The UCF baseball team has recorded a top-25 recruiting class once again according to Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s annual evaluation of NCAA Division I baseball classes. The Knights came in at No. 24, marking the third-straight top-25 class under head coach Terry Rooney who is entering his fourth season in 2011-12.
“We are pleased that for the third-consecutive year we have been recognized as having a Top-25 recruiting class in the nation,” Rooney said. “This is an exceptional group of players who we feel will make an immediate impact for us. This recognition further solidifies that the future is bright as we continue our rise back in to the national spotlight of college baseball.”
The Knights have flourished in recruiting under Rooney’s watch, hauling in the No. 4 class in 2009 and the No. 20 class last year. The recent spike in talent has helped the program make a return to the national stage. Last year, the Knights competed in their first NCAA tournament since 2004.
A total of five Major League draft picks highlight the 2011-12 UCF baseball signing class. Of the 13 players set to join the Knights this season, seven are pitchers including four southpaws.
Freshmen right-hander Ryan Meyer (Oviedo, Fla.), right-hander Garrett Nuss (Sorrento, Fla.), southpaw Eric Skoglund (Sarasota, Fla.) and infielder Tommy Williams (North Palm Beach, Fla.) were all selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, while junior right-hander Roman Madrid (Victoria, Texas) was taken in the MLB Draft in 2009.
Including Meyer, Nuss, Skoglund and Williams, the 2011-12 signing class boasts 10 players from the state of Florida, which includes two that call central Florida home in Meyer and freshman outfielder/southpaw JoMarcos Woods (Orlando, Fla.). The class also includes one player from Arizona (Nick Carrillo) and one each from Texas (Madrid) and Washington (Jimmy Reed).
The Knights’ heralded recruiting class will see the field beginning next week as they open fall practices at the UCF baseball complex. This semester’s preparations will conclude with the Black and Gold World Series on Oct. 26-28.