Feb. 16, 2012
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By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (UCFAthletics.com) - Off to the second best start in school history, the UCF softball team will put its undefeated record on the line this weekend against some fierce competition at the 22nd Annual Campbell/Cartier Classic hosted by San Diego State and San Diego.
The Knights begin play with a double header on Friday beginning with a 2:30 p.m. ET matchup against No. 7 Washington, followed by a 7:30 p.m. contest with UC Davis. The tournament continues on Saturday with another double header, as the black and gold face No. 12 UCLA at 1:30 p.m. followed by a showdown with host San Diego State at 4 p.m. The tournament concludes for UCF on Sunday as head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie's squad will play Oregon State at 12 p.m.
Fans can follow all of UCF's tournament games on UCFAthletics.com via Gametracker, and can find all the information regarding the Campbell/Cartier Classic by clicking here. (Note: All times listed on the link above are Pacific time).
UCF is coming off one of the most successful tournament appearances in school history as they went a perfect 4-0 at Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational. The Knights defeated Ohio State, Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman, and 2011 NCAA tournament team Chattanooga during the event.
The black and gold showcased elite pitching in Clermont as they only allowed six earned runs in the four games en route to a Conference USA best 1.62 team ERA. The Knights pitching staff has been paced by freshman Mackenzie Audas (Plant City, Fla.) and senior Ali Schmidt (Cordova, Md.). Audas currently leads the Knights with two wins, 19 strikeouts, 14 innings and zero walks. Audas' 19 strikeouts and 0 walks are currently the leading totals in C-USA. Not to be out shined, Schmidt has yet to allow an earned run this season in eight innings en route to one win and one save. Junior Alex Hartshorn (Tampa, Fla.) also earned a victory in her only appearance of the season.
The Knights' offense has showed better bat to ball ability thus far in 2012 as seven batters finished the weekend with a batting average of .300 or higher. The Knights are led by junior first baseman Marissa Menendez (Tampa, Fla.), who currently leads the team from the cleanup spot with a .455 batting average and has hit safely in all four games. Freshman Farrah Sullivan (Waynesboro, Miss.) has stepped into the middle of the order and leads the team in RBI (six), total bases (nine) and slugging percentage (.750), while tied for the team lead in home runs.
The black and gold have also benefitted from a highly aggressive approach on the base paths. Freshman left fielder and leadoff hitter Kahley Novak (Clermont, Fla.) currently leads the team in stolen bases with four. However, six different Knights have already stolen at least one base this season. Overall UCF is 12-13 in stolen base attempts which has helped the offense manufacture additional runs.
"Our players did exactly what we hoped they would do last weekend going 4-0. As each game went on, they got more focused on the task at hand and played more like a team than a group of individuals," Gillispie said. "We feel like we really needed that to get prepared for the level of talent we're going to face in California this weekend."
On Friday, the black and gold will face No 7. Washington. The Huskies are currently 5-0 and are led by freshman infielder Kylee Lahners and sophomore pitcher/first base Kaitlin Inglesby, who each have three home runs. Inglesby also doubles as the Huskies top pitcher as she holds a 3-0 record with a 1.17 ERA. UCF has a 1-1 all-time record against Washington with the last meeting coming in March 2006. The second matchup on Friday will pit the Knights against UC Davis. The Aggies are currently 2-4 and are led by senior catcher Rachel Miller, who has a .357 batting average and leads the team in home runs and RBI. The Aggies pitching staff is led by junior Jessica Thweatt, who is 2-1 with a 2.26 ERA in four starts this season. UCF has never faced UC Davis.
On Saturday, UCF goes head-to-head with No 14. UCLA. The Bruins are currently 5-0 and are led by senior catcher Dani Yudin, who is hitting .643 with two home runs and 14 RBI in five games this season. The Bruins pitching staff is led by sophomore Jessica Hall, who has a win and a save in three appearances this year while not allowing a single earned run. UCF has a 0-2 all-time record against UCLA with the last meeting coming in February 2011. The second matchup of the day will feature the Knights against host San Diego State. The Aztecs are currently 3-3 and are led by sophomore outfielder Patrice Jackson who is hitting .500 with three home runs and seven RBI. Senior Bailey Micetich leads the Aztecs pitching staff with a 2-1 record and a 2.91 ERA in four appearances. UCF has a 0-1 all-time record against SDSU with the last meeting coming in February. 2011.
On the final day of the event, the black and gold will take on Oregon State. The Beavers are currently 3-2 and are led by freshman outfielder/catcher Dani Gilmore, who is hitting .533 with eight runs scored and seven RBI in five games. The Beavers pitching staff is paced by junior Marina Demore, who has a 1-1 record with a 3.23 ERA in four appearances. UCF has never matched up against Oregon State.
The Black and Gold will play 30 home games at the UCF Softball Complex, with the 2012 home-opener slated for Feb. 24 against Seton Hall. Season tickets for the 2012 season cost only $40 and are general admission. Single-game tickets are also available for $5 for adults, $2 for UCF faculty/staff, youth and seniors, and $3 for groups of 20 or more. To purchase single game or season tickets, call the UCF Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000.