UCF’s No. 4 recruit class tries to live up to hype

UCF baseball head coach Terry Rooney didn't let the excitement resonate long after he was hired to take over the program back on June 12, 2008.

He spent the next full day doing  what he does best: recruiting. Two of UCF's newest additions to the 2010 roster, Ronnie Richardson and Darnell Sweeny, were two of the first talents targeted by Rooney.

"[They] were two of the very first kids that I recruited when I got the job here," said Rooney, who is entering his second season with the Knights. "Coach Godwin and I, immediately after getting the job, drove from Baton Rouge to Orlando, spent 24 hours straight in here, and we both went up to Atlanta to see these guys play. I had already seen these guys play before, so I had them on the radar already."

Both Richardson and Sweeny highlight was is the best recruiting class to ever come through the UCF program. Nationally, they are getting attention as well, being ranked as the No. 4 class in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball. It will be a tall task to live up to all the hype, but Sweeny says these guys are up to the task.

"We are ready for the hype," said Sweeny, a shortstop from Mirmiar that was seclected by the Florida Marlins in the 41st round of the 2009 MLB Draft. "We are going to be here ready and play hard because we know what we have to do, because we have been doing this since we were little kids. It is no different now. It's the same game of baseball."

The Knights welcome in 21 newcomers to the 2010 squad to complement 14 returning players. Among these new arrivals, 10 come as transfers from junior colleges and six were drafted by MLB teams.

Rooney says that this class ranks among the most talented in the nation.

"I think [this class] certainly, from a pure talent standpoint, ranks among some of the best classes in the country," he said. "A lot of these kids had opportunities to go to some marquee-named programs, and they decided to come here because of the vision that they believe and what we are doing."

Rooney also addressed the pitching staff in the offseason with some JUCO talent, namely Owen Dew and Alex Besaw. Both are vying to pitch at the top of the rotation after having success in junior college, and both chose to come to UCF before trying their luck in the pros.

"We signed Owen Dew and Alex Besaw for one reason, and that's to pitch in the front end of our rotation," Rooney said. "They are both successful junior college pitchers that have been drafted before. Both of these guys come with some great accolades, but they are not the finished product … they are going to go through some growing pains too at this level of college baseball."

The Knights have the potential to have seven of their nine positions filled by players that have been drafted by MLB teams, showing just how much depth the 21 newcomers bring to the roster.

As far as living up to expectations, Rooney described the forumla, but he knows it will take some time.

"I think the formula is two-fold," he said. "One, it's patience, and No. 2, it's unselfishness. There is so many good players in this class, and as a team we have to be patient to know that as talented as they might be, it will take some time to put the pieces to the puzzle. "They are going to experience some failure, and they have to learn to deal with it. As far as unselfishness ... they have to understand that it is team first, so how they respond to adversity is going to be a big part of that."

With East Carolina, Southern Miss and Rice all garnering national pre-season rankings, the Knights have been an afterthought in C-USA despite having a higher-ranked class then all three of those teams. Richardson is concerned with getting attention in those rankings and not just the ones in recruiting.

"It's an honor to know that we were nationally recognized by the guys coming into this class, but we are not done yet by the fact that they still have us ranked last in our conference," Richardson said. "Some people think we are going to live up to the hype and some people don't, so we just have to go out there and play our game."

Richardson and Sweeny helped Rooney's class attract national attention, but once the season starts on Feb. 19, Rooney knows none of those rankings will matter if the team doesn't produce on the field.

"I want them to embrace it because it's an honor," Rooney said. "I think it's fantastic for them collectively as a group and I think it's great for our baseball program, but from this point forward that ranking is only as good as what they do on the field. That's the attitude that we are taking."