Feb. 28, 2005
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ORLANDO, Fla. - After claiming the Golden Panther Adidas Invitational last weekend, UCF returns home for two mid-week doubleheaders against St. Bonaventure and No. 8/9 Michigan. The Golden Knights come into the doubleheaders winning 12 of their last 16 games.
This is the first time that UCF will match up with St. Bonaventure and No. 8/9 Michigan on the softball diamond. The Golden Knights and Wolverines were supposed to hook up earlier this season at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, but rain in Las Vegas cancelled that meeting.
The Golden Knights come in with a 15-8 mark, and have won 12 of their last 16 games. The ladies of summer went 4-1 last weekend claiming their first tournament crown in program history at the Golden Panther Adidas Invitational. In the championship game, UCF knocked off No. 20/RV FIU, 5-1 on Sunday afternoon behind a strong performance from tournament MVP Kelly McIntyre. UCF is 2-2 in doubleheaders this season.
Stephanie Best paces the offense with a .377 batting average, and leads the Golden Knights with 26 hits, including seven home runs and 19 RBI's. All are team highs. For her efforts, Best was named A-Sun Player of the Week. Amber Lamb (West Palm Beach, Fla./John I. Leonard HS) is hitting .313, and has already surpassed her RBI total from a season ago.
McIntyre along with Lindsay Enders anchor the pitching staff. McIntyre is 11-2 in her last 13 decisions dating back to last season. This season McIntyre is 6-0 with 1.47 ERA. Enders comes in with three complete game shutouts, including a 1-0 decision against No. 11/8 Washington. Opponents are only hitting .174 against Enders.
This will be the 2005 season opener for St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies had a doubleheader at Stetson rained out on Sunday afternoon.
SBU went 12-24 a season ago, but finished 6-8 in the Atlantic 10.
Kim Dodson was the only player to hit over .255 last season. Dodson hit .429 with a team-high 45 hits.
Christine Keleher went 9-10 with a 3.67 ERA, including two complete game shutouts.
Michigan made in seventh WCWS appearance in the last 10 seasons. The Golden Knights and Wolverines were supposed to hook up at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, but rain in Las Vegas cancelled the game.
Jessica Merchant is one of three All-Americans returning to Ann Arbor. The Big Ten Player of the Year set a Michigan record with 15 home runs, and led her league with a .739 slugging percentage. Merchant is hitting .390 this season.
The Wolverine pitching staff was fifth in the nation totaling a 0.99 team ERA. Nicole Motyck won 22 games anchoring the staff, and was 12th in the nation with a 0.81 ERA on her way to Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Motyck is 4-1 this season with a 0.75 ERA, and has struck out 27 batters in 28 innings pitched while the opposition is hitting .183 against her.
Both doubleheaders are set to start at 1:00 p.m. Admission is free to all games at the UCF Softball Complex.