One month after Greg Lovelady was named the UCF baseball coach in 2016, the Knights announced a “game changing” donation from ardent supporter John Euliano, who committed $1.5 million toward expansion and renovation of the UCF Baseball Complex.
By the start of the 2018 season, the complex was renamed after Euliano and the much-needed enhancements to the ballpark were complete.
Lovelady then signed a three-year extension in 2021, the second one that he agreed to since his arrival.
Ahead of the 2022 season, fresh field turf for the foul ground area and a new video board were installed. Prior to this season, UCF upgraded its outfield wall.
On opening night this year, UCF announced a pledged donation of more than $5 million, which included $4 million toward the baseball program.
Despite the financial support from donors and UCF’s athletic administrators toward the baseball program, the Knights made just one NCAA tournament appearance during Lovelady’s seven-year campaign. That came during his first season.
Now the sides are headed in opposite directions after the school dismissed Lovelady on Saturday.
“Over the last few years we’ve put significant resources into baseball at UCF — and we will continue to build the program in the transition,” UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir said in a media release.
According to one college baseball expert, it’s not only that support from Mohajir but also UCF’s move to the Big 12 that makes the new job opening an attractive one.
Lovelady, however, wasn’t the only notable college skipper fired over the weekend.
The day before Lovelady was dismissed by the Knights, Georgia made the decision to fire baseball coach Scott Stricklin after 10 years. On Sunday, Missouri moved on from coach Steve Bieser.
Earlier this month, Alabama fired its baseball coach, Brad Bohannon amid a betting investigation.
So where does UCF’s job opening rank compared to these three and others across the country?
“The profile of the UCF baseball job has been greatly enhanced by the impending move to the Big 12 Conference,” Kendall Rogers, the managing editor of D1Baseball.com, wrote on Twitter. “Great recruiting ground, the admin really cares about baseball, and the facilities are solid.
“No reason UCF can’t win big.”
The Knights are heading to a conference that saw six of its nine baseball teams selected to the NCAA tournament on Monday, the highest number of selections for the Big 12 since 2017.
Despite the challenging conference schedule ahead, a future coach could recruit top players from the local area to become competitive sooner rather than later.
In 2021, the state of Florida was home to the second-most Major League Baseball players behind only California, according to Bleacher Report.
With the financial support, the move to the Big 12 and talent nearby, Mohajir feels positive about the future of the program.
“I’m confident we can win Big 12 Conference baseball titles and compete on a national level,” he said.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
