were provided about this division lineup, but UCF, USF, SMU, Houston, San Diego State and either Louisville or Memphis seem to fit in the Southern Division. The Northern Division would include everyone else — Boise State, Memphis or Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Connecticut and Temple.

The group also considered completely moving away from a geographic model and splitting up natural neighbors. The rivals, including UCF and USF, would play cross-divisional games every year if they ended up in opposite divisions. These were labeled Blue and Red Divisions solely for discussion purposes. The Big East didn’t put a lot of emphasis on which teams would be in the divisions, instead asking the athletic directors to pick a format and then later debate which schools belonged in which division. It sounded like UCF and USF; SMU and Houston; Boise State and San Diego State; Louisville and Memphis; Cincinnati and Temple; and Rutgers and Connecticut would all be split up under the format and moved into separate divisions. This would allow schools to leverage the Big East’s coast-to-coast footprint and help expand the conference’s recruiting options. Instead of potentially playing cross divisional games once every four years at Texas or Florida, all schools would be sent to Texas or Florida every year.

The conference staff will do its research, then the league is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer.

Which format do you like best? Share your thoughts in the comments section of the blog.

You can click on this link to read more about the football divisions and championship format. And you can click on this link to read more about the revamped Big East basketball tournament format.

UCF coach Terry Rooney. Credit: Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel.

The No. 19 UCF baseball team earned seven Conference USA awards, but one could argue the Knights deserved more recognition for one of the most successful regular season performances in school history. In 2010, the Knights struggled and didn’t make the Conference USA tournament field. Two years later, the Knights faced national powerhouse Rice for the Conference USA regular season title.

Despite the impressive turnaround led by UCF coach Terry Rooney, veteran Rice coach Wayne Graham was named C-USA coach of the year. Graham’s Owls beat UCF for the C-USA regular season title. Rooney wasn’t the only one who could make a case he was snubbed. Junior Ronnie Richardson and senior Alex Friedrich easily could have earned first team All-Conference USA spots. Instead, they were among the Knights named to the conference’s second team.

The postseason awards were voted on by the C-USA coaches, select members of the media and sports information directors (school’s public relations representative.) While it’s easy to blame the votes on UCF’s departure to the Big East, Conference USA has a history of giving the coach of the year award to the leader of the league’s regular season champion.

UCF first baseman D.J. Hicks and closer Joe Rogers were named to the All-Conference USA first team. Infielder Travis Shreve, Friedrich, Richardson and starting pitcher Ben Lively were named to the All-C-USA second team. Rookie pitcher Eric Skoglund was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

Memphis third baseman Jacob Wilson was named C-USA player of the year, Rice pitcher Matt Reckling was named pitcher all of the year, Southern Miss outfielder and pitcher Mason Robbins was named freshman of the year and Southern Miss pitcher Andrew Pierce was named newcomer of the year.

Villanova men’s basketball coach Jay Wright said there is a lot to be said for simply getting the opportunity to sit down face-to-face and talk about the league’s future.

“I always leaves these meetings feeling a lot better about the future of the conference,” said Wright, who has been attending the meetings since he took over as Villanova’s coach in 2001. “You look around the room and realize everyone wants the same thing. They want to see the conference succeed.”

Nothing inspired unity more than presentations NBA and Fox Sports Networks representatives made Monday. ESPN also is attending the meetings and is expected to make its own pitch for the right to extend its TV contract with the Big East. The league’s current contract with ESPN precludes anyone from discussing financial compensation until ESPN concludes in exclusive negotiating window with the Big East this fall, but Big East leaders were still impressed by the TV networks’ presentation. If the TV networks are confident and see value in the Big East’s long-term future, it’s a lot easier for its members to relax.

Check out my Big East spring meetings Monday recap to learn more about the league’s television contract options and the tone of the meetings.

Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle reiterated the Broncos still plan to join the Big East. Joe Bailey, the league’s interim commissioner, said the conference has in contact with Boise State leaders and is working to help find a new home for its non-football members.

My colleague, Matt Murschel, provided a complete transcript of Coyle’s remarks to the media. The Mountain West Conference tried to lure back the Broncos. Coyle was measured in his responses. He was mobbed by quite a few reporters who were looking for specific details on a subject I’m sure Boise State hoped would be resolved quietly. Bottom line, Boise State has reaffirmed its commitment to the Big East and it seems that is unlikely to change.

After getting sidetracked a bit by a great UCF-Rice baseball series, here is my answer to that question …

With no new members participating in Conference USA’s spring meetings, the focus was on how to make the 2012-13 academic year the best it could possibly be for all members.

In football, it meant studying the new rule changes and meeting with referee representatives to discuss how they would interpret the rules on the field. The group also discussed bowl and television partnerships, reviewing the best way to promote Conference USA.

In basketball, it meant reviewing the scheduling policy to make sure the league has a strong enough Rating Percentage Index ranking to send two or more teams to the NCAA Tournament. The group also reviewed rule changes, including new guidelines that allow coaches to work directly with players during the summer for a  few hours a week the same way they do during the fall preseason.

The athletic directors discussed rule changes, compliance with NCAA rules, bowl agreements, television partnerships and a variety of other issues.

The group deferred the final decision on the host site for 2013 Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, but the momentum clearly seems to be against sending the tournament back to Memphis because of the clear home-court advantage it gives the powerhouse Tigers on their way to joining the Big East. UCF’s application was submitted by the previous athletic administration and it’s unclear whether Orlando residents would really support the tournament. With UTEP interested in hosting the tournament in 2014, it makes Tulsa the most likely candidate to host next year’s tournament – the Knights’ final year in Conference USA.

The Big East has a long agenda featuring a variety of familiar topics, but the most important issue — by far — is unifying the membership.

The league has a unique and unwieldy membership lineup that can only be justified – at least for the new western members — if it lands a lucrative new television contract. And the conference can’t really get a mega deal if its members don’t get on the same page and project a stable vision for the future.

Even if the Big12 or ACC steals one or two Big East members, which is far from a foregone conclusion, the Big East likely can survive and make considerable TV revenue because of the number of large media markets it represents and unprecedented competition among TV networks. Everyone else can suggest the sky is falling. It’s up to the Big East leaders to step up and prove they have a credible brand worthy of the mega television deal.

There are plenty of other issues on the agenda, including recommending 2013 football divisions, a format of the 2014 Big East basketball tournament, long-term bowl options and more.

I will be attending the Big East spring meetings and will be providing live updates throughout the week.

Thanks for the great question, @DikaiaKnight. And thanks for your patience while I took my time posting the response.

UCF senior Brad Schneider helped the UCF men's golf team advance to the NCAA championship. Credit: Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel.

The No. 22 UCF men’s golf team advanced to the NCAA men’s golf championship for the first time since 2009 and fifth time overall in school history.

The Knights placed fifth at the Stanford Regional after shooting a combined 5-under 835, finishing two shots ahead of sixth-place Tennessee.

Sophomore Jose Joia led UCF, tying for eighth and finishing the regional tournament 5-under 205. UCF sophomore Ricardo Gouveia tied for 18th, finishing 2-under 208. UCF senior Brad Schneider and sophomore Greg Eason tied for 27th place, finishing one-over 211. Sophomore Kyle Wilshire tied for 64th place, finishing 11-over 221.

“We are ecstatic,” UCF coach Bryce Wallor told UCFAthletics.com. “Going into the last round, we knew we were ready to play. Our guys flat out got it done.”

The top five teams at each of the six regional sites nationally advanced to the NCAA championship, which is set for May 29-June 3 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Fellow Sunshine State teams Florida, Florida State and North Florida also advance to the men’s golf championship.

UCF's Chris Taladay slips past Rice catcher Craig Manuel to score. Credit: Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel.

Despite a variety of setbacks, the No. 16 UCF baseball team had a chance to stage a stirring rally against No. 5 Rice Saturday afternoon at Jay Bergman Field.

Thousands of fans were on their feet, stomping, clapping and ringing bells handed out by UCF athletics staff.

The Knights trailed Rice 5-2 in the ninth inning. UCF junior D.J. Hicks stepped up the plate in the ninth inning with two runners on base. Hicks slammed the ball to deep center field, but it turned out to be a fly ball well short of the outfield fence. Rice would go on to claim the 2012 Conference USA regular season title Saturday at Jay Bergman Field.

UCF had to settle for learning from adversity. The Knights are the No. 2 seed in next week’s Conference USA tournament being played at Peal, Miss. UCF leads one pod, while Rice leads the other pod.

No. 2 seed UCF plays No. 7 seed UAB Thursday at noon. The Knights play No. 6 seed East Carolina Friday at 4 p.m. And UCF plays No. 3 seed Tulane Saturday at noon. The team with the best composite record in each pod advances to the C-USA tournament championship Saturday. The title game is at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

UCF won two-of-three games against UAB, two-of-three games against East Carolina and all three games against Tulane earlier this season.

Check out Brendan Sonnone’s recap of the Rice series and Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi’s thoughts about the UCF baseball program.

Game one of UCF's series against Rice was postponed due to heavy rain at Jay Bergman Field Thursday night. Credit: Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel.

The No. 16 UCF baseball team was holding on to an 8-3 lead over No. 5 Rice in the fifth inning when a giant lightning bolt and heavy rain forced officials to postpone the contest.

The teams will resume game one of the three-game series Friday at 3 p.m. An hour after the first game concludes Friday, Rice and UCF will play game two. The final game of the series is set for 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner of the UCF-Rice series earns the Conference USA regular season title.

UCF fans with tickets to either the Thursday or Friday games will be admitted to the stadium Friday and can watch both contests. If fans arrive before the 3 p.m. game without tickets, they will be charged for one game ticket and can watch both contests. For more information, fans can call the UCF ticket office at 407-823-1000.

The Knights had fans on their feet Thursday night when they scored five runs in the third inning and added another three in the fourth inning. However, Rice threatened to erase the advantage in the fifth inning. The Owls scored three runs and had the bases loaded with two outs when the contest was interrupted due to rain.

Steve Orsini. Credit: SMU.edu.

SMU Athletic Director Steve Orsini, who previously worked as UCF’s athletic director, was fired Thursday. The school issued a news release announcing Orsini’s dismissal effective immediately.

The Dallas Morning News reported Orsini’s clash with SMU President R. Gerald Turner triggered the athletic director’s departure.

Tim Leonard, another former UCF employee who was among the candidates for the Knights’ recently filled athletic director job, was named SMU’s new interim athletic director. The school, which is poised to move into the Big East, plans to conduct a national search for a new athletic director.

“We thank Steve for his contributions to SMU athletics,” SMU President Gerald Turner stated in the news release. “After several discussions over the last few weeks, it became apparent to me that it was necessary to make this change. While we both are committed to the support of our student-athletes and coaches, a unified effort is required for future progress in our athletics programs.”

The terse tone of the SMU news release supports the Dallas Morning News’ assertion Orsini and Turner clashed.

Orsini helped put both UCF and SMU in a position to transition from Conference USA to the Big East.

The Monarchs give Conference USA 14 total members in 2013 following the departure of Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF to the Big East. Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said the league close this round of expansion at 14 members, but the league would continue to explore expansion and consider adding more teams at a later date.

FIU accepted an invitation to join C-USA, but rival and neighbor FAU will continue competing in the Sun Belt.
Conference USA’s new members joining in 2013 are Charlotte, FIU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Old Dominion and Texas-San Antonio. Current C-USA members East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB and UTEP will remain in the league.

UCF senior Alex Friedrich and the Knights will play Rice for the Conference USA regular-season title Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Credit: Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel.

As if there wasn’t already enough on the line when No. 16 UCF hosts No. 5 Rice for a three-game series that will determine the Conference USA regular season title, the Owls served up some bulletin board material.

Legendary Rice coach Wayne Graham told the Houston Chronicle he believes his hitters, who have struggled at times this season, could have a good weekend at UCF.

“I think there’s a possibility we’ll hit well,” Graham told the newspaper. “They don’t have anybody that can really shut us down. We’ll see if they do, but I think we have the possibility of hitting them.”

The Chronicle notes UCF irked Rice coaches and players after winning two of three games against the Owls last season. The Knights have a tradition of adding teams it beats to makeshift tombstones in bullpen area after winning a series. Rice coaches used pictures of the tombstones to fire up the team before the Conference USA tournament. During the regular-season series in Orlando, former UCF third base coach Cliff Godwin got into an argument with people in the Rice dugout. Rice first base coach Patrick Hallmark and Godwin were eventually ejected from the game.

And Rice catcher Craig Manuel, who is from Florida, told the Chronicle he has a chip on his shoulder after UCF never recruited him coming out of high school.

On the UCF side, players are simply eager to earn the first Conference USA championship in school history. UCF is playing on its home field, but the path to the title isn’t an easy one.

Rice has won a conference regular season or tournament title duirng each of the past 16 years. The team has won Conference USA regular season titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011. The Owls have made 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, six College World Series appearances and won the  CWS – college baseball’s national championship – in 2003.

Brendan Sonnone caught up with senior Alex Friedrich, one of the key pieces to the puzzle who helped put the Knights in a position to compete for a Conference USA title. Friedrich went from lightly used sub to a strong hitter for UCF this season.

UCF plays Rice Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 407-823-1000 or visiting UCFAthletics.com.

Rooney talked about the tough matchup, then encouraged fans to attend the games set for Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. at Jay Bergman Field. UCF is selling individual and three-game ticket packages that can be purchased by visiting UCFAthletics.com or calling 407-823-1000.

Scroll down and press play to watch Rooney’s comments about the big series.

Click on this link to view Rooney’s Rice preview on your iPhone or other mobile device.

Click on this link to view Rooney’s remarks encouraging fans to attend the Rice series on your iPhone or other mobile device.

UCF coach Terry Rooney and the Knights have the chance to win their first Conference USA title entering the final week of the regular season. Credit: Orlando Sentinel.

The No. 16 UCF baseball team rolled to a 13-6 win at Marshall Sunday, rallying for a 2-1 series win over the Thundering Herd and setting up arguably the biggest week in school history.

The Knights (40-12, 15-6 in C-USA) are tied with No. 5 Rice (36-14, 15-6 in C-USA) atop the league standings. The two teams will play for the regular season Conference USA title in a winner-take-all series Thursday through Saturday at Jay Bergman Field. UCF also will host rival Stetson (34-18, 15-9 in Atlantic Sun) Tuesday night. The Knights’ won last game on the road against the Hatters earlier this season 5-4 in 13 innings.

If UCF can beat Stetson, win the series against Rice and reach the C-USA tournament title game, the Knights have a chance to host an NCAA regional.

The UCF-Stetson game is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Jay Bergman Field. The Knights host Rice at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. UCF is selling a special three-game ticket package for the Rice series. For more information on tickets, visit the UCFAthletics.com website.

The No. 18 UCF women's track and field celebrates winning the 2012 C-USA outdoor title. Credit: UCFAthletics.com.

The No. 18 UCF women’s track and field team won its third consecutive Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field title Sunday night in New Orleans.

The Knights were determined to claim the outdoor title after coming up short during the indoor season, finishing in second place behind East Carolina at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championship. UCF earned 160 points at the outdoor championship, while the Pirates finished in second place with 132.16 points.

UCF had nine athletes finish events in first place and 18 total athletes earn All-Conference USA honors.

Freshman Octavious Freeman earned Freshman of the Meet honors, while sophomore Aurieyall Scott won High Point Scorer of the Meet for the second consecutive year. Coach Caryl Smith-Gilbert was named Conference USA coach of the year for the third consecutive outdoor season.

The following Knights finished first in their events:
Octavious Freeman: 4×100-meter relay, 100 meters
Dominique Booker: 4×100-meter relay
Aurieyall Scott: 4×100-meter relay, 200 meters
Sheila Paul: 4×100-meter relay
Ne’Ausha Logan: 800 meters
Jackie Coward: 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles

Check out UCFAthletics.com for a detailed recap of the Knights’ top performances at the C-USA outdoor championship.

Complete coverage of the final day of competition will air on tape delay on Fox Sports Florida on Friday at 2 p.m. and on SportSouth on Sunday at 8 p.m.

The Knights will travel to Jacksonville for the NCAA East Preliminary Round of the Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 24-26.

UCF football coach George O'Leary. Credit: Orlando Sentinel.

UCF coach George O’Leary has decided to reinstate four football players who missed spring practice — receiver J.J. Worton, offensive tackle Chris Martin, defensive back Jordan Ozerities and quarterback Jeff Godfrey.

O’Leary talked with the Orlando Sentinel about the each position group, offering the following thoughts on the 2012 football team:

QUARTERBACKS:
“I think Blake [Bortles] improved each week of the spring. I think what we had to improve on was just his reading and knowledge of the defense. There’s no question he has a live arm. I was pleased, for the most part, with what he was able to do. There are some times where he has lapses, but he did learn you have to be a student of the game. I thought he improved tremendously there.

“We really didn’t have a second quarterback, so Rob [Calabrese] took snaps to give Blake a break and he did fairly well. But he’s really going to be a receiver for us.

“[Tyler] Gabbert is coming in for Session A [summer school], and he’s got some grass under his feet. He played at Missouri before transferring. I’m hoping to see what he’s about.

“We’re taking [Jeff] Godfrey back, but he’s coming in as a receiver. That’s what he is. I told him basically, at best, he’d be a third quarterback. But really he’s going to play slot receiver, and I think he’d have the ability to help us. He’s a great athlete and he wanted to come back at any position we’d put him at. … He seems to be a little more mature and understands life’s not that easy. You have to work.”

WIDE RECEIVERS:
“[J.J.] Worton will be back once he gets completely cleared of his legal misadventures. [Worton was charged with resisting arrest and battery after a St. Patrick’s Day party at a popular UCF area bar. His case is expected to be resolved this summer.]

“I thought the receivers had a good spring except for the spring game. They dropped way, way too many balls. I do think we have talent there. I was impressed with the [Breshad] Perriman kid as a true freshman just getting here in January. He did a good job. He obviously has to get stronger in the weight room.

“Overall, I think we have people there that can help us. I think Blake gets the ball down the field more, which I think opens things up.”

RUNNING BACKS:
“I think there’s four guys back there that can all play. I think there’s more competition than we’ve ever had at that position. We have to find a way to get a couple of those guys on the field  at the same time. Some of them are dual type guys. Latavius [Murray] is as good a receiver as anybody we have catching the ball as far as getting some verticle push. Storm Johnson improved and showed he has great ability. And Brynn [Harvey] is what I think he is, very consistent and steady. Cedric Thompson is the fourth guy who I think is going to be a very good running back, but he’s just behind all those other guys right now.”

OFFENSIVE LINE
“I think we’re probbaly as deep as we’ve ever been on the offensive line. [Chris] Martin is back. We’re two deep heading into the summer at that postion without even looking at the freshmen. Phil Smith from Georgia Tech is coming in for Summer A, so really there’s two more tackles coming in. It sort of solidifies that group.

“The line had a better spring. I thought [offensive line coach] Brent [Key] did a good job of getting back to fundamentals with them. And that’s where I spent most of my time in the spring, focusing on fundamentals — blocking and tackling. I was pleased from that standpoint.”

TIGHT END
“The Y position is young. I think [Justin] Tukes and [Kevin] Miller have an opportunity to be good players, but they’re young. Good size — 6-4, 245-250. They need a good offseason in the weight room this summer. That’s a position I look at and need someone who is a real Y, not someone who thinks he’s just a pass catcher.”

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE OFFENSE:
“Offensively, I think we probably have more depth than we’ve had since I’ve been here. The quarterback positon is going to be key as far as where is Gabbert at? Can he handle learning the offense? And then how much does Blake take over the leadership role? He’s only a sophomore, but he has to start taking charge of things more and that’s part of the growing up process.”

SECONDARY:
“I think we’re in good shape back there. I may have to take a look at one or two freshmen as backup role players. I think Kemal [Ishmael] and Clayton [Geathers] will be steady with A.J. Bouye. [Jordan] Ozerities will be back. We’ve upgraded those areas with people who have played and can do things. And there’s some freshmen who need a weight session and to get stronger at the point of attack – Jared Henry, Jeremy Davis.  I’ll look at some freshmen. I always believe the further away from the ball, the easier it is to get on the field because it’s really more about athletic ability.”

LINEBACKER
“I was pleased with the improvement of Ray Shipman. He showed a lot more contact speed, a lot better reaction time. [Terrance] Plummer, I thought improved, but he still has a ways to go as far as where he can be. Jonathan Davis makes a lot of plays, but he’s got to work on not giving up a lot of plays too. Troy Gray started last year, so I expect to see him get more things done. And then after the top four or five guys, I’ll be looking to see if the freshmen can help us. We signed some who are real steady, consistent, smart players. They can fill in because it’s not like it’s a three yards and a cloud of dust thing with the team’s we’re playing , where it’s a space issue. Athletic ability is probably more important than anything else at that position.”

DEFENSIVE LINE
“The defensive line is back in tact except for Darius Nall and Barry Snider. I thought the line improved inside. I’ve got the ability to move Victor Gray inside or outside, which I think is really good. I like Troy Davis and Victor Gray. I really think [E.J.] Dunston and Josh Wofford had a good spring. They improved. You could see it. Jose Jose has got to get his weight down, but I think he can help us. There’s freshmen coming in, but they need some time to develop.”

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE DEFENSE:
“We’ll be in decent shape defensively. I think if any freshmen are going to help us, it will probably be on the defensive side of the ball.”

KICKERS:
“I thought the kicking game improved. [Shawn] Moffitt and [Sean] Galvin had a good spring. They made the field goals they needed to make. I thought [Jaime] Boyle, as a punter, came on. We have another walk on punter from Tennessee coming who could also help us.

“I think the kicking game is in as good a shape as we’ve ever had.”

RETURN SPECIALISTS:
“We’ve got Rannell Hall and [Quincy] McDuffie back. I didn’t use McDuffie as much last year because he got hurt midseaosn, but I thought Rannell did a good job returning. Punt return, you’ve got three or four of guys in the mix. Ozerities, Bouye, Tukes, [Josh] Reese have all done it in the past. We’ve got some guys back there who can help.”

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE TEAM:
“From a depth standpoint, I feel comfortable about all the positions. The ones I’m anxious to see are the Y position and the linebacker position. I want to see how they improve this summer.”

UCF senior Jackie Coward will help lead the Knights, who are going for their third C-USA outdoor title. Credit: Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel.

The No. 18 UCF women’s track and field team is gunning for its third consecutive Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field title this weekend.

Tulane hosts the championship at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.

The Knights enter the tournament as the favorites.

UCF leads Conference USA’s top performances in six events this year. Octavious Freeman owns the fastest 100-meter and 200-meter dash times, Afia Charles owns the fastest 400-meter dash time, Jackie Coward owns the fastest 100-meter hurdle and 400-meter hurdle times and UCF’s team owns the fastest UCF 4×100-meter relay time. No other program in the league claims as many of the top spots.

UCF was heavily favored to win the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field title, but the Knights weren’t sharp during the competition and finished in second place behind East Carolina.

“That was tough, but it taught us a lot about how hard we have to work,” Coward said. “We have to earn it. And we’re determined to go back out and earn an outdoor conference championship. We won’t settle for anything less.”

Live C-USA outdoor championship meet results will be posted on the league’s website.

Mackenzie Audas

UCF freshman pitcher Mackenzie Audas was named Conference USA co-pitcher of the year after a strong rookie season. She led C-USA and broke UCF freshman records for wins (21), ERA (1.04), complete games (28), shutouts (10), strikeouts (254) and opposing team’s batting average (.170). She is the first UCF softball player to win C-USA pitcher of the year honors.

UCF senior pitcher Ali Schmidt, who transferrd from Philadelphia College, earned C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors. Her 1.61 ERA this season is the fifth best in school history.

Senior shortstop Natalie Land and Audas earned first team All-Conference USA honors, while senior centerfielder Vanessa Perez and freshman infielder Farrah Sullivan earned spots on the second team.

Outfielder Kahley Novak, outfielder Haley Barrow, Sullivan and Audas were named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

Land earned a spot on the C-USA All-Academic Team recognition for the third time durin her career. Land, an athletic training major, posted a 3.7 cumulative grade point average while leading the Knights in batting average (.341), hits (62) and home runs (8).

Fourth-seeded UCF stumbled during the Conference USA Softball Tournament, losing 6-2 to fifth-seeded Houston Thursday afternoon at the UAB Softball Field. The Knights (34-21) still hope they’ll receive an at-large bid to the NCAA regionals.

Tickets to 2012 UCF football road games are now on sale. Credit: Joshua C. Cruey / Orlando Sentinel.

2012 UCF football road game tickets are now on sale.

Tickets to the Knights’ highest profile road game at Ohio State Sept. 8 are limited to Golden Knights Club members and 2012 season ticket holders who are not members of the booster club. GKC members can order either four tickets or the number of season tickets they hold if it exceeds four tickets. Non-donors can purchase up the number the number of season tickets they have purchased.

Road game seating is based on Golden Knights Club priority points. Groups should indicate they wish to sit together and their seating assignment will be based on the person with the lowest Golden Knights Club priority points.

If fans request more tickets than UCF has available in its allotment, the UCF ticket office will not be able to fulfill all requests. Fans will receive confirmation emails after the deadline for priority club members to purchase their tickets has passed on June 29.

Here is the 2012 UCF road football schedule and prices for each game set by the opposing team:

Thursday, Aug. 30 at Akron: $20
Saturday, Sept. 8 at Ohio State: $70
Saturday, Oct. 20 at Memphis: $30
Saturday, Oct. 27 at Marshall: $35
Saturday, Nov. 10 at UTEP: $20
Saturday, Nov. 17 at Tulsa: $30

To purchase tickets, call the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at 407-823-1000 or visit UCFAthletics.com. Season ticket packages for UCF’s six home games against FIU, Missouri, Southern Miss, East Carolina, SMU and UAB also are available for purchase.