Jan. 8, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team will have a welcome addition to their squad this spring, as Kristina DeMello (Mead, Wash.) will be joining the Knights' pitching staff for the upcoming season, head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced.
A transfer from Miami Dade Community College, DeMello earned NJCAA All-America and NFCA first team honors last season after tallying school-records with 25 wins and 255 stikeouts. The Washington native also garnered Florida Pitcher of the Year honors and was voted onto the FCCAA All-State team as a sophomore, while racking up Southern Conference first team and Lead Off Classic All-Tournament team recognition.
"Kristina will have a huge impact on our program and our pitching staff," Gillispie said. "She is the number one junior college pitcher in the state of Florida and holds numerous pitching records for Miami Dade, becoming the perfect finishing touch to our pitching staff."
DeMello graduated from Mt. Spokane High School where she earned three varsity softball letters under head coach Carl Edwards. As a sophomore, DeMello helped lead her team to its first appearance in the regional tournament, while guiding her team to its inaugural 4A state tournament the following season. While at Mt. Spokane, the right-hander was twice named to the GSL All-League team, garnering first team honors as a senior and second team honors as a junior.
DeMello played travel ball for the Spokane Sliders.
Season tickets are on sale now for the 2009 softball season, which features 34 home games at the UCF Softball Complex. 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.
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