The 2025 campaign was a very difficult one for the UCF Knights. UCF went 9-21 during Big 12 play, the second-worst record in the conference behind only Utah. The Knights also barely finished with a record above .500, one year removed from a 37-21 record. Heading into 2026, the Knights’ roster will include one very familiar face, followed by a lot of new ones.

The Returnees

There aren’t many players in the UCF program who haven’t played for or have been with another school. However, one who’s been a Knight through and through over the last two seasons is Andrew Williamson.

Williamson, the nephew of former Pittsburgh Pirate infielder Sean Rodriguez, should be a fun name to watch come MLB Draft time in July. The 20-year-old was one of the best players in the Big 12 last season, as Williamson batted .352 with 13 home runs and 36 extra-base hits for UCF last season. He also did well in the Cape during the summer, as he batted .265 with three home runs.

UCF will also get back DeAmez Ross, the Knights’ team leader in hits last season. Ross, formerly of Florida State, finished the year with a .359 average in his junior season.

Sophomore Mateo Gray, who only received 29 plate appearances last season, is also back.

As for the pitching staff, there are not many returning pitchers. However, sophomore Drew Bellis, junior Camden Wicker, and redshirt senior Kris Sosnowski are back for 2026.

The Newcomers

There are a lot of transfer players on the UCF roster.

But before getting into that, it’s worth noting that the Knights lost a lot of talent from their 2025 roster. Pitcher Russell Sandefer, who struck out 49 over 50.2 IP last season, is now with the Florida Gators. Additionally, the pros picked off Antonio Jimenez (3rd, Mets) and Edian Espinal (10th, Tigers).

Getting back to the transfers, there are over 20 players on the 2026 UCF roster who were on a roster for another school.

Ex-USF and LSU pitcher Chandler Dorsey is one of them. Dorsey, who threw five innings for the Tigers last season, struck out 23 over 15.1 IP in the Cape Cod League this past year.

Two Gamecocks, INF/OF Cayden Gaskin and pitcher Roman Kimball, join the team. Gaskin hit .263 over 41 games after he only played in 20 games for South Carolina last season. Kimball, who pitched well in the Cape back in 2022, has dealt with extensive walk problems throughout his collegiate career. That dogged him in the MLB Draft League as well, as he walked eight over 10 innings for State College this past summer.

UCF also plucked two players from Clemson, redshirt freshman infielder Austin Jacobs and ex-Seton Hall pitcher Michael Gillen.

Former Vanderbilt outfielder JD Rogers batted .256 in 50 plate appearances across parts of three college seasons.

Redshirt senior catcher Zak Skinner batted .339 with 10 home runs for Lamar back in the 2024 campaign. However, his average (.277) slid down last season. Fellow redshirt senior, infielder Javier Crespo, hit .340 for FIU last season.

As for the freshmen, there are 13 true first-year players on the UCF roster. Arguably, the most notable one is Florida high school product Alan Soler. Alan, the son of former Mets pitcher Alay Soler, wasn’t a big thrower in high school, as he topped out at around 90 MPH.

Additionally, two-way player Max Murray hit for power in the showcase circuit as a high schooler.

Summary

The Big 12 was not an easy conference by any means last season. Still, a 9-21 record during conference play is tough to deal with.

The goal will be to improve, obviously. However, how all these pieces will fit in will be interesting. But if the bats come through, it could be a different year for the Knights.

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