#22 UCF vs. #20 Mizzou |
ORLANDO – The No. 22 ranked UCF softball team will face its biggest challenge of the season so far on Wednesday night as the Knights play host to No. 20 Missouri at the UCF Softball Complex at 6:00 p.m.
The game will be live streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.
TICKETING/COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Capacity for The UCF Softball Complex this season is roughly twenty-five percent of full capacity.
A very limited number of single-game tickets will be made available 24-48 hours prior to each home game. Single game ticket inventory will come from unclaimed visiting team and player guest ticket allotments and will vary by game.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets are encouraged to check their UCF Account Manager page HERE leading up to each home game for ticket availability.
All tickets will be $10 general admission seats. There will be NO walk-up tickets available day of game as it is online purchase only.
Fans will be required to wear face coverings at all times, except while actively eating or drinking. Other safety measures in place for the 2021 season include:
- Hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout the concourse
- Bathrooms and other common touch points will be cleaned and sanitized regularly
- COVID-19 signage encouraging best practices will be located throughout the facility
- Certain seating will be blocked off to encourage physical distancing
For the latest information on ticketing for 2021 UCF Softball home events, contact the ticket office at (407) 823-1000, or follow us on social at UCF Softball on Facebook (/UCFSoftball), Twitter (@UCF_Softball) and Instagram (@UCF.Softball).
THE TIGERS
The Knights were victorious in their only previous game played against Mizzou on Feb. 14, 2016. UCF won 1-0 and Shelby Turnier was credited with the win after throwing seven scoreless innings, striking out nine. On Sunday, current UCF pitcher Alea White recorded her 81st career win to pass Turnier for the UCF Softball all-time wins record.
The Tigers are coming off a weekend of a weekend that saw them go 3-1 at FAU's "Strike-Out Cancer" Tournament, including wins over Ole Miss and FAU. Earlier in the year, the Tigers split two games with then No. 12 Florida State. Overall, Mizzou is 6-2 on the season.
KNIGHT BITES
A NEW ALL-TIME WINS LEADER
UCF Softball has a new all-time wins leader in Alea White. White secured career win No. 81 in Sunday's win over New Mexico State to pass Shelby Turnier as the winningest pitcher in program history. On the mound, White (4-0) was lights out in her record-setting performance. She was perfect through four and threw a complete game, allowing no earned runs on just four hits while striking out eight.
"I'm so proud of Alea for setting the record. She deserves it." said head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "I couldn't think of a better person to lead our program, and it's an honor to be a part of it and have been there with her today. I love handing her the ball every game."
MOVING ON UP
The USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll was released on Tuesday and the Knights checked in at No. 22. The Knights, who were predicted to finish first in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll in early January, are the sole AAC team to make an appearance in the top 25. The Knights were also ranked No. 17 in the JWOS Top 25 Poll, No. 22 in the D1 Softball poll and were receiving votes in the USA Softball/ESPN preseason rankings.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The Knights had two players named American Athletic Conference Players of the Week in Jazmine Esparza and Alea White. White started twice in three games for the Knights over the weekend to help them sweep New Mexico State at home. The Pitcher of the Week honor marked White's 10th time earning the award in her career. She has won the award at least once in every year she played in the black and gold. Earning her first career conference Player of the Week award, Jazmine Esparza slashed .667/.700/1.444 with two home runs and nine RBI on the weekend. After the weekend, Esparza now leads the Knights in batting average, on base percentage, doubles, and is second on the team with 11 RBI. The last time the Knights earned both Player and Pitcher of the Week honors in the same week was Feb. 10, 2020, when Alea White and Justene Molina each earned the award.
STRONG START
The Knights came out of the gates hot to start the season, posting a record 21 runs through their first two games against FGCU in their opening weekend, including a 13-0 thrashing over the Eagles in UCF's first game of the season. Week two was hardly different. UCF posted its highest margin of victory ever in Friday nights 18-1 win over New Mexico State. The Knights posted 37 combined runs over three games to sweep the Aggies and move to 6-1 on the year.
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.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news. Download the app here.