Knights Set to Kick Off Season Thursday

ORLANDO – Softball season is here! The Knights have the home field advantage in their first five games of 2020 as they host the Black and Gold Tournament to begin the season.

All UCF games will be streamed live on UCFKnights.TV and live stats will be available for all 13 matchups.

The five-team tournament includes Indiana, Duke, St. John's, UCF and Clemson, who will be enjoying its inaugural season as a program. The Black and Gold tournament will mark UCF's first of three home tournaments this season.

You can view the full tournament schedule, inclusive of both UCF and neutral site games here.

THE OPPONENTS

• Thursday – vs. Indiana – 6 pm

  • All-time record vs the Hoosiers: 3-0
  • Last meeting: 2013, W, 3-2
• Friday – vs. Indiana – 5:30 pm
• Saturday – Clemson and Duke – 3:30 pm / 6:00 pm
  • Clemson's inaugural season
  • First meeting with the Blue Devils
• Sunday – vs. Duke and St. John's – 11:00 am / 1:00 pm
  • All-time record vs The Red Storm: 2-2
  • Last meeting: 2019, W, 6-0

KNIGHT BITES

• TIME TO BALL: Head Coach Cindy "Bear" Ball-Malone is gearing up for year two with The Black and Gold. In June, 2019, Bear was announced as UCF Softball's second head coach in program history. Last season, she led the Knights to a 34-21, 11-10 record for a fourth-place finish in the conference. Coach Bear hit a career milestone in her third game at UCF picking up her 100th win as a head coach with a win over Ohio State. Coach Bear came from Boise State where she led the squad to two NCAA Tournament appearances. Creating her own staff, Coach Bear introduced Director of Operations Kyle Sheppard and Volunteer Assistant Coach Robert Malone III in 2020 to join her and assistant coaches Tiffany Jordan and Kendra Lynch to complete the staff.
• WHITE OUT – Knights' standout pitcher Alea White returns for her senior season at UCF after tossing 221.1 of the Knights' 380.0 innings last season. In her three seasons in the black and gold, White has already established herself as one of the best in program history. Last year, White accumulated 174 strikeouts and five shutouts as the undisputed workhorse for the Knights. After her junior season, White owns top-10 program career records in ERA (2.42), strikeouts per seven innings (4.49), wins (66), saves (7) and appearances (125) just to name a few. Last season, White earned NFCA First Team All-Region honors, was named to The American Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team and earned conference Player of the Week honors on four separate occasions. Along with fellow senior Kyra Klarkowski, White is a captain for the team and will be a perfect mentor for the pitching staff as she looks to finish off her collegiate career with a bang.
• TOUGH SLATE – Highlighted by 25 home games, five tournaments and matchups with 12 NCAA Tournament teams, the 2020 season schedule is one of the toughest the Knights will ever face. The 53-game lineup will mark the 19th season for UCF softball and the Knights are set to do battle with five of the preseason top-10 ranked teams.
• NEW FACES - The Knights have 12 newcomers to the squad this year, including six true freshmen and six transfers. Among the group are four outfielders, four infielders, three pitchers and a catcher. The Black and Gold will have five returning starters from last season, so the newcomers will play a big role in leading this year's team to victory. Leading into the season, we detailed each class in depth. If you would like to read those articles, you can do so here:
  • Freshmen Preview
  • Sophomores Preview
  • Juniors Preview
  • Seniors Preview

TICKETS FOR 2020
Fans can purchase tickets for the 2020 UCF softball season by calling (407) 823-1000 or online here.

FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Stay tuned to UCF Softball on Facebook (/UCFSoftball), Twitter (@UCF_Softball) and Instagram (@UCF.Softball) for the latest on the UCF softball team.

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