Stetson transfer Andrew Estrella slugging for nationally ranked UCF baseball squad
DELAND — Rich Wallace did not have to look far when looking to plug one of the many holes in UCF's infield upon his hiring as the team's baseball coach.
About 40 miles northeast, Andrew Estrella sought a new opportunity via the NCAA's transfer portal after spending two seasons at Stetson, ideally wanting to compete at a higher level of Division I.
Wallace wasted little time making a move for the former Hatter.
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"We thought we had a chance to develop him defensively, and he's gotten a lot better since the first day," Wallace said. "And then, the offensive power. That power that comes out of his bat, you can't teach. He's in scoring position all the time. He's been nothing but great for us."
Estrella has helped UCF (21-9), in its first Big 12 baseball season, vault inside the top-20 in both major national polls — D1Baseball.com and Baseball America. The Knights reeled off four consecutive series victories in conference play entering Friday's opener with West Virginia.
The Knights had been unbeaten in midweek matchups, prior to a 5-3 loss Wednesday night at Stetson.
"So far, it's been a good season. We're still not satisfied," Estrella said that evening prior to first pitch. "We're still working to achieve our goals."
Estrella exploded in the opening weeks of the season, homering in four consecutive games from Feb. 24 through March 1 — two against Samford, and one apiece versus Florida Atlantic and South Florida. He leads the Knights with a .627 slugging percentage, punishing the ball when he has made contact.
"That guy is as strong as we have from the elbows to the fingertips," Wallace said.
Estrella did not play against his former team Wednesday, having gone 0 for 4 when the Hatters visited Orlando on March 13. He sports a .269 batting average, a .319 on-base percentage and a 37.8% strikeout rate.
Across his two seasons with the Hatters, Estrella posted a slash line of .230/.325/.420 with 10 home runs, 20 doubles, two triples, 51 runs scored, 46 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He split his 43 appearances for the Hatters in 2023 between second base (27) and shortstop (16).
Baseball America currently projects UCF as the No. 11 national seed, hosting an NCAA regional with Florida, Arizona and Fresno State. Entering the year, the Knights were picked to finish 10th in their new league by the Big 12's head coaches.
Qualifying for the NCAA tournament, which UCF has not done since 2017, would be a major achievement. Estrella chooses not to look that far ahead yet, given the team still has important series to play against Cincinnati, Houston, Texas and Baylor.
"I'm not worried about other teams. I'm just worried about the Knights," Estrella said. "Being consistent, working hard, competing, I think the rest will fall into place."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights baseball: Stetson transfer Andrew Estrella finds success
