Rathbone at the heart of potent offense
Two teams that have surpassed all earlyseason expectations, the UCF Knights and the Cal State Northridge Matadors, are set to face off this weekend at John Euliano Park.
The No. 17 Knights were supposed to need time to get acclimated with 18 new players. But they have begun 2020 by winning eight of their first nine games, highlighted by a convincing three-game sweep of Auburn last weekend.
Head coach Greg Lovelady knew he had a talented roster on his hands, but even he admits this start has caught him off guard.
“I think we’re a lot farther along than I thought,” he said. “I thought that we would get there just because of the talent that we have, but I think the staff has done a great job of just preparing the kids.”
The Knights have looked well-prepared both on the mound and at the plate. Their team earned run average is a scant 1.02 through 81 innings while the offense leads all American Athletic Conference clubs in runs, hits, home runs and stolen bases.
Senior Jordan Rathbone has been at the forefront of the scoring and is tied for the conference lead in runs batted in and second in runs scored, trailing only teammate Tom Josten.
Rathbone batted .500 with two homers in the Auburn series and was recognized as the AAC Player of the Week for his efforts. He said the vitriol from some of the opposing fans helped spur him on.
“I’m one of those guys, I kind of like the fans yelling at me when I’m on the road a little bit more than I do at home,” Rathbone said. “It always just fires you up a little bit more to kind of just shut the crowd up, tell them to be quiet and just go out there and perform our best.
“It was honestly awesome. It’s something that I’m going to remember forever.”
Rathbone is extremely confident in what he can do at the plate, but he didn’t get much of an opportunity to showcase it once he left the junior college ranks in Arizona to join the Knights prior to last season. He played in just 11 games in 2019 and had only four at-bats after February.
Lovelady said a few weeks ago that Rathbone’s initial season with UCF “spun out of control” as he put pressure on himself to produce immediately. But both men agree the game has slowed down for Rathbone this season as he has prioritized process over results.
“I think I have earned it, regardless of the results,” Rathbone said of his current spot as the Knights’ clean-up hitter. “We’re always about the process here, and I think my process has been very good for working and preparing for the moment.
“I always believed in myself that if I got consistent at-bats, I’d be successful. Now that that’s coming, it’s kind of like, attack the moment.”
While Rathbone has finally found success after moving east, Dave Serrano is looking to create more success out west.
The Matadors’ head coach has already taken two California programs — UC-Irvine and Cal State Fullerton — to the College World Series, and he’s trying to turn the trifecta in his first year at Cal State Northridge.
The Matadors have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 2002 and were ranked seventh in the Big West Conference’s preseason poll. But at 7-0, they have put together the second best start in program history.
Senior designated hitter Jayson Newman was honored as the Big West Player of the Week on Monday. He is hitting a robust .440 with 10 RBI through six starts. On the mound, only two of the 12 pitchers Cal State Northridge has used have an ERA north of 3.00. The Matadors have outscored their opponents 46-17 thus far.
The name on the front of their opponents’ jerseys this weekend may not inspire the same amount of immediate respect that comes with facing a Southeastern Conference powerhouse, but Lovelady is stressing his players must approach this series with the same gusto they brought against the Tigers.
“Just because it’s not Auburn now, we can’t change the style of play, the energy, the swagger that we had,” he said.
“These games mean more because they are the games that are in front of us, and every game matters.”
The Knights and the Matadors will begin their four-game series Friday night at 6. Saturday’s doubleheader will start at 2 p.m., with the second game to follow 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1. Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 1 p.m.