ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After guiding UCF to its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title earlier this year, head baseball coach Greg Lovelady recently signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him in Orlando through the 2022 season.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Dr. Daniel J. White, Brad Stricklin and President Hitt for believing in me,” Lovelady said. “It means a lot that they would show how much faith they have in me by rewarding me with this.”
In his first season with the Knights, Lovelady took the team to a 40-22 record, the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. A 15-9 mark in conference action led to the team’s first AAC title since the league’s inception. The Knights earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament Tallahassee Regional, their first regional appearance since 2012.
Four pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft, including Jason Bahr in the fifth round to the San Francisco Giants. Senior righty Robby Howell earned All-American laurels from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Louisville Slugger. Freshmen Joe Sheridan and Rylan Thomas also received All-American status from multiple outlets.
“I’m thankful for all the players, because we wouldn’t be able to do this with without them,” Lovelady continued. “I’m grateful for all the work they put in. For my coaching staff and all the other staff members that help our program, their work allowed us to have the season that we had. I plan on being here for a long time. This just shows the level of commitment that we have to the program, and we’re looking forward to building on the success of this year.”
The Knights begin their preparation for the second season of the Greg Lovelady era this fall. Information about intrasquad scrimmages will be posted to UCFKnights.com.
