Hopping To Houston

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – UCF softball hits the road for their first road-trip in conference play as they head to Houston to take on the Cougars for a three-game series.

Thursday and Friday's battles are slated for 7 p.m. EST start followed by a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m. EST. Friday's contest will be featured on the American Digital Network and streamed via Facebook Live. Video and live stats links can be found on the UCF softball schedule page.

The Knights completed their eight-game homestand with a 5-3 record to improve to 22-12 overall and 3-0 in the American Athletic Conference after sweeping Tulsa.

After her performance last week, Alea White earned The American Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season. She was also given recognition by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as a top performer for her performance in the circle.

White leads the nation in victories with 16 and is top 20 in shutouts with five already this season.

The Knights' defense continues to dominate the field posting a .961 fielding percentage and they lead the conference in double plays per game.

UCF and USF sit atop the conference standings each starting 3-0 in conference play.

The American ranks among the top conferences in win percentage (.592) and is fourth in the conference RPI, ahead of both the Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

THE FIELD
Houston: 21-10 overall this season and 2-1 in The American. The Cougars' lone conference loss came against the series opener with ECU in a 3-2 eight inning defeat.

The Knights edge the Cougars in the all-time duels, 19-18. Houston, picked to finish second in the conference, took the series from UCF last season after dropping the first game in Orlando. Kyra Klarkowski paced the Knights with five hits and three RBI in the three matchups.

RECAPPING THE LAST UCF OUTING
The Knights racked up 10 hits in just four innings as they run-ruled Bethune-Cookman Tuesday night with an 8-0 victory at the UCF Softball Complex.

Kamryn Toney received the start in the circle giving up just one hit in three innings to the Wildcats.

Over the weekend, the Knights completed the sweep over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in The American series opener with White pitching all 21-innings tallying three complete games for a total of 16 on the season.

In the three wins, White carried a 0.67 ERA allowing just two earned runs and striking out 13 holding Tulsa to a .237 team batting average. The sophomore earned her fifth shutout of the season with the Knights' 1-0 win Friday evening to open the series and leads the conference with 16 wins.

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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