May 6, 2011
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF softball team closes out its regular-season schedule this weekend when it travels to Houston for a pivotal three-game Conference USA vs. the Cougars. The Knights' doubleheader Saturday is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET, while its series finale will get underway at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
The Black and Gold enters the series with a 21-28 overall record and ranks sixth in C-USA standings with an 11-10 league clip following its three-game sweep over Southern Miss last weekend at the UCF Softball Complex.
Houston is tied for first place in league standings with Tulsa entering the final weekend of regular-season competition with a 16-5 C-USA record to go along with a 36-15 record on the year after also earning a series sweep last weekend vs. East Carolina.
If the Knights are able to sweep the Cougars in the three-game tilt, there is a chance they could move up to as high as fourth in league standings heading into the C-USA Championship hosted by East Carolina next weekend. UCF would tie the Pirates, who have a bye this weekend, with a 14-10 record with a three-game sweep, but would move ahead of ECU as the Black and Gold holds the head-to-head advantage.
In order for the Knights to earn the No. 4 seed, they would need to sweep the Cougars and Southern Miss would need to earn a series sweep vs. Memphis in Hattiesburg, Miss. If UCF is not able to secure a sweep, it would remain the sixth seed.
Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) will be UCF's biggest offensive threat to the Cougars, as the junior ranks first among her C-USA competitors in triples (5), second in stolen bases (24), third in hits (52) and on-base percentage (.455) and fourth in batting average (.366). Land also leads the league in C-USA only games in on-base percentage (.542) and ranks second in batting average (.411) and walks (15) heading into the weekend.
Houston will have to face Diana Rojas (Miami, Fla.) twice in the circle during the series. The senior hurler paces the Black and Gold with a 3.01 ERA, two shutouts and two saves in a team-best 139.1 innings pitched. Rojas also carries a 9-11 record with 51 strikeouts into the series with the Cougars, posting five victories in her last nine decisions.
In league games, Melissa Gregson has paced Houston at the plate this season with a .433 batting average, 27 hits, five doubles, 10 home runs and 26 RBI. Her slugging percentage in C-USA contests is 1.016, while she also has a .514 on-base percentage. In the circle, Amanda Crabtree has stepped up in 2011 to be the Cougars' ace, boasting a 17-7 record, a 0.96 ERA, nine shutouts and 291 strikeouts in 167.2 innings pitched.
UCF is 6-9 all-time when facing-off with Houston, which includes a 2-4 record at Cougar Softball Stadium. One of those two wins came in the C-USA Championship Game in 2008 to give the Knights the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, the Black and Gold swept the series vs. UH with three wins at the UCF Softball Complex. During the series, the Knights outscored the Cougars, 8-2, led by a four-hit, two-RBI performance by Land.
Following the series at Houston, the Knights will return to Greenville, N.C., May 12-14 for the 2011 C-USA Softball Championship. If the Black and Gold finishes the season as the fourth or fifth seed, it would play at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, or if it concludes the year as the No. 6 seed it would face the No. 3 seed at 7 p.m. that night, pending East Carolina's game-time selection as the home team.