After fall and winter workouts by many at the UCF baseball complex, and Opening Day in the books, it's time to take a look at where former Knights are starting spring in the professional ranks.

With 16 players currently active spread out all over the nation representing the Black & Gold, let's start with the class of 2012 that has made some early noise already in the 2013 campaign.

In summer ball where he moved up from rookie to Class-A in just a few weeks after being drafted in the 13^th round by the LA Dodgers, shortstop Darnell Sweeney has already made his presence felt at High-A Rancho Cucamonga. Sunday afternoon, Sweeney came through with a walk-off single in the 10^th to give the Quakes the victory (Read HERE).

Fresh off of his walk-off grand slam that gave the Elizabethton Twins the Appalachian League title, D.J. Hicks didn't wait long to go yard again, smacking a solo shot on Opening Day. He already has a pair of multi-hit games and is batting .389 early on.

Perhaps the best 1-2 combo to finish games in the 2012 collegiate season is at it again. Roman Madrid is currently with Class-A Fort Wayne (check out that logo) and has registered a save already. All-time saves leader in UCF history Joe Rogers has also made two appearances for High-A Lakeland. The current location for the southpaw is particularly ideal for friends and family to watch him pitch as he is a native of Winter Haven, just 16 miles from Lakeland.

The 2011 draft class is also off to a solid start this spring, led by big-bopping first baseman Jon Griffin. The 6-foot-6 righty received a non-roster invitation to Big League Spring Training this year with the Diamondbacks and is already raking at AA Mobile to the tune of nine base-knocks (.500), three RBI and three multi-hit games.

Right-handed pitcher Danny Winkler also made a strong start in 2013. He begins the year with the High-A Modesto Nuts (great name & logo) and came away a winner in his first start, tossing 5 2/3 frames while allowing just one run on four hits with six strikeouts. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 20^th round of the 2011 MLB draft.

For news and numbers on the rest of the Knights in the pros, make sure to click on their names below to see their MiLB pages with up-to-date stats after each game.

Hitters:

Shane Brown - AA Trenton Thunder

Drew Butera - AAA Rochester Red Wngs

Jonathan Griffin - AA Mobile BayBears

D.J. Hicks - Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels  

Darnell Sweeney - Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Ronnie Richardson - Class A Short-Season Eugene Emeralds (2012)

Beau Taylor - AA Midland RockHounds

Pitchers:

Tim Bascom - AA Bowie Baysox

Chase Bradford - Class A Advanced St. Lucie Mets

Matt Collins - Rookie Arizona League Angels (2012)

Owen Dew - Class A Advanced Carolina Mudcats

Caleb Graham - Class A Advanced Inland Empire 66ers

Robert Lara - Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm

Roman Madrid - Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps

Joe Rogers - Class A Advanced Lakeland Flying Tigers

Danny Winkler - Class A Advanced Modesto Nuts 

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who are preparing for their professional seasons.

Early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF on the map. One of those former Knights that works out on campus is current Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer Darnell Sweeney.

From 2010-12, when looking at the UCF lineup card, No. 21 was slotted at shortstop all but one game in his career. Sweeney was an iron man for the Knights, starting 178 contests, which ranks 12^th all-time at UCF. The .301-career hitter swiped 49 bags and also drove in crucial runs, ranking fourth all-time with 14 sacrifice flies.

The C-USA All-Freshman Team honoree collected many awards over his career, including a spot on the Coral Gables All-Regional Team this past June. Following his three-year stint with the Knights, Sweeney's name was called in the 13^th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers to become the third of six Knights drafted in 2012.

The Miramar native wasted no time this summer impressing in the minor leagues. After three weeks at rookie ball with the Ogden Raptors, Sweeney was called up to Single-A Great Lakes where he played 51 games for the Loons of the Midwest League. He led the team in batting average (.291) by nearly 20 points out of players with more than 30 at-bats, and showed off his power and speed with five homers and 17 stolen bases.

Working out in Orlando until early March, Sweeney will be one of five "Knights of Honor" inducted into the Tradition Room on Opening Knight. Make sure to watch Sweeney in the video below talk about his time at UCF and life in the minor leagues.

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who are preparing for their professional seasons.

Early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF on the map. One of those former Knights that works out on campus is current Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer Tim Bascom.

Sporting the Black & Gold from 2004-06, Bascom turned in some dominating performances on the mound. In 2005, the Dunedin native started 16 games and racked up a 10-2 record, including three complete games, 113 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA. The stellar sophomore campaign saw him land on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team.

In UCF's inaugural C-USA season of 2006, Bascom was the Preseason Conference USA Pitcher of the Year. He backed it up on the bump with a 2.47 ERA in 14 starts, including 90 strikeouts in 80 innings of work. The strong season made him the Knights' first player in program history to earn C-USA First Team honors.

Following his career at UCF, the Orioles selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft and he has spent the last six seasons moving through the organization. The majority of Bascom's work has come at AA Bowie where he has a career 3.80 ERA in 395.1 innings pitched, but last year and in 2010 he has earned the promotion to AAA Norfolk.

Make sure to watch the former Knight in the video below talk about his time at UCF and life in the minor leagues.

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who are preparing for their professional seasons.

Early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF on the map. One of those former Knights that works out on campus is current New York Yankees minor leaguer Shane Brown.

A mainstay in the lineup at UCF from 2007-10, Brown closed out his four-year career starting 175 games and totaling a .363 batting average, 25 homers, 148 RBI while slugging .565 with a .464 OPB. His stellar senior campaign saw him hit .428, fourth-best in program history, while earning All-America honors and a spot on the All-C-USA First Team.

Since being drafted in the 23rd round by the Yankees following his senior year, Brown has served as the ultimate utility man in all of his stops. After spending 2011 in low-A and A ball, the Winter Park native began 2012 in high-A Tampa before being bumped up to AA Trenton. While playing for the Thunder, Brown saw time at first and third base, all three outfield positions and even pitched in a 16-inning game where he got the win on the mound after knocking in the game-sealing run. Check out those videos HERE and HERE.

Make sure to watch the former Knight in the video below talk about his time at UCF and life in the minor leagues.

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who are preparing for their professional seasons.

Early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF on the map. One of those former Knights that works out on campus is current Oakland A's minor leaguer Beau Taylor.

Starring at UCF from 2009-11, Taylor made an immediate impact behind the plate as a catcher for the Knights. For his career, the Rockledge native hit .337, belted 16 home runs, drove in 105 RBI and slugged .503 with a .398 OBP. The two-time Johnny Bench Award Watch List catcher wasn't just known for his bat, but his stellar defense as well. In his time at UCF, Taylor threw out 58 runners in his career, including 26 his rookie season, which led Conference USA and gave him a spot on the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team.

Since being drafted in the fifth round by the A's following his junior year, Taylor has made an immediate impact in Oakland's organization. After spending the 2011 summer in A-ball, he started 2012 in high-A Stockton where he hit .328 before being bumped up to AA Midland on July 12. Splitting duties between catching and as a designated hitter, Taylor still showed off his defensive prowess with 17 runners caught stealing last year.

Recently, Taylor received the news that he had been invited to big-league spring training at in Phoenix, Ariz., as a non-roster invitee. Make sure to watch the former Knight in the video below talk about his time at UCF and life in the minor leagues.

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who have wrapped up their professional seasons.

Every fall, and early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF back on the map. One of those former Knights that works out at the complex is former infielder/outfielder, and current Philadelphia Phillies minor leaguer, Chris Duffy.

By the time the sweet-swinging lefty was done at UCF, he owned nearly all the offensive single-season records in 2010. He shattered the school and Conference USA marks by hitting .447 with an .850 slugging percentage. The Orlando native is also tops is UCF history with 21 homers and 81 RBI in 2010. To top it all off, Duffy was named a finalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and semifinalist for the NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy while receiving a spot on the Baseball America, NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings All-America First Teams.

In his journey through the minor league ranks, Duffy ended the 2012 campaign with a .322 batting average with 13 homers, 71 RBI and 27 doubles while playing at low-A Lakewood and high-A Clearwater.

While training at the UCF baseball complex, Duffy recently chatted about his return to campus, playing alongside Ryan Howard while at Lakewood and his appreciation for being able to work out at UCF in the offseason. 

UCF head baseball coach Terry Rooney has done many things for his program in his fifth year on the job. Not only has he created a winning environment with back-to-back regional appearances, but also welcomes back former Knights who have wrapped up their professional seasons.

Every fall, and early in the spring, if you stop by the UCF baseball complex you will see many familiar faces who helped put UCF back on the map. One of those former Knights that stops by is former centerfielder, and current San Diego Padre, Ronnie Richardson.

After his 16th-round selection this past June in the MLB Draft, the Eagle Lake, Fla., native headed off to Eugene, Ore., to begin his professional career in short-season. With the Emeralds, Richardson ended the year with a pair of home runs, including a walk-off shot, 16 RBI, 27 walks and an impressive 16 hit-by-pitches in just 52 games.

The UCF record-holder in that category recently chatted about life on the West Coast, being one of those guys who return in the fall and how UCF helps you take the next step in your professional career.

While Richardson and his former teammates are working out, the current UCF squad will conclude its month-long training period with the Black and Gold World Series next Wednesday-Friday. The first two games will begin at 3 p.m., while the finale is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Admission is free to all fans for each contest.

You couldn't ask for better weather to kick off the fall baseball season Monday afternoon on the campus of UCF. The Knights, who will be looking to make their third-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2013, began their first team practice just before 2 p.m. with a lot of familiar faces as well as plenty of newcomers.

Check out the full practice photo gallery on Facebook

The hour-and-a-half practice saw the squad go through its warm-ups, positional drills and end with a few fundamental infield-outfield exercises. The first scrimmage this fall will take place Tuesday from 2:15-5:45. All practices are open to the public.

As they do each and every fall, the Knights will culminate their month-long team workouts with the Black & Gold World Series. The three-day event will take place Oct. 24-26.

Prior to Knights hitting the field, head coach Terry Rooney broke down what he would like to see from his team by the end of the fall.Senior infielder/catcher Chris Taladay also spoke about his summer in Alaska as well as improving his play and leadership in his final season.

There was no shortage of power in the Cal Ripken League this summer when UCF first baseman James Vasquez came up to the plate. The sweet-swinging lefty was named to the Perfect Game Summer Collegiate All-America Team recently and he had the numbers to back up the high praise.

Complete Team by Perfect Game USA

In just 32 games in the wood-bat league, here is the damage Vasquez did: .418 batting average, 33 runs, 46 hits, 11 doubles, 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, 30 walks, two stolen bases and just 26 strikeouts.

When you take a look deeper into the numbers Vasquez put up this summer, they would make Jonah Hill's character in "Moneyball" skip a heartbeat.  The league batting champ was on base in over half of his plate appearances (.552), slugged .845 and registered an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) of 1.397.

"It felt good to get on the field and do what I know I can do," Vasquez said after being asked about hitting his first homers of 2012. "At the plate, it just slowed down for me. I was able to see more pitches and have more at-bats. I was really relaxed up there."

Vasquez's homers weren't cheap by any means. Batting from the left side, it was about 320 feet to the left-field poll and 390 to dead center. The Palm City native admitted he wasn't pulling his homers either, showing off some opposite-field power.

With classes just beginning and fall workouts on the horizon, Vasquez took away a few lessons from his breakout summer that he hopes to utilize before heading into the 2013 season.

"One thing I learned this summer is that if you have a bad at-bat, don't carry it over," Vasquez noted. "Just take it one at-bat at a time. That's how I became more successful this summer."

College baseball is a full-time gig. Just ask the 17 Knights who are on the road across the nation improving their game in a multitude of collegiate summer leagues.

After the season ended June 4, there was no rest for those Knights participating in summer leagues as they headed off to their destinations shortly after returning from Coral Gables. In case you missed the story on where the Knights are this summer, no worries, just follow the link: Heading out for Summer Ball

Award-Winning Efforts

Several Knights have made quite the impression in their respective summer leagues, including rising senior Jeramy Matos and sophomores Harrison Hukari and James Vasquez who earned player of the week awards.

Matos tore the cover off the ball for the Mystic Schooners in late June and was named New England Collegiate Baseball League Player of the Week June 23. The third basemen hit .412 during the seven-day stretch, smashing five homers and driving in eight runs. Matos closed the week on a four-game hitting streak, including homers in three of those contests. He currently leads his squad with six bombs and 12 RBI in 16 games.

Hukari, a 6-foot-6 LHP, nabbed Florida Collegiate Summer League Player of the Week honors earlier this month after he pitched five scoreless frames up the road from campus for the Sanford River Rats. He surrendered just two hits and fanned five batters.

Perhaps the hottest player during the dog days of summer has been OF/1B James Vasquez. With one year of collegiate ball under his belt, Vasquez has made a name for himself in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League with the Herndon Braves.

On June 27, the sweet-swinging lefty earned player of the week honors after he hit in all six of his team's games that week and collected multiple hits in five of them, including a five-hit effort against the DC Grays on June 23. Vasquez started the week amidst a streak of homering in four straight games, an (unverified) League record. He finished the week with three home runs, three doubles and 15 total hits in 24 at-bats (.625).

Into the Numbers

To follow the Knights more closely as they play away from home, stats from each team have been attached.

Mystic Schooners Stats (Jeramy Matos, Spencer Haynes)

Waynesboro Generals Stats (Austin Johnston, JoMarcos Woods, Ryan Breen, Gregg Cooke)

Luray Wranglers Stats (Nick Carrillo)

Mat-Su Miners Stats (Chris Taladay, Jimmy Reed)

Harwich Mariners Stats (Garrett Nuss, Eric Skoglund)

Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox Stats (Ben Lively)

Bourne Braves Stats (Chris Matulis)

Sanford River Rats Stats (Harrison Hukari, Tommy Williams)

Youse's Orioles Stats (Erik Barber)

Herndon Braves Stats (James Vasquez)

Martinsville Mustangs Stats (Dale Irving)