ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After a month of practice and preparation, the 2017 season starts up on Friday for UCF.
The Knights open the campaign against Florida A&M and Pittsburgh on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The three-day tournament also features No. 20 Kentucky, who faces UCF at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
On Friday, 100 "I Love UCF" T-shirts will be given away to the first 100 students at the 6 p.m. contest against Pittsburgh. All weekend long fans can purchase $1 hot dogs.
The purchase of a daily ticket will allow access into all of that day's games. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 2-17). Season tickets are also on sale, starting at $50 for adults. More information about ticket prices and packages can be found here.
Free parking is available in the lots surrounding the UCF Softball Complex.
Fans that are out of town can watch the contests involving the Black and Gold on UCFKnights.TV. Subscribers can stream all the Knights' home game on desktop, mobile, AppleTV and Roku devices.
A Look at UCF
The Knights are coming off a 38-22 crusade, which included the program's third-straight NCAA Regional Finals appearance in 2016. After graduating eight players, seniors Brittany Solis, Willow Kalinen, Manami Calixto and Linnea Goodman are ready to lead a pack of underclassmen that includes nine freshmen.
The 2016 Amerian Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Cassady Brewer returns for her sophomore campaign. The Apopka, Fla. native started 57 contests at second base as a freshman and compiled a .970 fielding percentage. She paced the league with a .455 batting average and .547 on-base percentage during conference play while tallying eight multi-hit and five multi-RBI contests.
Junior Courtney Rotton also returns after earning 2016 NFCA All-Region Third Team and The American Second Team honors. The Clermont, Fla., native received a pair of American Player of the Week accolades and ranked second on the team with a .292 batting average.
The Knights will rely on a pitching by committee approach that is highlighted by senior Manami Calixto, who went 9-1 with a 2.02 ERA and 34 strikeouts last season. Freshmen Alea White, Kamryn Toney and Damara Begin are all looking to make an immediate impact.
Noting the Opponents
The Knights hold a 15-6 overall record against this weekend's field.
In the season opener, UCF meets Florida A&M, who advanced to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional last year with a 27-30 overall mark. The Knights hold a 12-4 all-time record against the Rattlers, including victories in their last six meetings. The two programs will meet for a second time this weekend on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Facing each other for the first time since 2007, UCF and Pitt will tangle on Friday evening and Sunday morning. The Knights notched victories over Pitt in 2004 and 2007. The Panthers posted a 31-21 overall and 8-14 ACC record a season ago and were selected to finish eighth this season in the league's preseason coaches' poll.
On Saturday, UCF takes on the Kentucky Wildcats for the fourth time in program history. The Knights look to even the series after the Wildcats took two of three meetings at the 2008 Hawaii Paradise Classic. Kentucky finished second in the SEC last season and hosted the NCAA Lexington Regional after going 46-14.
UCF Notables
- UCF is 10-5 all-time in season openers and has won six of the last seven season openers. The Knights opened the 2016 with four straight victories, including a win over No. 5 Alabama.
- The Black and Gold will face 10 ranked opponents to start the season. The home slate includes contests against No. 3 Florida State, No. 12 Georgia, No. 14 James Madison, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 21 Baylor and No. 25 USF.
Next Up
The Knights hit the road for the first time on Feb. 17-18 at the Marry Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. UCF will take on Cal Poly, UCLA, California and Loyola Marymount over two days.
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