April 1, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Following five wins on the road last week, including a series sweep at Marshall, the UCF softball team will conclude its six-game road swing Wednesday when they take on North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., at 6 p.m.
Previewing North Florida
The Ospreys welcome the Knights to Jacksonville with a 29-17 record on the season, including a 6-4 Atlantic Sun record, registering wins over teams such as Louisville, Virginia, Miami (Ohio), East Carolina and Rider.
Heather Hyde paces UNF with a .359 batting average, 41 runs, 47 hits, 13 doubles and a .664 slugging percentage, while teammate Gwen Williams leads the Ospreys with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. Devyn Findley has seen the most action in the circle for North Florida, posting a 16-8 record on the season with a 1.36 ERA. Findley has 179 strikeouts in 166.1 innings of work, while registering a .179 opponent batting average.
Wednesday's match-up marks the fourth between the two squads, with UCF holding the 2-1 advantage.
12 and Counting
With its five wins last week, UCF extended its winning streak to 12 games, while posting wins in 16 of its last 18 contests. The streak is the longest for the Knights since the 2004 season when the team registered a string of 14-consecutive wins. The longest steak in program history occurred in 2002, when the Black and Gold won 21-straight contests from Feb. 8-March 14.
Getting It Done
A big reason for the Knights' success this season is the pitching of senior Allison Kime. The hurler has won 10-consecutive decisions since March 12 and has posted a 0.64 ERA, allowing only six earned runs in 66.0 innings pitched. Kime has also recorded 85 strikeouts during the stretch, which includes 28 Ks in the series sweep over Marshall last weekend. Kime needs five more wins to match Dottie Cupp's 15-game win streak accomplished during the 2002 season.
UCF Softball Hitter of the Week
Freshman Abby McClain was 5-for-7 in the three-game league series with Marshall last weekend, posting a .714 batting average, a .857 slugging percentage and a .778 on-base percentage against the Herd. In the series finale on Sunday, the freshman was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and one run scored to lead the Knights to their first C-USA series sweep on the road and their 12th-straight victory on the season. During the series, McClain also registered a walk, was hit by a pitch and recorded a sacrifice hit, while totaling three RBI.
Spring Cleaning
The Knights series sweep over Marshall last weekend marked the first time since joining Conference USA that they claimed all three games on the road. Its two-straight league sweeps are the most since the inaugural season in C-USA in 2006 and marks the first time the Knights have swept two conference opponents in the same season since that time. UCF holds sole possession of second place in C-USA with a 9-3 record.
On Tap
The Knights finally return home this weekend when they host No. 9 Houston in a three-game C-USA contest at the UCF Softball Complex. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m., and is also 80's Knight at the field, where can take part in 80's trivia, the sports marketing t-shirt toss and foul ball frenzy. Sunday's series finale is set to get underway at Noon.
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
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