Athletics are a huge part of the UCF community. We all love the players, and appreciate their dedication and perseverance to win. But the people who complete those teams are the coaches. They are definitely vital to the success of all the sports games. They lead the whole production in the right direction.
The UCF Knights Baseball team has a long list of success stories. Some of these include finishing last year’s season 45-17, drafting six players this year and five players in 2011, and finishing second in C-USA last season. UCF made its 11th NCAA appearance, had two players honored as All-Americans, and had one receive the Freshman All-American honor. That is just the beginning of the list.
Pete Buscaino is the student assistant for the UCF Knights baseball team. He has been lucky enough to be a part of the Knights’ journeys for three years. In just his first season, the team finished 39-19. Before and while he was with the Knights, he volunteered with the Tampa Bay Rays as well as the Baltimore Orioles. While working with them, he learned skills that would transfer over to his success with the Knights. Pete has always had baseball in his life, and being a coach has allowed him to have the best of both worlds: playing and being a leader.
Q: How long have you been with the UCF Knights baseball team?
A: It’s my third year. When I first started, I assisted with the outfield. Now I am assisting with the infield.
Q: Tell me about your time with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.
A: With the Rays, I worked mostly with fan experience. I learned a lot from doing that. With the Orioles, I volunteered as the Club House Manager. I was in charge of the minor league system and helped with some rehab of the big league players. I basically did anything the players needed me to do, like mail letters, throw the ball around, laundry – anything they needed.
Q: Well, stemming from that, what’s the most fun/weird thing you had to do for them?
A: I had to play them all in Ping-Pong; that was pretty fun. Over the summer we all watched the Olympics. I had to help translate a little bit to a player who was from the Dominican. He didn’t speak any English. That was a little difficult.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I plan on graduating from UCF in Spring 2014. I will apply for the Director of Operations position with the Knights. I would be organizing travel for the team. I would then apply for any assistant jobs I could find. It would all be leading up to eventually being a Head Coach.
Q: What have you learned from coaching?
A: Sports is an incredible tool for teaching and learning about life. It brings people together, like the Olympics, for example. I have great coaches that teach me and bring me success. I work with an awesome group of guys. With great success comes great opportunity.
Q: Why don’t you play baseball yourself?
A: Well, when I was a junior in high school, I broke my leg snowboarding. I was in recovery until my senior year, but during that time I was in a car accident. By then I didn’t really know how well I could play. I am very fortunate to have such a good team with me now.
Q: Who is your favorite coach/player/team?
A: Joe Madden, Tampa Bay Rays, and basically any good athlete.
Q: What else are you involved with on campus?
A: Not much really. All of my time is devoted to baseball!
Pete has an ample amount of dedication. He works with the team everyday while still meeting the requirements of a full-time student. He has plenty of opportunities in front of him, and he is up for any challenge he encounters.