Feb. 28, 2008
Altamonte Springs Tournament Schedule and Ticket Information
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF softball (10-9) team will face its toughest opponent of the season Friday night when its faces Team USA at 7:30 p.m. at Merrill Park as part of the Altamonte Springs Tournament. The Olympic squad is visiting the Sunshine State as part of its "Bound for Beijing" tour in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Prior to meeting with Team USA, the Knights will face off with in-state rival Florida A&M at 2 p.m Friday afternoon.
Saturday's schedule has UCF playing back-to-back games with Villanova and Vermont at Noon and 2 p.m., respectively, before entering into bracket play on Sunday.
Tournament Opponents
Team USA
At 6-0 overall, Team USA is led by leftfielder Jessica Mendoza who is hitting .750 with four home runs and 15 RBI. Third baseman Andrea Duran has totaled 11 RBI and has hit a home run in five of the six contests. From the circle, Cat Osterman has seen the most innings at 10.0 with 23 strikeouts. The pitching staff has been splitting innings and has allowed zero runs and six hits while the offense has outscored opponents 65-0. The game marks the first meeting between the Knights and Team USA.
Florida A&M
The Lady Rattlers enter the Altamonte Springs Tournament with a 2-8 record on the season, posting wins over Jackson State and Alcorn State, while suffering losses to teams such as Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Hofstra. FAMU is led at the plate by Alacia Strafford who is hitting .345 with two home runs, a double and four RBI. Tiffany Chan paces the Lady Rattlers with 20 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched. The Knights hold a 4-1 all-time advantage over FAMU.
Villanova
The Altamonte Springs Tournament is the second tournament of the 2008 season for the Wildcats, having participated in the Hokies United Memorial Tournament last weekend. Villanova posted a 3-1 record at the event, suffering its only loss to host No. 22 Virginia Tech. The Wildcats picked up wins against Rider, Robert Morris and St. Joseph's, outscoring their opponents, 21-5 in the trio of victories. Jessica Curtis' .615 batting average is tops for her squad, while Megan Morese and Eryn Teague have both posted four RBI on the season. The series between Knights and the Wildcats is tied at one game apiece.
Vermont
The Catamounts open the 2008 season Friday at the Altamonte Springs Tournament and will face the Knights for only the second time when the two teams meet on Saturday afternoon. UCF took home a, 10-3, in 2002.
Van Ryn + Eight = Lucky Combination
When starting in the eighth spot in the UCF lineup, senior Ashley Van Ryn is hitting .440 with five RBI and four runs scored. Van Ryn has posted a hit in eight of her nine starts when she bats eighth in the lineup, including six-consecutive games, and has only struck out twice. The lineup spot is also a great one for the Knights, as they are 6-3 when the centerfielder bats eighth.
Approaching a Milestone
Head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie needs only nine more wins in 2008 to reach 500 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) wins in her career. The skipper coached two seasons at Joliet Junior College, before taking jobs at Bradley, Texas Tech and UCF. She holds an overall record of 491-375-3 in 16 seasons as a head coach.
C-USA Topper
Breanne Javier leads Conference USA with 24 hits and ties for the top spot with two triples this season, while ranking in the top-10 in three additional offensive categories. The junior is third with 33 total bases, fifth with a .421 batting average and is tied for seventh with 12 RBI. On the defensive side of the ball, Javier is tops in both chances (160) and putouts (152), while Hillary Barrow has the most assists in the league with 45.
Season tickets for the 2008 season are still 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