NOTE: Advance ticket sales have been suspended due to the capacity of the UCF Softball Complex. Fans are encouraged to come out to the ticket office and see if additional tickets are released after first pitch. There are a limited number of student tickets available, which will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis, starting when gates open at 4:30 p.m. The windscreens in left field will be rolled up, providing additional fans the opportunity to watch the game.
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – For the first time in program history, UCF will host the No. 1 team in the nation when Florida State comes to Orlando on Wednesday. First pitch at the UCF Softball Complex between the Knights and Seminoles is set for 5:30 p.m.
This will be the seventh time that the Knights have faced a top-ranked foe. UCF has posted a 1-5 mark with its lone victory coming against Florida in the 2008 NCAA Gainesville Regional.
When the Knights hosted No. 2 Florida last season, the Gators were the highest-ranked team to play at the UCF Softball Complex. UCF fell short 3-1 in front of a capacity crowd of 1,064.
UCF
The Knights (15-12) knocked off No. 14 Baylor, 4-2, on Sunday, marking the squad's first victory over a ranked opponent this season. The Bears took the first two games of the series, but UCF bounced back to salvage the finale and hand the first loss to Baylor's Gia Rodoni (8-1).
Sophomore Cassady Brewer delivered a solo homer and RBI single, while the eventual game-winning runs against Baylor were driven in by freshman Tamesha Glover. A complete-game victory was notched by freshman Alea White, who tallied her first Top 25 win.
The offense is paced by Brewer and senior Linnea Goodman with batting averages of .373 and .370, respectively. Junior Courtney Rotton, Glover and Brewer have each blasted two homers, while Brewer and Rotton have each driven in a team-best 16 runs.
The Knights are led in the circle by White (8-7), who has notched 48 strikeouts over 91.2 innings of work. Junior Manami Calixto and freshmen Kamryn Toney and Damara Begin have also been integral parts of the UCF pitching staff.
Florida State
The Seminoles have posted a 28-1-1 overall and 9-0 ACC mark this season. Florida State is currently ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll and No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. Notable wins have been notched against Florida A&M, Northwestern, Nebraska, Stanford, Arizona, UCLA, Georgia Tech, North Florida, Virginia Tech, Florida Gulf Coast and Notre Dame.
Florida State has compiled a .358 batting average as a team and are led by Alex Powers (.471), Jessica Warren (.432) and Morgan Klaevemann (.424). A team-best eight home runs and 35 RBI have been tallied by Warren. Klaevemann has gone 23-for-27 in stolen base attempts.
The duo of Jessica Burroughs and Meghan King are a combined 27-1 on the season with 0.72 and 0.73 ERAs, respectively. Burroughs has fanned 134 batters over 87.2 frames, while King has registered 51 strikeouts in 76.1 innings.
Series History
Florida State holds a 16-5 edge in the all-time series. This is the first meeting in Orlando since 2013. The Knights have won three of the last four meetings at the UCF Softball Complex. UCF looks to end a six-game win streak for the Seminoles in the series, dating back to 2011.
Next Up
The Knights begin play in the American Athletic Conference on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Houston. The three-game set against the Cougars continues at 2 p.m. Saturday and concludes on Sunday at noon.
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.
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