ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) –After a pair of wins at home this week, the UCF softball team is 13-8 overall heading into the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. this weekend.
The Knights' first pitch is slated for Friday, March 9 at 4:15 p.m. against the Chattanooga Mocs followed by a 6:30 p.m. duel with St. Joseph's. Saturday's matchups will feature a 2 p.m. battle with Western Michigan and will conclude with a late afternoon contest with the Southern Illinois Salukis. The tournament will conclude with a first ever meeting with Quinnipiac at 11:15 a.m.
Alea White stands as one of the top pitchers in Division I ranking fifth in the nation and first in the American Athletics Conference in wins with 10 and is seventh in the nation in shutouts with four. White also has fanned 69 batters, which is atop the conference and top 40 in the country.
At the plate, freshman Kaitlyn Jensen paces the conference in slugging percentage (.760) and home runs (5) and is fourth in total bases with 38 through 21 games.
THE FIELD
- Chattanooga: 8-12 overall; 1-1 in the series with the Mocs. Last meeting was a 6-2 Knights win in 2012.
- St. Joseph's: 6-4 on the year; First ever meeting with the Hawks.
- Western Michigan: 8-10 overall; 0-2 against the Broncos.
- Southern Illinois: 9-8 in 2018; 1-4 in meetings with the Salukis.
- Quinnipiac: 1-7 this season; First meeting with the Bobcats.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
The UCF Knights came away with two home wins Tuesday afternoon against the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Ball State Cardinals. The Knights took down the Hokies, 1-0 followed by a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.
Jensen hit her fifth home run of the season against Ball State plating two runs and giving the Knights the go-ahead win.
White threw 10.1 innings including a shutout against Virginia Tech and 3.1 scoreless innings in the win over Ball State improving to a 10-5 record on the season.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the highly-anticipated 2018 softball season are currently on sale. General admission tickets to all 21 home games are priced at $50 for adults and $25 for ages 2-17. Call (407) 832-1000 for additional ticketing information.
WATCH LIVE ALL SEASON
All UCF softball home games are broadcast live on UCFKnights.TV for only $7.99 a month! Sign up here to catch every pitch from the remaining 18 home games!
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