THE STORYLINE: Army and Florida meet for the fifth time Monday evening in a game that was added to the schedule on Friday, due to recent rainouts for both clubs. While Florida has been ranked in the Top 15 of all major national polls throughout this season, Army was among those  teams receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll earlier this season. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses on Sunday. Florida suffered a 6-3 setback to Charleston Southern in the finale of a three-game weekend series at McKethan Stadium, the Gators’ first loss at home this season after nine straight wins. Army squandered a 5-3 lead in the final two innings en route to a 9-6 loss to Yale at the RussMatt Invitational in Lakeland. The Black Knights loaded the bases with one out in the ninth but could manage just one run. Tonight’s matchup will feature a battle of hardthrowing right-handers with Army junior Kirk Porter (0-1, 2.08 ERA) set to oppose Florida sophomore Anthony DeSclafani (1-1, 4.66 ERA). Both teams enjoyed outstanding seasons a year ago. While the the Gators finished 42-22 and reached the NCAA Super Regionals, and Army posted a 36-21 mark, falling to No. 1 national seed Texas in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Austin Regional Final after registering wins over Texas State and Boston College to reach the final.

ARMY-FLORIDA SERIES: Army and Florida have matched up five times on the baseball diamond previously with all those meetings taking place at McKethan Stadium. The Gators have prevailed in four of the five series pairings. Army’s lone series victory dates back to 2004, when the Black Knights posted a 9-5 victory. Florida earned a 5-3 win in the teams’ most recent matchup in 2007. The
series began in 1999 with a 10-6 Florida win.

FLORIDA TRIP: Monday night’s matchup with Florida marks the third game during Army’s spring trip to Florida. The Black Knights defeated Long Island 12-11 in a wild affair on Saturday at the Russ/Matt Invitational before falling to Yale 9-6 yesterday. Army is also scheduled to face defending Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, Bradley in a doubleheader
on Friday and nationally ranked Ohio State on Saturday before returning north on Sunday.

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS: The probable starting pitchers for tonight’s game between Army and Florida are listed below:
Army -- RHP Kirk Porter (0-1, 1 SV, 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 K, 4 BB)
Florida -- RHP Anthony DeSclafani (1-1, 4.66 ERA, 9.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 10 K, 1 BB)

TONIGHT'S STARTING PITCHER: Army will start junior right-hander Kirk Porter opposite Florida on Monday evening. Porter suffered a loss to Wake Forest in his only start this season, permitting three runs (2 earned) on four hits across five innings of work. He earned a save in his most recent outing, firing 3.2 innings of two-hit relief to earn a save in Army's 6-3 defeat of UNC Greensboro. Porter struck out six and did not walk a batter in that affair. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native posted a 7-2 record last spring and topped the Patriot League with a 4.18 earned run average. He earned a no-decision after allowing Boston College three runs over 6.2 innings in an elimination game at the Austin Regional last season.

SCOUTING ARMY: The Black Knights carry a 5-3 record into this evening's contest at McKethan Stadium. With five wins in its first seven games, Army had been off to its best start since 1986 before Sunday's setback to Yale. The Black Knights return six every day positional starters and 10 of their top 11 pitchers from last year's record-setting club, but have struggled with consistency during the early portion of the season. Poor fielding and shaky relief pitching have plagued the Black Knights so far this season. After setting school and Patriot League records by posting a .970 fielding percentage last season, Army has already committed 21 fielding errors this season and sports a .933 fielding percentage. The Black Knights boast a .336 team batting average and have recorded double figures in base hits in six of eight games, including four in a row. Shaun Wixted, a seldom-used reserve during his first two seasons at West Point, tops the team with a .481 batting average, while Kevin McKague (.343) has served as the Black Knights' top power threat with four home runs and 11 runs batted in. Army sports a 4.30 team earned run average, a figure that has increased by a full run in the Black Knights' last two outings.

BEST EVER: While Army fell three wins shy of the single season school record last season, the 2009 Black Knights can stake a valid claim as the most successful team in school history. By virtue of posting wins over second-seeded Texas State and No. 3 seed Boston College, Army reached the Austin Regional Final, marking a fi rst in school history. The Black Knights finished 36-21 overall last season and established or tied 67 school and Patriot League records. Army returns six everyday positional starters and 10 of its top 11 pitchers from that squad this season.

TEXAS TWO-STEP: For the first time in school history, Army posted two victories during NCAA Regional play last spring. Seeded fourth at the Austin Regional, Army suffered a hard-fought 3-1 loss to No. 1 national seed Texas in an opening-round matchup before stunning both second-seeded Texas State and third-seeded Boston College en route to a rematch with Texas in the Austin Regional Final. The Black Knights carried a 10-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning of that contest and found themselves three outs away from a second "championship" clash with the Longhorns that would have sent the winner to Super Regionals. But a weary Army pitching staff tired late and Texas prevailed 14-10, ending the Black Knights' Cinderella run.

ALL-REGIONAL: For the first time in their four NCAA Tournament appearances, the Black Knights saw more than one of their squad members selected to the all-regional team last spring. In fact, three members of the Black Knights were named to the All-Austin Regional squad: SS Clint Moore, DH Joey Henshaw and CF Andy Ernesto.

RECORD-SETTERS: Army established or tied 67 individual and team, school and conference records en route to a third Patriot League championship in six years last spring.

UNMATCHED SUCCESS: With 36 victories last season, the Black Knights continued in the midst of their most successful streak in school history. Army has reached at least 25 wins each of the past six years, the fi rst time the Black Knights have accomplished that feat in school history. In fact, Army has reached the 30-victory plateau four times in the last six years and has qualified for the Patriot League Tournament five times during that span. The Black Knights have won three conference championships and garnered at least a share of four regular season conference crowns in the last six years. Army has also reached the Patriot League Championship Series four times in the last six years and captured five Patriot League crowns overall

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Army claimed a share of its fourth regular season Patriot League championship in six years last spring, completing a meteoric rise through the conference standings. The Black Knights won just one of their first six Patriot tilts and stood mired in fifth place in the conference standings in early April. But Army rallied to capture 12 of its final 14 Patriot League tilts to zoom to the top of the league listings.

MAJOR AWARDS: Army players received a host of accolades when the conference announced its three major individual awards along with its Scholar-Athlete of the Year last spring. Black Knight players walked off with three of those four honors. While Ben Koenigsfeld was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, Zach Price was chosen Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Tyler Anderegg, currently enrolled in medical school, was named Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It marked the second straight year (four times overall since award was instituted in 2002) that an Army player has garnered Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors (Clint Moore was recognized in 2008) and a league-leading seventh time an Army player copped the league's pitcher of the year laurels. Anderegg's citing marked the fifth time that an Army player has been named Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the first since 2004 when Schuyler Williamson was so honored.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Prior to 2004, Army had not registered more than 26 wins in any season. With a combined record of 76-29 (.724) in 2004 and 2005, the Black Knights completed the most successful back-to-back campaigns in school history. After posting a school- and Patriot League-record 37 victories in 2004 (37-15), Army surpassed the total with 39 wins the following year (39-14). The Black Knights also registered the first NCAA Tournament win in school history, defeating South Alabama 8-5 in the 2005 Tallahassee Regional. The Black Knights finished 30-20-1 in 2006, 25-23-1 in 2007 and 25-25 in 2008. After finishing 36-21 last season, Army has now reached the 30-win mark four times in the last six years. The Black Knights have registered at least 20 wins eight times in 10 years under the direction of head coach Joe Sottolano and 30 wins on four occasions.

RARIFIED AIR: With 36 victories last spring, Army notched the third highest single-season win total in school history. The Black Knights closed the year three wins shy of the school record established in 2005. Army had also set a school standard with 37 victories the previous year.

FIELD GENERAL: Army head coach Joe Sottolano is in his 11th season guiding the Black Knights' baseball program. Sottolano was named Army's interim head coach in March 2000, then had the interim label removed after leading the Black Knights to the Patriot League championship and accompanying NCAA berth that season. He had served as an assistant to Dan Roberts at Army for eight years prior to garnering the top job. Named Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005 after directing the Black Knights to consecutive league titles, Sottolano already stands second on Army's career coaching victories list and sports a career record of 276-208-5, for a sparkling winning percentage of .570. Sottolano has presided over a stretch of unprecedented success at the Academy the past few years, leading the Black Knights to at least 25 wins each of the past six seasons. Army is 197-121-2 (.619) in that time.

TOPPING 250: Army Army head coach Joe Sottolano accomplished a significant personal milestone when he registered the 250th coaching victory of his career last season. The 11th-year field boss notched his 250th career win against arch-rival Navy on April 12, 2009, in the back end of a doubleheader sweep of the Mids. Army accomplished the feat in style, posting a 6-0 shutout and securing the team's sixth consecutive "star" against Navy. Ironically, Sottolano registered his 200th career victory against Navy as well, garnering that victory almost exactly two years to the day (April 21, 2007), in the third game of the teams' four-game series. Sottolano ranks second on Army's coaching wins chart, listing behind only Dan Roberts (281), under whom Sottolano served as an assistant for eight years before ascending to the head job in 2000. Sottolano stands six victories shy of becoming the Black Knights' all-time winningest coach.

BIG HONOR: Army baseball coach Joe Sottolano added to his long list of honors last summer when he was named the ABCA/Diamond Sports Company NCAA Division I Regional Coach of the Year. Sottolano led the Black Knights to their most successful season in history, guiding Army to the finals of the Austin Regional. It marked the first time the Black Knights had reached a regional final.

MOUND DOMINANCE: Standout pitching has been a driving force in the Black Knights' recent record-setting string of success. Army has ranked among national leaders in earned run average in four of the past six years. The Black Knights ranked seventh nationally (3.28) in ERA in 2006, improving from the No. 8 spot (3.08) it held in the national rankings the previous year. Army also ranked 12th nationally (3.44) in ERA in 2004 and finished 27th in the category in 2007 (3.77). Army was the only Division I team to list in the top 12 nationally in ERA each year from 2004 through 2006 and one of two clubs to stand in the top eight nationally during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Additionally, Army was one of just seven Division I squads to rank among the top 27 teams nationally in earned run average every season from 2004 through 2007. The Black Knights topped the Patriot League in ERA again last season and ranked 73rd nationally (5.04). Since 2004, the Black Knights' pitching staff has combined to fire 34 shutouts. Army carries a 4.30 team earned run average into this evening's contest at Florida.

LUCKY SEVEN: The Black Knights earned a conference-record seven First Team All-Patriot League picks last spring. Additionally, sophomore Ben Koenigsfeld became the first player in Patriot League history to collect fi rst team all-conference honors at two different positions in the same season, copping first-team certificates as an outfielder and a starting pitcher. Joining Koenigsfeld on the All-Patriot League First Team were senior RP Tyler Anderegg, sophomore 1B Kevin McKague, freshman 2B Zach Price, sophomore SS Clint Moore and sophomore DH Joey Henshaw. Senior OF Kyle Fleming garnered a second-team citation, rating as the Black Knights' only representative on the All-Patriot League Second Team. It marked the first All-Patriot League recognition for four of Army's seven all-stars.

ON TOP: In addition to garnering five regular season Patriot League titles and five Patriot League tournament crowns, Army boasts the highest victory total (210) and the highest winning percentage (.616, 210-131) in conference play among league members, despite joining the circuit two years after the Patriot League adopted baseball as a league sport in 1991. Army is the only school to feature a winning percentage higher than .600 in Patriot play. The Black Knights also sport the lowest total of losses (131). Bucknell stands second in victories with 202, eight behind Army's pace-setting total of 210. Navy ranks second in winning percentage at .582.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PROMINENCE: With a conference-best five Patriot League championships to its credit, Army has also dominated the circuit's weekly awards since joining the conference in 1993. The Black Knights have piled up 107 weekly awards in that time -- more than any other Patriot League team. Army has garnered 33 conference player of the week honors (second among Patriot schools), 44 pitcher of the week citations (most among Patriot members) and 30 rookie of the week honorees (most among conference schools). The Black Knights sport similar dominance in the All-Patriot League team voting categories over the years. Despite joining the Patriot League two years after its inception in 1993, Army still leads all conference members in first- and second-team all-league selections with 102 (including a league-high eight last year). Black Knight players have amassed 52 first-team citings (second only to Bucknell's 55) and 50 second-team certificates (first by a wide margin). Additionally, Army tops the conference in player (4), pitcher (7) and rookie (4) of the year citations. Black Knight players have captured four of the last six Patriot League pitcher of the year awards and four of the last six rookie of the year certificates.

TOURNEY TOUGH: In addition to garnering five regular season Patriot League titles and five Patriot League tournament crowns, Army boasts the highest winning percentage of any conference school in Patriot League Tournament play. The Black Knights have prevailed in 15 of their 24 conference tournament tilts for a .625 winning percentage. Army is the only school to feature a winning percentage higher than .531 in Patriot tourney play. The Black Knights also sport the lowest total of losses (9) of any league team with at least 10 conference tourney appearances. Bucknell ranks second in winning percentage at .531. The Black Knights have won five conference crowns during their seven trips to the Patriot League Championship Series and are tied with Navy for most Patriot League championships earned. Army boasts a Patriot-best 71.4 percent success rate (5-for-7) when reaching the PLCS.

ALL-AMERICAS ALL THE TIME: With four Army players garnering All-America laurels last spring, 11 different Black Knights have piled up 27 All-America citations the past six years. The list includes those selected to preseason, postseason, freshman and academic All-America squads. While Joey Henshaw and Clint Moore were selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association NCAA Division I All-America Team last spring, Tyler Anderegg was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team and Zach Price was chosen to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America Team. Army players have gained at least one All-America honor during each of the last six years.

STEPPING UP: After spending the majority of his first two years at West Point as a seldom-used reserve, 3B-OF Shaun Wixted has made a major impact for the Black Knights so far this season. Wixted, who went hitless in five plate appearances a year ago, currently tops the club with a .481 batting average. The native of Matthews, N.C., has registered two hits in each of the last five games. Wixted has collected two hits in six of the seven games in which he has received plate appearances this season after entering his junior campaign with a total of just six career base hits. Wixted has posted a .556 slugging percentage to date and a .500 on-base mark. He also leads the club with four stolen bases in four attempts.

BIG MAC: Junior Kevin McKague has proven to be a jack of all trades for the Black Knights this season. A first team All-Patriot League selection at first base last season, McKague has shifted over to third base at times this season to help fill a void created by an injury to starting 3B Steve May. McKague, who also serves as Army's closer out of the bullpen, is currently batting .343 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in. He has saved three of Army's five wins off the mound.

ARMY VS. THE SEC: Army has not faced an opponent from the Southeastern Conference since falling to Florida 5-3 in 2007. Prior to that meeting, the Black Knights had not squared off against an SEC opponent since losing to Auburn in an elimination game of the 2005 Tallahassee Regional. Army is 1-12 all-time versus SEC opponents. The breakdown: 1-4 vs. Florida; 0-1 vs. Auburn; 0-3 vs. Kentucky; 0-2 vs. Louisiana State; 0-1 vs. Mississippi; 0-1 vs. Vanderbilt.

FLORIDA RECAPS: Army has played two games during its seven-game, nine-day visit to the Sunshine State. Game recaps are listed below:

Saturday, March 12 -- Army 12, LIU 11
J.T. Watkins went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the top of the ninth inning and Army rallied for three runs in its final plate appearance as the Black Knights kicked off their spring trip to Florida on a positive note by registering a dramatic 12-11 victory over Long Island, Saturday afternoon at Henley Field. The Black Knights raced out to an early 5-0 lead during their 2010 Florida debut only to see the Blackbirds battle from behind on the strength of a six-run sixth inning to forge ahead 9-7 entering the seventh. Kevin McKague's leadoff home run to deep left field in the seventh drew Army to within 9-8 before the Black Knights knotted the score at 9-9 one inning later when Cody Murtle ripped a leadoff double to left-center and scored on a single to left by Zach Price. But LIU (1-8) regained the lead at 10-9 in the bottom of the stanza, reaching Army reliever Joey Henshaw for the go-ahead run on two-out RBI single down the left field line by Drew Walsh. The Black Knights fought from behind once again though, rallying for three more runs in their final at-bat.

Sunday, March 13 -- Yale 9, Army 6
Ryan Brenner stroked a two-run single to key a four-run seventh inning and Yale pushed across six runs in its final two plate appearances as the Bulldogs rallied to defeat Army 9-6, Sunday afternoon at Henley Field. After squandering a 5-3 lead, the Black Knights placed the potential tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth inning, but Yale second baseman Gant Elmore's diving stop of a hot smash by Shaun Wixted helped keep Army from mounting a comeback in its final at-bat for the second day in a row. Yale jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, touching Army starter Ben Koenigsfeld for three unearned runs in the second inning. Army registered a pair of unearned tallies of its own in the top of the third, then tied the score in the fifth on an RBI single by Joey Henshaw. The Black Knights grabbed their first lead of the contest in the top of the sixth on a two-run double to left-center by Clint Moore that provided Army with a 5-3 lead. The Black Knights maintained that advantage until the seventh inning.