March 24, 2011
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie and the UCF softball team are set to commemorate 10 years of UCF softball Saturday afternoon when they host Alumni Day in conjunction with the Knights' Conference USA doubleheader vs. UAB.
Former players spanning the past 10 years will invade the UCF Softball Complex Saturday and will be given VIP treatment. Not only do the alumni get to take in a doubleheader at the ballpark, but they will also be announced on the field between games, before heading down to The Moat Sports Grille for a post-game party. While enjoying delicious food, an electric atmosphere and even better company, Knights from then and now will also be treated to great memories as a slideshow highlighting 10 years of softball will be shown courtesy of the UCF Alumni Association.
"We are hoping to have a really great turnout," Luers-Gillispie said of the event. "I would love to see all the former players back here for the 10-year anniversary. I want them to enjoy remembering UCF and hope they realize that what they have given to this program has helped to put us where we are now with our facilities, our opportunities and with our recruiting classes. Everything that we are able to do now is because of what they did for this program. I would love to be able to welcome them back and honor them for that, because that is something they really need to know, and they really put a lot of heart into it."
The events of the day will show the current players what was accomplished before them, while also allowing former Knights the opportunity to see what their contributions to the program have provided. Though the program is young, the history is rich, with the squad appearing in the NCAA Regional Tournament three times in the last five years, which includes an impressive season in 2010 in which it played in the Conference USA Championship Game for the second time in program history.
One of the longest tenured coaches at UCF, Luers-Gillispie has witnessed all of the ups and downs the softball program has endured, experienced the high-flying emotions of the greatest of victories and the sharp pains that come with defeat, but knows that each moment of the ride will only lead her team and her program closer to the vision she had when she started the program those 10 years ago.
"It was fun to start this program from the ground floor because we were selling a dream," Luers-Gillispie said. "We were selling an opportunity to these players. They were the founding mothers of UCF softball and I think a lot of them came here because they had the vision. They could see what we wanted to build here. They understood where UCF was going as a University as well as an athletic department and I think they wanted to be a part of that dream. They wanted to be a part of that opportunity to lay down that foundation and to have their name being remembered for the start of this program."
Those players from the 2002 squad led the Knights to a 46-19 overall record, a 12-6 Atlantic Sun Conference record and a third-place finish in the A-Sun Championship in their inaugural season, opening the curtain for the Cinderella story that would eventually unfold.
The Black and Gold one-upped its first season in the years to come, making an appearance in the A-Sun Championship Game in both 2003 and 2004, but falling just short of taking home the trophy both years. It was in 2005 that UCF finally won the league crown and earned the A-Sun's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. In the tournament, the Knights claimed its first post-season victory against Florida, 5-3.
UCF played its inaugural season in C-USA in 2006, before it started making a run at a league-championship once again in 2007. Playing its first full season in the newly completed UCF Softball Complex and knowing it was set to host the C-USA Championship on its home turf, the Black and Gold made the league tournament for the first time with an 11-13 C-USA record and stormed into the semi-final round with wins over Marshall, Tulsa and East Carolina. The Knights and the Pirates then battled for 11 innings for a chance to play in the championship, before a solo home run from the visiting team in the 12th inning knocked UCF out of the tournament.
The loss to East Carolina on their home field left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Knights, and the team answered back in 2008 with its most successful season all-time. UCF made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament after breezing through the C-USA Championship undefeated with wins over Southern Miss, UTEP and No. 9 Houston to claim the title. The Knights would then defeat No. 1 national-seed Florida in the Regional Championship series, forcing a second game to decide who would move on to play in the NCAA Super Regional. Despite falling to the Gators in the deciding contest, the Black and Gold put together a season to remember, finishing the 2008 campaign with a program-record 49 wins.
The Knights took time to rebuild the program in 2009, before once again making an impressive run in the post-season last year. Throughout the 2010 season, UCF defeated three ranked opponents, before earning the No. 3 seed in the C-USA Championship with a 16-7 league clip. The Black and Gold defeated UTEP and Memphis to once again appear in the championship game, this time against East Carolina. Though the Knights did not come out on top, they did earn their first at-large selection into their third NCAA Tournament and went on to post a 1-2 record at the event.
Though its successes have been great over the years, Luers-Gillispie knows that her program has only begun to scratch the surface of its potential and of her vision for the future. The head coach has a dream for her players, her team and for UCF, and that is to bring home the Women's College World Series Championship. With an A-Sun Championship, a C-USA Championship and three NCAA Tournament appearances under its belt, the team, and its head coach, has its sights set on the next step, an appearance in the NCAA Super Regional, a place the team has never been...yet.