UCF Baseball Looks to Bounce Back in 2026 Season

Knights aim to return to NCAA Tournament after missing postseason in 2025

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The UCF Knights Baseball team is looking to bounce back in 2026 after missing the NCAA Tournament entirely in 2025. Head coach Rich Wallace is tasked with leading a squad made up of mostly new faces this season, as the Knights aim to improve on their 29-26 (9-21 Big 12) record from last year. Despite a dominant non-conference stretch, UCF's pitching struggled during the Big 12 portion of the schedule, and the offense couldn't capitalize on the team's strong batting average. With key players like Andrew Williamson, DeAmez Ross, and Kris Sosnowski returning, the Knights hope to find more consistency on both sides of the ball this season.

Why it matters

After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 in 2024, the Knights' failure to make the postseason in 2025 was a disappointing setback. This season provides an opportunity for the program to prove it can sustain success and build off its recent NCAA appearance. With eight Big 12 teams making the tournament last year, UCF will need to significantly improve its conference performance to return to the big dance.

The details

The Knights were plagued by inconsistency in 2025, leading the Big 12 in team batting average and ERA in non-conference play but dropping to fifth and ninth, respectively, in those categories during league games. UCF struggled to limit home runs, sacrifice flies, and free passes, which allowed Big 12 offenses to produce. This season, the Knights will look to get more consistent performances from both their pitching staff and their lineup, which features returning standouts like Andrew Williamson and DeAmez Ross.

  • The Knights open the season on February 13 with a three-game home series against Siena.
  • UCF faces an early-season test with a midweek game at Miami (FL) on February 17, followed by the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic, which includes a matchup against defending College World Series champion LSU on February 22.
  • The Knights begin Big 12 play on March 20 with a three-game series at TCU, one of the conference's top teams.

The players

Rich Wallace

In his third season as head coach of the UCF Knights, Wallace is tasked with leading the program back to the NCAA Tournament after it missed the postseason in 2025.

Andrew Williamson

The junior outfielder is the Knights' top returning player after earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2025. He led UCF in several offensive categories, including doubles, triples, home runs, and RBIs.

DeAmez Ross

The senior outfielder was the team's leading hitter in 2025, recording the most hits and the highest batting average. He earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and will be a key veteran presence for the Knights this season.

Kris Sosnowski

The redshirt senior pitcher is one of the team's pitching captains and will look to bounce back after his ERA rose from 3.38 in 2024 to 5.22 in 2025.

Antonio Jimenez

The transfer from Miami (FL) was the only Knight to earn All-Big 12 Second Team or better honors last season, hitting .329 with 11 home runs and 51 RBIs.

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What they’re saying

“This group of freshman are my first I've gotten the chance to go through the 'whole recruiting process with' and the team had more versatility, power and athleticism this time around.”

— Rich Wallace, Head Coach (blackandgoldbanneret.com)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, Grocery Employee (Instagram)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This season provides an opportunity for the UCF Knights Baseball program to prove it can sustain success and build off its recent NCAA Tournament appearance, as the team looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign and find more consistency on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.