ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After a setback on Wednesday, the Knights are right back in action, hosting the five-team UCF Wilson/DeMarini Tournament at the UCF Softball Complex. The three-day event starts on Friday with a 5 p.m. doubleheader against Ohio State and Delaware State.
Saturday the Knights take on No. 16 Georgia and Mercer beginning at 3 p.m. The tournament wraps up at 1:30 p.m. Sunday for the Black and Gold with a battle against the Bears for a second time.
The first 50 fans that purchase four or more tickets at the ticket office on Friday for the game against Ohio State at 5 p.m. receive a March Knightro Bobblehead (St. Patrick's Day Theme).
On Sunday, fans have the chance to win prizes by playing softball bingo. The next set of player trading cards are also available, featuring seniors Linnea Goodman, Manami Calixto, freshmen Autumn Gillespie, Tamesha Glover and Kyra Klarkowski.
Single-day tickets for UCF Wilson/DeMarini Tournament start at $7 and can be purchased by clicking here. Free parking is available in the lots surrounding the UCF Softball Complex.
UCF Knights
- UCF has posted a 10-7 mark during the campaign. The Knights have topped Florida A&M (2), Cal Poly, Gardner-Webb (2), Texas Tech, Florida Gulf Coast (2) and Providence.
- It's been a challenging slate for the Black and Gold with all seven of its losses coming to teams either ranked in the Top 25 or receiving votes in the two major polls.
- Senior left fielder Linnea Goodman leads the offensive attack with a .400 batting average, six doubles and nine RBI.
- A .365 batting average with three doubles, two homers and 10 RBI has been posted by junior designated player Courtney Rotton.
- The Knights have gone 30-for-31 in stolen base attempts and are paced by junior centerfielder Megan Greenwell, who is a perfect 8-for-8.
- UCF has relied upon freshman Alea White in the circle. White (6-5) has compiled a 3.08 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 63.2 innings.
- The Knights have another talented freshman in Kamryn Toney (2-0), who has fanned 12 hitters in 27.2 frames.
- Senior Manami Calixto has a team-best 1.99 ERA and 2-2 record.
Delaware State Hornets
- Delaware State enters the weekend with 1-10 overall mark. Its lone victory came against South Carolina State.
- The Hornets are led at the plate by Mika Lumsden and Desiree Moreno with batting averages of .379 and .313, respectively.
- Desiree Moreno has driven in a team-best eight RBI on three doubles and one home run.
- The pitching staff has seen the workload spread across three arms - Jessica Shalongo (0-2), Hannah Shields (0-4), Tara Tursellino (0-4).
- Leading the Hornets with 15 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work is Turellino.
- This is the first time that UCF and Delaware State have faced one another.
Georgia Bulldogs
- Georgia is currently ranked No. 16 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll and No. 17 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll after starting the campaign 19-3.
- The Bulldogs have notched notable victories over Syracuse (2), East Carolina (2), Northwestern, Cal State Fullerton and Michigan State (2).
- A .385 batting average has been posted by the Bulldogs' offense along with 15 homers.
- The sister duo of Sydni and Cortni Emanuel pace the offense with .479 and .468 batting averages, respectively.
- Alyssa DiCarlo has connected on eight home runs and driven in 30 RBI.
- The Bulldogs pitching staff is led by Brittany Gray with a 12-1 mark and 1.23 ERA. She has fanned 63 in 68.1 frames of work.
- Kylie Brass (4-0) and Mary Wilson Avant (3-2) have helped Georgia compile a 1.51 team ERA.
- This is only the second time that UCF and Georgia have matched up on the softball field. The Bulldogs notched a 12-0 victory in a neutral site contest in Clermont, Fla., in 2010.
Mercer Bears
- Mercer enters the weekend with an 11-11 overall record, notching victories over Portland State, Creighton, Evansville, Marist, Fort Wayne (2), Savannah State (2), Florida A&M (2), Bryant and James Madison.
- The Bears are hitting at a .307 clip and are led by Meghan Rud with a .403 average and 23 runs scored.
- The primary run producers have been Quirisa Mauga and Abby Walsh with 21 and 18 RBI, respectively.
- A team-best five homers have been blasted by Abby Walsh.
- Megan Bilgri (4-1) paces the Bears in the circle with a 3.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 37.1 innings.
- The team leader in strikeouts in Stella Preston, who has fanned 33 batters in 46.2 frames of work.
- The meeting between UCF and Mercer will be the 12th all-time. The Knights hold an 8-3 mark against their former Atlantic Sun foe. UCF has won the past seven matchups.
Ohio State Buckeyes
- Ohio State has posted a 7-5 mark with wins against Central Michigan (2), Lamar, North Carolina, Louisville, St. John's and LIU Brooklyn.
- A .301 team batting average has been compiled by the Buckeyes, led by Lilli Piper (.463) and Anna Kirk (.419).
- Double-digit RBI have been tallied by Lilli Piper (13) and Emily Clark (11).
- Alex Bayne has connected on six home runs to pace Ohio State.
- In the circle, Ohio State has posted a 2.57 ERA as a team.
- A 5-1 record and 1.21 ERA has been registered by Shelby Hursh, who has fanned 34 hitters in 34.2 frames.
- Lena Springer, who started her career at UCF, has delivered 26 strikeouts in 28.1 innings, while recording a 2.72 ERA and 2-1 mark.
- UCF holds a 4-1 mark in the all-time series against Ohio State and has won four in a row. This is only the second meeting in Orlando, with the first coming in 2010. The last meeting came in 2012, which was a 2-1 UCF victory in Clermont, Fla.
Next Up
The Knights continue their homestand on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Iowa State at the UCF Softball Complex.
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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