Dec. 8, 2009
By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With spring just around the corner, head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie and the UCF softball team announced their 2010 schedule Tuesday. The slate will feature 32 games at the UCF Softball Complex, which includes 16-straight home contests from March 5-25.
The Knights, who finished last season with a 27-27 overall record, will face-off with nine teams that ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 at the conclusion of 2009, which includes three teams that competed in the NCAA Women's College World Series, six teams that played in a NCAA Super Regional and 15 teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament.
UCF will undoubtedly face its toughest challenge of the regular-season right off the bat when it competes in the NTC Elite Invitational in nearby Clermont, Fla., on Feb. 12-14. Hosted by Dot Richardson at the National Training Center, the event will pit the Knights against Oklahoma, UCLA, Tennessee, Georgia and Chattanooga. Each of the five teams UCF will face competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, with the squad's first four opponents finishing the year in the Top-25 of the NCAA RPI.
Following the short road trip, the Black and Gold returns home to host in-state rival Stetson on Feb. 17, before welcoming five teams to the UCF Softball Complex for the UCF Invitational, which runs from Feb. 19-21. During the event, UCF will compete against South Carolina, North Florida, Villanova, Troy and Florida A&M.
Another match-up with the Ospreys takes the Knights on the road to Jacksonville and kicks off the team's longest road swing of the season as it plays six-straight away from home, which includes the highly-regarded NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. The tournament, which takes place Feb. 26-28, has UCF scheduled to play Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Nebraska, Maryland and Alabama. Once again, the event will be a tough test for the Knights, with four of UCF's five opponents making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, including Alabama, who advanced to the WCWS.
UCF finally returns home again on March 5 to host one last event, the UCF Tournament, March 5-7 to begin its season-high 16-game homestand. During the stretch, the Knights will play Harvard, College of Charleston, Providence, Boston College, Georgia Southern, Maine, UConn, Drake, Ohio State and Cornell in non-conference action, while also opening Conference USA play against Memphis on March 12.
Throughout the season, the Black and Gold will play host to the Tigers, Houston, East Carolina and Tulsa in C-USA action, while challenging Southern Miss, Marshall, UAB and UTEP on the road in league play.
The Knights will also take on four quality in-state rivals on their home turf toward the end of the season, as NCAA National Runner-Up Florida comes to the UCF Softball Complex on March 31 and Florida State, who finished the 2009 season ranked No. 17, comes in on April 7. The Black and Gold concludes its non-league slate with games against Bethune-Cookman on April 21 and Jacksonville on May 4.
C-USA Championship action begins on May 13 in Houston, Texas, at Cougar Softball Stadium, with the winner of the event receiving the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament which kicks off on May 20.
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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