Sports fans, this is your weekend in Orlando

Recently voted as the #1 Best Sports City for Business by the Sports Business Journal, Orlando looks to make good on that title this weekend with wall to wall entertainment coming to the City Beautiful for all fans.

Let’s talk playoffs

Orlando’s got more playoffs this weekend than you even know, starting with the Orlando Magic. The Magic return to Orlando on Thursday night for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This will be Orlando’s first home playoff game since the 2018-2019 season. Trailing 0-2, the Magic look to get back on track at the Kia Center where they went 29-12 during the regular season. Thursday’s Game 3 starts at 7pm and Game 4 will be on Saturday at 1pm.

But that’s not the only playoff team in town. That’s not even the only playoff team in that same building! The Orlando Solar Bears reach the ECHL playoffs for the first time since 2019 and are on the hunt for their first Kelley Cup in team history. Orlando split the start of the series against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 1-1 and a chance to take the series at home with Game 3 on Friday at 7pm, Game 4 on Saturday at 9 pm, and Game 5 on Sunday at 7pm.

Orlando City back in town

After a 2 game road stretch, Orlando City brings a 4 game unbeaten streak back to Inter&Co Stadium to face Toronto. Starting the season earning only 1 point in the first 4 matches of the season, Orlando has earned 8 points during that unbeaten streak and will look to continue their rise up the Supporter Shield standings on Saturday at 7:30pm.

Big XII matchups at UCF

Coming up on the end of it’s inaugural season in the Big XII, UCF might have saved some of it’s best matchups for last. First, we’ll talk a little baseball as the Knights welcome fellow new Big XII member and longtime rival Cincinnati to John Euliano Park for a 3 game series this weekend. Cracking the top 25 rankings earlier in the season, a tough series sweep at West Virginia and a loss to Stetson has dropped the Knights outside of the rankings. But the Knights will look to keep the offense rolling after scoring 10+ runs in 3 straight games. The series against the Bearcats starts on Friday at 6pm then continues on Saturday at 6pm and wraps up Sunday at 1pm.

And that isn’t even the biggest matchup on the diamond for the Knights this weekend as UCF will face off with the powerhouse #2 Oklahoma Sooners at the UCF Softball Complex. This will be UCF’s first matchup with the Sooners since being eliminated by them in their 2022 Super Regionals matchup. It’s been a rough first season in the Big XII for the Knights, facing what many characterize as the strongest softball conference in the country. A 28-18 overall record, but 10-11 in the tough Big XII could turn around with a breakthrough weekend against the Sooners. The 3 game series starts on Friday at 6pm with Saturday’s game at 2pm and ending Sunday with gametime at 11am.

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