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Preview: Spring Baseball

The 2011 season saw Central Florida baseball coach Marty Smith earn his 500th win, a milestone achievement representing close to two decades worth of excellence.

But unfortunately, that's not Smith's enduring memory of the 2011 season.

For the second consecutive season, 2011 saw CF sidelined as two other teams from the highly-competitive Mid-Florida Conference advanced to the FCSAA State Tournament. After postseason berths in two of the previous three seasons,  including a state championship game appearance in 2007, the Patriot playoff drought is a very unwelcome development for a program long established among the state's elite.

In response, Smith has assembled one of the most complete Patriot teams in recent memory. The roster features a mix of promising freshmen and proven sophomores, a wealth of pitching options, solid defensive and fundamental players and an array of contact and power hitters. And Smith has brought in a new coaching staff to fashion that talent into a winner; Arthur Stenberg, a lifelong baseball man with experience at the NCAA and Major League Baseball, takes over the Patriot pitching corps, while former Patriot first baseman Zach Bove returns to his alma mater after completing a solid playing career at Flagler College.

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Here's a look at the group poised to restore CF to the midst of the state championship race:

PITCHING: New Jersey native Darren Fischer threw his way to the top of the Patriot rotation with a strong fall season. The 6-0 lefthander was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2010 after posting an ERA under 2.00 as a prep senior. Though sidelined currently, fellow southpaw Eric Bauer could make a run at Fischer's No. 1 slot upon his return.

CF strengthened its pitching staff at the winter break with the additions of NCAA Division II transfer Matt Marsh and freshman hurlers Taylor Renegar and John Hooker. The new recruits will team with Kevin Games, an elite Southwest Florida prep prospect who will contribute on the mound and at the plate, and Ocala product Colby Wisdom to give CF one of the state's most promising starting rotations.

Freshman righthander Joe Marotta, meanwhile, has proven well-suited to high-leverage relief work and has an opportunity to solidify himself as the team's closer.  He headlines a strong bullpen group that includes New Jersey import Tomas Rivera and native Ocalan Matt Rodriguez.

HITTING: Smith uncovered a top-flight pure leadoff man in freshman shortstop Melvin Mercedes, a constant threat to reach base and do some damage when he gets there. The New York City product is among a group of high-average contact hitters and opportunistic baserunners at the top of the CF order. Returning sophomore standouts Christian Coburn and Yoenny Gonzalez headline that cast, with support from NCAA Division II transfer Justin Burgess and Ocala freshman Mario Urdaneta.

With that many threats to reach base, CF's middle-of-the-order power hitters expect to have plenty of opportunities to produce runs. Incumbent sophomores Scott Schaub and Josh Whitchurch are the proven stars of the group, but they'll have ample help from new additions Games, Theo Castillo, Ryan Smith and Derrick Davis.

DEFENSE: Whitchurch settled in nicely behind the plate as a freshman, and will hold down the position again with support from Castillo and Anthony Santiago.

Third baseman Schaub and shortstop Mercedes give CF skill and stability on the left side of the infield, where the balls are hit harder and the plays are often tougher to make. They'll be throwing to the sure-handed Smith at first base, while Burgess, Urdaneta and Rivera platoon at second. A pair of homegrown prep stars, sophomore Casey Elkins and freshman Danny Timmons, give the Patriots depth and options in utility roles.

The outfield is spearheaded by speedy duo of Coburn and Gonzalez in center and right, respectively, while Games will patrol left when not on the mound. Davis and Ocala-bred freshman Sean Plunkett round out a versatile outfield rotation.

Santa Fe 68, CF Patriots 64 (MBB)

Central Florida suffered its second consecutive men's basketball loss on Wednesday, falling 68-64 at Santa Fe.

CF sophomore Luis Jacobo's pair of clutch free throws tied the game at 64 with 2:15 to play. But the Saints responded with a 3-pointer on their subsequent possession, strung together several defensive stops and knocked down late free throws to secure the crucial MFC victory.

Eugene McCrory led CF with 15 points, while Jacobo added 14 and Hunter Williams scored 10.

The loss drops the defending MFC champion Patriots (16-7, 3-2) out of first place as the 4-1 Saints take over the top spot outright. FSC-Jacksonville, which handed CF its first loss Saturday, was idle Wednesday and sits in second place at 3-1.

Santa Fe snapped a nine-game losing streak to CF, including this season's conference opener Jan. 7.

CF is off Saturday, then hosts Daytona State on Wednesday.

CF Lady Patriots 54, Santa Fe 52 (WBB)

Central Florida pulled out a narrow victory Wednesday in a must-win Mid-Florida Conference women's basketball game, edging host Santa Fe 54-52.

Returning sophomore Quinnecia Twine carried the offensive load in the crucial game, scoring 18 points to lead three Lady Patriots in double figures. TiChina Mitchell added 12 and Briana Gibson scored 10.

The Lady Patriots (11-12, 2-3 MFC) entered the game sharing the conference cellar with the Lady Saints, a surprising turn of events a year after both programs advanced to the FCSAA State Tournament. Wednesday's win pushes Santa Fe closer to the brink while breathing new life into CF's postseason hopes, though the Lady Patriots are still looking up at FSC-Jacksonville, Daytona State and Hillsborough for one of the conference's two tournament berths.

CF hosts Daytona on Wednesday with an eye towards further movement up the MFC standings.

CF Visits Gainesville for MFC Hoops Showdown

Central Florida travels to the Gainesville campus of archrival Santa Fe on Wednesday evening for a Mid-Florida Conference women's and men's basketball doubleheader. Watch the games live online via Panhandle Broadcasting starting at 6 pm.

Here's a quick look ahead:

LADY PATRIOTS: It's been an unconventional season to date in Mid-Florida Conference women's basketball. FSC-Jacksonville has burst out of the MFC cellar and into contention with a 2-2 start to the campaign, including a signature win over CF on Saturday. Hillsborough has found its comfort zone in its second year in the MFC, tying perennial contender Daytona State atop the standings at 3-1.

That leaves familiar powers CF and Santa Fe reeling, nursing matching 1-3 marks with just eight opportunities to reclaim lost territory. In fact, it may be too late in the game for both teams to mount a viable push for one of the MFC's two postseason berths. The math says that one of the two teams will reach the halfway point no better than 2-4; the other has the chance to return to .500 and mount a second-half assault. The old rivals staged a hard-fought conference opener Jan. 7, with the win going to the visiting Lady Saints. Saturday's rematch carries all of the established grudges, plus a ton of postseason ramifications.

PATRIOTS: At 3-1 each, CF, Santa Fe and FSC-Jacksonville are locked in a three-way tie atop the MFC standings with a third of the 12-game conference schedule in the books. Meanwhile, Daytona State (1-3) and St. Johns River (0-4) appear to be falling out of contention. While the MFC offers two state tournament spots, the motivation is clear to win the conference outright, as that team advances directly to the postseason while the others will be relegated to a play-in tournament.

CF opened MFC play Jan. 7 with a comfortable win over Santa Fe in Ocala, its ninth straight win in the series against its closest geographic rival. Since then, however, the Patriots have suffered their first MFC loss and the proud Saints have rattled off three straight victories, making the rivalry as compelling as ever as the scene moves north on Interstate 75.

National Honor Caps Ratliffe's Amazing Week

CF Patriots legend and Missouri senior Ricardo Ratliffe continues to reap the rewards from his dominant performances last week. The latest: the Lute Olsen National Player of the Week Award.

Ratliffe was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after his 27 points and 8 rebounds led Missouri to a victory over Baylor. The win boosted Mizzou to No. 2 in the NCAA Top 25 and sent Ratliffe's NBA Draft stock soaring.

Meanwhile, the 6-8 power forward maintained his NCAA-best field-goal percentage. If he maintains it, Ratliffe's current 77.2 percent shooting percentage will break the standing NCAA record of 74.6 percent, set by Oregon State's Steve Johnson in 1981.

Next up for the Tigers: a Wednesday visit to Oklahoma State. ESPN2 broadcasts the game starting at 7:30 pm EST.

CF Alum Ratliffe Named Big 12 Player of the Week

Missouri senior and CF Patriots alumnus Ricardo Ratliffe has been named Big 12 Player of the Week.

The honor adds to an impressive list of awards the Virginia native has collected at the NJCAA and NCAA levels. The 6-8 power forward was a two-time All-American and the 2010 NJCAA Male Student-Athlete of the Year at CF, where he also shattered the program's single-season and career scoring records. As a Tigers junior, Ratlife was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

This latest award arrives two days after the rising NBA Draft prospect led No. 5 Mizzou to a nationally-televised victory over No. 3 Baylor. The Tigers subsequently moved up to No. 2 in the NCAA Top 25.

From Mizzou's press release:

Ratliffe had a great week, averaging 22.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while guiding Mizzou to a 2-0 record, including one of the biggest wins in college basketball this season at No. 3 Baylor last Saturday. In the Tigers' 89-88 win over Baylor on Saturday, Ratliffe had a career day with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. His 27 points and 11 field goals are new career-best totals. He also went 5-of-7 from the charity stripe in that game and tallied a pair of blocks in 34 minutes. Ratliffe did all of this on the road against a Baylor front court that was billed as one of the best in the country. He was a key reason why Mizzou claimed its first road win over a top-five opponent since 1994.
 
The Hampton, Va., native also had a fine performance against Texas A&M last week as he posted 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting along with a career-best seven free throws on eight attempts. He also added six rebounds and two steals while playing in 31 minutes in that game.
 
In all, Ratliffe made 16-of-21 (.762) shots from the field while converting 12-of-15 (.800) from the free-throw line last week. He is shooting 77.2 percent this year, which ranks first in the nation and is on pace to break the NCAA single-season record. He missed just five shots last week and has only 36 misses for the entire 2011-12 campaign.

Ratliffe Leads #5 Mizzou Over #3 Baylor

A dominant Ricardo Ratliffe led No. 5 Missouri to the signature win of its remarkable season on Saturday, an 89-88 victory over No. 3 Baylor that was nationally televised on ESPN.

Ratliffe, the 2010 NJCAA Male Student-Athlete of the Year and CF's career leading scorer, racked up a team-high 27 points and 8 rebounds, setting an NCAA career high for points in the process. He also added to his amazing NCAA-leading field-goal percentage with an 11-for-14 shooting performance.

FSC-Jacksonville 64, CF Patriots 62 (MBB)

Central Florida's smooth ride through the Mid-Florida Conference men's basketball schedule hit its first patch of turbulence Saturday with a 64-62 loss at FSC-Jacksonville.

The loss ends the Patriots' outright hold on first place in the MFC standings. CF (16-6, 3-1) visits fellow contender Santa Fe on Saturday for its first shot at redemption.

FSC-Jacksonville 75, CF Lady Patriots 71 (WBB)

Central Florida took a blow to its women's basketball postseason hopes Saturday with a 75-71 loss at FSC-Jacksonville.

A career-high 30-point effort from freshman TiChina Mitchell kept CF close to the host Lady Stars throughout. Sophomore guard Quinnecia Twine scored 22 and Simone High 11 to join Mitchell in double figures.

The defeat drops the Lady Patriots (10-12, 1-3 Mid-Florida Conference) down a notch in the conference standings with one-third of the 12-game season in the books. CF will attempt to correct its course Wednesday with a visit to Santa Fe.