Notes from the press conference:

UCF Baseball had a record-setting fall semester in terms of GPA.

In the transfer portal, they focused on fixing depth issues in the infield, depth on the mound and left-handed bats. In recruiting, they focused on local players.

In addition to the difficulty of the Big 12 schedule, all their non-conference weekend opponents feel like they should be NCAA Tournament contenders. Central Michigan in particular is a quality team in the MAC.

Wallace says the Big 12 will be a top two baseball conference, if not this year then certainly next year.

He's played several Big 12 teams in the past and is familiar with their coaches.

Six players are competing for the three weekend rotation spots: Ben Vespi, Dom Stagliano, Tyler Nesbitt (Florida transfer), Cade Boxrucker (Campbell transfer), Dominic Castellano and Wiley Hartley (Campbell transfer).

Asked who has made the biggest jump since fall, Wallace said Ben Vespi with his fastball and breaking balls.

Wallace likes the team's "willingness to accept everything thrown at them."

Notre Dame transfer Jack Zyska was named a team captain, which was impressive since he showed up later than everyone else. The players jokingly call him "Coach Zyska" because of his leadership and experience.

Other team captains are Kyle Kramer, Najer Victor and Andrew Brait. Players vote.

UCF will open the season with Bryant, which is coached by former UCF assistant Ryan Klosterman. He's great friends with Klosty, he grew up playing against him here in Central Florida.

Wallace would like to play Florida every year home and home.

Wallace believes John Euliano Park can be one of the best environments in the Big 12, just like the Bounce House and Addition Financial have become for football and basketball.

In regards to the outfield spots, there are six players in the mix. And all six may play in any given game. Lex Boedicker can also play there, if needed.

The biggest difference in P5 baseball is depth and quality of arms.

Andrew Sundean, Danny Neri (Louisville transfer) and Dylan King (UNC transfer) are "more than capable" of seeing time at catcher. Sundean obviously has the best bat among them.

Wallace says they have 4-5 bullpen pitchers they feel comfortable about. Kyle Kramer obviously being one of them.

Centerfield is the biggest positional battle right now between Anthony Calabro, Andrew Williamson and Corey Robinson (who is still trying to get fully healthy). Another question: Who is the other infielder? Mikey Kluska will play shortstop, Andrew Brait will be somewhere in the infield.

Wallace, Ted Tom and Norberto Lopez have always been great friends while they've recruited against each other for their respective teams, now they're excited to be working together. Wallace added he thinks Drew Thomas is the best pitching coach in the country.

Transfer Portal means high school recruiting becomes more selective. He's really excited about the 2024 class they just signed.

Players with power should include Andrew Sundean, Lex Boedicker, Andrew Brait and Jack Zyska. But Wallace doesn't want to be one-dimensional. Their job is to become versatile, not just focusing on hitting home runs.

Wallace is especially excited about the primary bullpen, which should include Kyle Kramer, Najer Victor, Alex Galvan (Louisville transfer) and Spencer Bauer (Elon transfer).

Opening Weekend will be "really fun" and emotional.