ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced the Knights 2018 slate on Thursday afternoon. The schedule features 41 contests in the Sunshine State with the Knights playing in Winter Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Clearwater, Tampa and Jacksonville in addition to the UCF Softball Complex.
UCF will host 20 games at the UCF Softball Complex and fans can place a deposit on season tickets to watch each home contest by clicking here.
The Knights compete against five teams - Florida, Florida A&M, James Madison, Tulsa (3) and UCLA - that competed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
The Knights are set to open the campaign on Feb. 9-11 in nearby Winter Springs, Fla., at Soldier's Creek Park. The eight-team Friends of Jaclyn Invitational includes Butler, Illinois, Louisville, North Carolina, North Florida, Providence and South Alabama.
"Our program is excited to help host the Friends of Jacklyn Invitational and bring eight quality teams to the Orlando area," head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. "This inaugural event will showcase the beautiful softball facility at Soldier's Creek and help create a premiere tournament that teams around the country want to be a part of."
The full schedule for the tournament will be released at a later date.
UCF faces Northern Iowa and LIU Brooklyn on Feb. 19 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the Disney D-9 Invitational.
The Knights begin their home slate on Feb. 17 with a pair of contests against Hofstra and Florida A&M. A second matchup with the Pride is set for Feb. 19.
After 10 games in the Orlando area to start the campaign, the Knights head to Jacksonville for the JU Invitational on Feb. 23-25. Western Carolina, Penn State, James Madison and the host Dolphins are scheduled to face the Knights.
For the third-straight season, UCF makes the trip to in the Golden State on March 1-3. The Knights go up against host San Diego State, Long Beach State, UCLA and Santa Clara.
Virginia Tech and Ball State head to Orlando to face the Knights on March 6.
On March 9-11, the Knights travel down I-4 for the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. The docket includes battles with Chattanooga, St. Joseph's, Western Michigan, Southern Illinois and Quinnipiac.
Before opening play in the American Athletic Conference, the Knights welcome UTSA and Georgia Southern on March 14 and host Princeton in a doubleheader on March 21.
UCF starts conference play by hosting the reigning champions in The American, Tulsa, on March 23-25. The Knights took a pair on the road at the Golden Hurricane last year, to extend their road series win streak in league play to 12.
After hosting Bethune-Cookman on March 27, the Knights head to Houston for a three-game set starting on March 29.
The highlight of the home slate is the matchup with Florida on April 4 at 5:30 p.m. A capacity crowd is typically expected when these programs meet at the UCF Softball Complex.
The Knights go back on the road for four matches at UConn (April 6-18) and North Florida.
Memphis comes to Orlando on April 13 for a league series with the Knights.
UCF is on the road for back-to-back conference three-game sets at Wichita State (April 20-22) and South Florida (April 27-29).
The regular season comes to close on May 4-6 with the Knights hosting ECU. Senior day for Megan Greenwell and Courtney Rotton is scheduled for May 6 against the Pirates.
With USF hosting the American Athletic Conference Championship, the Knights stay in the Sunshine State to start the post season. The three-day event begins on May 10 in Tampa.
Five Knights that earned all-conference accolades last season return for the 2018 campaign. Junior Cassady Brewer and sophomore Kyra Klarkowski were recognized on the first team, while senior Courtney Rotton and sophomores Alea White and Jazmine Esparza were selected to the second team. The Knights also added six players to their roster.
