It was another strong, competitive year for the UCF Knights in 2026. The school stayed competitive throughout the Big 12 and non-conference schedules, earned an at-large berth, and won a game during the Auburn Regional. Heading into 2027, get used to some new faces.
The Returnees
We’ll get more into it in the next section but the 2027 UCF Knights will look significantly different than the club from one year ago.
UCF did bring back redshirt sophomore Austin Jacobs, one of several former Clemson Tigers on the school’s roster. Jacobs was a regular for the Knights in 2026, as he played in 45 games and slashed .252/.348/.308 with five extra-base hits.
Stephen Chucka, a true sophomore who played 20 contests for UCF, is back. Catcher Dallas Brooks is another sophomore. As is redshirt junior James Hankerson Jr., although neither accrued a ton of at-bats for the school last season.
As for the pitching staff, Evan Jones and Mateo Gray are among the big arms back for UCF.
Jones was the Knights’ top reliever last season. A redshirt senior, Jones struck out 52 over 46 innings last season, a number that was second behind Camden Wicker. An interesting pitcher, with a fastball that ran up to the upper 90s last season. Also has a slider and sweeper.
Gray was a two-way player in 2025 but transitioned into a full-time pitcher last year. The now-junior struck out 48 over 58 innings. There is some intrigue here, although Gray doesn’t have a lot of extension in his delivery. A true low-90s sinker, as well as a high-spin curveball, are among the highlights.
Kaniel Rosado, Max Murray, and Anthony Lariz, three 2026 freshmen who logged a lot of innings last season, are back as sophomores.
Alan Soler, who missed all of 2026 thanks to injury, is also back. Soler, the son of former Met Alay Soler, was one of the school’s more notable freshman additions from the 2025 class.
The Newcomers
Many familiar names are gone from last year.
Andrew Williamson, the 2026 home run leader, was drafted by the Cardinals this past July after another strong season in college. UCF ‘s lineup was littered with seniors, meaning the likes of Zak Skinner, John Smith III, DeAmez Ross, Landon Moran, and Javier Crespo are gone.
Additionally, Jordan Lodise, who hit reasonably well as a freshman in 2026, transferred to Georgia Tech this past summer.
UCF added two players from Clemson. One was Collin Priest, part of what was a big transfer class for the Tigers in 2024-25. Priest hit 12 home runs in 2025, did not play in 2026, and is now a redshirt junior looking for a fresh start. A high walk-rate hitter, Priest took 81 passes in two seasons with Michigan & Clemson.
The other is Talan Bell, a standout high school player in Florida and a top get for Erik Bakich three years ago. Bell, though, hasn’t found footing at the collegiate level, as he appeared in just 28 games in two seasons with the school.
Bell was a two-way player at Clemson, although most of his action came on the mound. The left-hander, who has a fastball that can reach the mid-90s, had some command problems, with six home runs allowed, eight hit batters, and 13 walks over 25 innings. He struck out 23.
Pitchers Jake Gorelick and Andrew Lepine are over from Stetson. Lepine notched a team-high four saves and struck out 23 over 27 innings last year.
Chase Williams was a monster for Florida State two seasons ago, hitting .342 for a Seminoles team that made it to the Super Regionals. However, the senior outfielder slashed .269/.349/.331 in 42 contests in Tallahassee last spring.
He’ll be joined by sophomore pitcher Manny Lantigua, who struck out six over 5.2 IP for the Seminoles last season. Low-90s fastball coming out of the bullpen last year for FSU.
Cade Brown is with his third school in three years. Brown, a junior infielder, played 11 games last year for Georgia Tech and 16 for Georgia in 2025.
UCF’s roster also has nine true freshmen on the 2027 roster.
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