Oct. 31, 2008
Complete Schedule in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Head softball coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced UCF's 2009 schedule Friday, with the slate highlighted by 31 home games at the UCF Softball Complex. Three-consecutive home tournaments are also on tap, as well as a match-up against 2008 NCAA National Champion Arizona State on the road.
The Knights, who posted 49 wins, the most wins in program history, last season and advanced to the NCAA Regional final for the first time, will compete against five teams that finished the 2008 season in the NFCA Top 25 and nine teams that participated in the 2008 NCAA Softball Tournament.
The contest against the Sun Devils will test the Knights in their first tournament of the season as they travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the Kajikawa Classic. UCF will play only one game, against Texas Tech, before facing host Arizona State on Feb. 6 at the ASU Softball Stadium. The Knights will also challenge Oklahoma State, Western Michigan and NCAA Super Regional participant Stanford at the three-day event.
After returning to Orlando, the Knights will play Georgetown and North Florida before hosting the UCF Early Bird Tournament Feb. 13-15. After meeting Villanova, Texas-Arlington and George Mason early, the Knights' portion of the tournament will conclude with a contest against NCAA Tournament participant Tennessee on Feb. 14.
A match-up with in-state rival Jacksonville on Feb. 18 leads up to the UCF Comfort Suites Invitational taking place Feb. 20-22, with the Black and Gold entertaining Portland State, Illinois-Chicago, Temple, Oklahoma State and Boston College on its home turf.
Three additional non-conference contests at home are sandwiched between the Comfort Suites Invitational and the UCF Invitational, the Knights' final tournament scheduled for Feb. 27-March 1. The three-day, nine-team event pits the Black and Gold against Syracuse, Tennessee State, Florida A&M and Maine.
UCF hosts back-to-back mid-week games before kicking-off its competitive Conference USA schedule on the road against NCAA participant Tulsa March 7-8. Besides the Golden Hurricane, the Knights will also face NCAA competitor East Carolina (March 28-29), NCAA Super Regional participant Houston (April 18-19) and Memphis (April 25-26) on the road in league-play.
Fans can catch C-USA action at the UCF Softball Complex beginning March 14-15 when UAB travels to Orlando. Also slated to travel to the Sunshine State for league play are Southern Miss (April 4-5), Marshall (April 11-12) and UTEP (May 2-3).
March and April carry with them some competitive non-conference games for the Knights starting March 17 and March 19. UCF will host both FIU and NCAA participant Iowa in a pair of mid-week games before hitting the road for contests against in-state rivals Stetson on April 8, WCWS participant Florida on April 15 and concluding its non-league slate at Bethune-Cookman on April 22.
C-USA Championship action begins on May 7 in El Paso, Texas, with the winner of the tournament receiving the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, which kicks-off on May 14.
UCF finished the 2008 season with a 49-20 record, its most wins in program history. The team made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first in a Regional championship game after winning its first C-USA Championship title against Houston. Ten letterwinners return for the 2009 season, including All-C-USA First Team selection Breanne Javier (Castaic, Calif.).
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
-UCF-