Feb. 26, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF (11-7) softball team will host its final tournament of the season beginning Friday, when it welcomes 10 different teams to Orlando for the UCF Invitational. The Knights will open the tournament against Syracuse and Tennessee State Friday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, before concluding the event with games against Florida A&M and Maine at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday. The UCF Invitational, which takes place at both the UCF Softball Complex and Hagerty High School, will run through Sunday.
GAME DAY ESSENTIALS
? Schedule
Friday, Feb. 27
4:00 p.m. - UCF vs. Syracuse
6:00 p.m. - UCF vs. Tennessee State
Saturday, Feb. 28
4:00 p.m. - Florida A&M
6:00 p.m. - Maine
? The Coaches
UCF: Renee Luers-Gillispie
SU: Leigh Ross
TSU: Joyce Maudie
FAMU: Veronica Wiggins
UM: Deb Smith
? Records
UCF: 11-7
SU: 5-3
TSU: 6-3
FAMU: 3-11
UM: 4-5
? Series
First meeting with SU
First meeting with TSU
UCF leads FAMU, 5-2
UCF leads UM, 3-1
? UCF's Last Time Out
2.25.2009
vs. Eastern Michigan, W, 5-4
? Radio
Stretch Radio
(UCFAthletics.com)
? Live Video
Knights All-Access
(UCFAthletics.com)
? Live Stats
Gametracker
(UCFAthletics.com)
? The Knights host the UCF Invitational beginning Friday with an 11-7 record on the season. UCF has won seven of its last eight contests, including six of its last seven at the UCF Softball Complex. The Black and Gold has been victorious in three-straight contests this week in games against Centenary, Bethune-Cookman and Eastern Michigan.
? Syracuse is 5-3 on the season heading into the UCF Invitational after splitting in its last two outings against Howard and East Tennessee. The Orange posted an 8-2 win over Howard on Feb. 14 at the Charleston Classic, before concluding the event with a, 1-0, loss to East Tennessee on the final day of the event.
? Tennessee State hosted a doubleheader Wednesday night against Belmont, falling to the Bruins, 3-4 in eight innings in the first game and 3-1 in the second game. The pair of losses dropped the Tigers to 6-3 on the season.
? Also hosting a doubleheader this week was Florida A&M. The Rattlers could not get past Mercer, losing 6-0 and 5-1 to the Bears to fall to 3-11 on the year.
? In the final two games of the Coastal Carolina Kickin' Chicken Classic, Maine earned a win against the host Chanticleers, 9-0, before faltering in their final game, 7-3, to Appalachian State. The split moved the Black Bears' record to 4-5 in 2009.
? Heading into the UCF Invitational, UCF has two players that are close to batting .400 on the season. Abby McClain leads the Knights with a .393 batting average, while Breanne Javier is close behind with a .382 average.
MOVIN' ON UP
Senior Breanne Javier needed only two more hits to take sole possession of the No. 3 spot on the UCF all-time register heading into Wednesday's doubleheader with Bethune-Cookman and Eastern Michigan. The first baseman quickly moved up in the ranks, posting both hits in the opening game against the Wildcats. With 209 career hits, Javier now trails only Stephanie Best (285) and Jania Shinhoster (268) on the list.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP HERE
Whoever coined the phrase "sophomore slump" did not have utility player Abby McClain in mind. In her second season with the Knights, the sophomore has already posted 22 hits, seven doubles, two triples, a home run, 36 total bases and a .643 slugging percentage in only 17 games played. A season ago as a freshman, McClain totaled 34 hits, nine doubles, zero triples, one home run, 46 total bases and a .293 slugging percentage in 64 games played, almost four-times the amount of games she has played so far in 2009.
SENIOR SHUTOUT
The Knights' only senior pitcher, it was only fitting that Magon Paul picked up UCF's first shutout of the 2009 season Wednesday in the win over Bethune-Cookman. The hurler scattered seven hits, only one of which was for extra-bases, and struck out one in the complete-game shutout. Paul is now 2-0 on the season after also getting the win in the circle against Oklahoma State at the Kajikawa Classic, UCF's first win of 2009.
LEADING OFF FOR THE KNIGHTS...
Since being moved into the leadoff spot in the Black and Gold's lineup against Villanova on Feb. 13, Abby McClain has helped UCF aquire an 8-3 record and a .284 team batting average. The sophomore is batting .432 with six doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBI and a .730 slugging percentage as the Knights' leadoff batter.
CAREER FIRST
Freshman Vanessa Perez had three hits in UCF's come-from-behind win over Eastern Michigan Wednesday night. The three-hit performance was the first for the rookie as a Knight and only the eighth this season for the squad. Prior to Wednesday's nightcap, Perez had already posted two two-hit games in 2009.
EXTRA INNINGS
Fans can catch up with the Knights each week by watching `Extra Innings with Renee Luers-Gillispie' on Knights All-Access, exclusively at UCFAtheltics.com. The skipper reviews the week that was, previews the Knights' upcoming contests and answers fan questions on every episode of the broadcast. Curious Knight enthusiasts can also find out Gillispie's pick for the team's player of the week in each installment.
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.
-UCF