Feb. 13, 2008
Manoa, Hawaii (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball team looks to improve upon its 3-2 record when it takes part in the Hawaii Paradise Classic Feb. 14-17 at Rainbow Wahine Softball Complex in Manoa, Hawaii. The Knights will face Long Beach State Thursday at 9 p.m. EST, before facing Kentucky and No. 16 Hawaii on Friday at 8 p.m. EST and 12 a.m., respectively. The Black and Gold conclude the tournament with bracket play on both Saturday and Sunday.
Tournament Opponents
Long Beach State
UCF's first opponent of the Hawaii Paradise Classic, Long Beach State, enters the tournament with a 2-2 record after defeating San Diego and Illinois-Chicago and falling to No. 17 Stanford twice at the USD Softball Complex last weekend. Danielle Linke led the 49ers with two triples and four RBI, while also posting a .500 batting average and on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
The 49ers return seven players from last season's squad that went 28-25, while also welcoming six newcomers.
Kentucky
UCF's second opponent of the tournament, Kentucky, also enters the Hawaii Paradise Classic with a 2-2 record after splitting games with both Chattanooga and Wichita State. Molly Johnson led the Wildcats with a .600 batting average on the weekend. She had nine hits, including two doubles and a triple, scored five runs and totaled three RBI in a quartet of games.
Kentucky returns 12 letterwinners from its 2007 squad, including three starters and six pitchers. The Wildcats finished last season with a 20-31 overall record.
No. 16 Hawaii
No. 16 Hawaii will open its 2008 season by hosting the Hawaii Paradise Classic on its home field. The Rainbow Wahine finished the 2007 season with a 50-13 overall record, a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a No. 12 ranking in the final coaches' poll of the year.
Hawaii returns 17 letterwinners and seven starters from last season after finish atop the WAC with a 16-2 league record.
First Time for Everything
UCF will face both Long Beach State and Kentucky for the first time at the Hawaii Paradise Classic. The Knights are 0-1 against Hawaii, facing the Rainbow Wahine in 2005, a 6-3 loss.
Let's Make it Six
Marquita Council enters this weekend's tournament on a five-game hitting streak. The redshirt junior had a hit in all five games of the UCF Tournament last weekend, including a two-hit performance against Central Arkansas. Council also leads the Knights with a .500 batting average and .647 on-base percentage.
Seeing a Pattern
Following their second-place finish at the UCF Tournament last weekend, the Knights have taken home a 3-2 record in five of their last six tournaments. Before the opening event of 2008, the Black and Gold last finished with the clip at the Conference USA Championship, losing in the semifinal game to East Carolina.
Season tickets for the 2008 season are now available and can be purchased by calling 407-UCF-1000. For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics
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