Feb. 9, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The hunt for a return trip to the Conference USA Championship Game and its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance starts this weekend for the UCF softball team, as head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie's squad opens the 2012 season at Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational in Clermont, Fla.
The Knights begin play with a doubleheader on Friday beginning with an 11 a.m. contest vs. Ohio State, followed by a 5 p.m. contest with Florida A&M. The tournament will come to a close for the Black and Gold on Saturday as they tackle a second doubleheader against Bethune-Cookman at 3 p.m. followed by a showdown with Chattanooga at 5 p.m.
Fans can follow all of UCF's contests on UCFAthletics.com via Gametracker, and can find all the information regarding the Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational by clicking here.
Gillispie is in her 11th season as UCF's head coach and holds a 615-469-3 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) record, an NCAA record of 568-441-3 and a 363-265-1 record in the UCF program's 10-year existence.
The Knights are coming off a 2011 season in which they made a surprise run to the Conference USA semifinals after upsetting UAB in the opening round of the C-USA tournament. The Knights posted a 22-32 overall record and ended league play with an 11-13 C-USA mark.
Gillispie returns seven letterwinners from her 2011 team, including All-C-USA First Teamer and C-USA player of the year candidate Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.). The Knights will have 13 newcomers, including seven freshmen and five junior college transfers and one senior transfer.
"We are very excited to return to Clermont for Dot Richardson's tournament. We played in it back in 2010 which was the first year they put it on and it was a great experience for our program and we without a doubt said yes when they asked us back this season. We think the level of competition is strong playing teams like Ohio State and Chattanooga," Luers-Gillispie said.
In its opening contest, the Black and Gold will face an Ohio State team that returns 13 letterwinners from last year's team that tallied a 13-37 overall record and went 3-17 in Big 10 action. The squad's top returning hitter is senior shortstop Alicia Herron who hit .354 with nine home runs last season. Also returning is Big 10 Freshman of the Year Melanie Nichols who earned a medical redshirt in 2011 after suffering a season-ending injury. UCF holds a 3-1 all-time record against the Buckeyes.
The second game on Friday will pit the Knights against Florida A&M. The Rattlers went 26-26 overall last season and finished 8-4 in MEAC competition. Senior infielder Tera Gainer, who finished second in the conference with nine home runs while batting .365, is the Rattlers' top returning offensive player. UCF holds a 7-4 all-time record against Florida A&M.
The Saturday slate features contests against Bethune-Cookman and Chattanooga. Bethune-Cookman junior Michelle Banuelos-Smith is the Wildcats top returning offensive player after hitting .366 with six home runs and 40 runs batted in during the 2011 campaign. UCF holds a 15-5 all-time record against Bethune-Cookman and will play them a second time this season on April 18 at the UCF Softball Complex.
Chattanooga is coming off a strong 44-14 record in 2011 which saw the team win the Southern Conference and make an appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Mocs bring back 14 of 16 letterwinners and have made the NCAA tournament eight times in school history. UCF has only played Chattanooga one other time in school history, dropping a tightly contested battle 4-2 at the same Dot Richardson Invitational tournament in 2010.
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.