ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Coming off its first road victory of the season at FGCU, UCF begins a season-long 19-game home stretch, starting on Friday at 3 p.m. vs. Providence. The Knights are also set to take on FGCU at 5 p.m. Saturday and the Friars for a second time on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
"It is really exciting to be home for a stretch after being on the road for the last two weeks," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "Now, we have an opportunity to play in front of our home fans. Our team is really looking forward to it."
On Saturday, the Knights welcome all the local Babe Ruth Little Leagues to support the program and meet the team with a postgame autograph session. A special ticket promotion is available for $10, which allows entrance to both softball (5 p.m.) and baseball (6:30 p.m.) games that day. This package can be purchased by clicking here.
Every Sunday throughout the season fans can play Softball Bingo. The first of four trading card sets are being given away, which includes Courtney Rotton, Ali Little, Aubrey Johnson, Brittany Solis, Jazmine Esparza and Kamryn Toney. These six players will be available for autographs following the game.
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 games on desktop, mobile, AppleTV and Roku devices.
UCF
The Knights are 7-6 on the campaign and begin a homestand that features notable matchups against No. 12 James Madison, No. 16 Georgia, No. 22 Baylor and No. 1 Florida State. UCF has played a tough slate thus far, with all of its defeats coming to teams currently ranked in the Top 25.
Junior designated player Courtney Rotton, the reigning American Athletic Conference Player of the Week, continues to pace the team with a .395 batting average and eight runs scored, along with a home run and five RBI. Six runs each have been driven in by senior left fielder Linnea Goodman and freshman third baseman Tamesha Glover.
A pitching staff has developed with freshman Alea White (3-4) leading the way. The Land O' Lakes, Fla., native has tallied 28 strikeouts in 47.0 innings of work. Senior Manami Calixto (2-2) has posted a 1.67 ERA with one save, while a 1.70 ERA in 20 frames has been compiled by freshman Kamryn Toney (2-0).
Scouting the Field
FGCU has an 8-7 mark that includes victories against LIU-Brooklyn (4), Fresno State, Boston College, Hofstra and Rutgers. The trio of Kelsey Huff, Natalie Lopez and Racquel Fournet pace the offense with .404, .386 and .400 batting averages, respectively. A team-high 13 runs have been driven in by Huff.
In the circle, FGCU has relied upon Riley Randolph (4-2), who has notched 29 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. Taylor Wade (3-3) has tossed 28.2 frames and fanned 15 hitters, while Gabbee Draney has notched 14 strikeouts in 20.0 innings.
Providence (2-3) has posted victories against George Washington and Bethune-Cookman to start the season. The Friars are in Orlando for the second weekend in a row after competing in the D9 Orange Blossom Tournament.
Nicole Lundstrom leads the Friars' offense with a .429 batting average, while Paige Mulry has driven in three runs. Both victories for Providence have come from Christina Ramirez (2-1), who has posted 13 strikeouts in 20.0 innings of work.
Series History
Following the Mar. 1 win at FGCU, UCF holds a 4-0 mark in the all-time series. This will be the fourth meeting between the two programs at the UCF Softball Complex. The Knights face Providence for the first time in program history.
Next Up
UCF continues a 19-game homestand on Wednesday with a 3 p.m. meeting against No. 12 James Madison.
Season tickets for the 2017 campaign start at $50 for adults and $25 for youth (ages 2-17). For more information about season and individual game tickets, click here.
Watch Our Home Games
Fans can watch each UCF softball home game via a subscription to UCFKnights.TV. Monthly subscriptions of $7.99 include the ability to watch contests on desktop, mobile, Roku and AppleTV devices.
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