Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics.

It would be an understatement to say this weekend will be crucial for the UCF Knights’ baseball team.

The Knights (15-10) will host rival South Florida (18-7) in the War on I-4 to open up American Athletic Conference play at John Euliano Park.  

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The three-game series is set to begin on Friday at 6 pm.  Opening pitch for game two is set for 6 pm on Saturday, while the series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 pm.

Redshirt sophomore Connor Staine will open the series as the Knights’ starting pitcher.  Staine’s 0.00 ERA in 24.2 innings leads the entire nation.

Staine (4-2) will look to outduel USF redshirt sophomore pitcher Orion Kerkering (6-1), who has struck-out 51 batters in 35 innings pitched this season.

Where are tickets available for purchase?

Tickets are for sale at ticketmaster.com for as low as $7.

John Euliano Park has a maximum capacity of 4,000 and the team encourages Knight Nation to fill up every seat.

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How you can watch the game:

Do not fear.

If you are unable to make it to the ballpark, the game will be aired on ESPN+.  A subscription is required.

A live statcast will also be available to view on statbroadcast.com.

Who holds the all-time series advantage?

UCF currently leads the War on I-4 39-12, dating back 2005 – when the series began.

The last matchup came in last season’s AAC title game, where the Knights fell 8-7 to the Bulls.

The Knights gaze a perfect 3-0 start to conference play that would push the all-time series lead to 42-12.

UCF head coach Greg Lovelady will also look to pick up his 299th all time win with a sweep.