#22 UCF vs. North Florida |
ORLANDO – Head coach Cindy Ball-Malone and her No. 22 ranked Knights are set to welcome the University of North Florida to town Wednesday night for a midweek clash at the UCF Softball Complex at 6:00 p.m.
The game will mark the first of three between the Ospreys and Knights as UCF will head to Jacksonville for a doubleheader there on March 17. Wednesday night's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will 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 OSPREYS
The Ospreys finished the 2020 season on a six-game win streak and posted a 12-6 record before the season was called off. The 2021 Ospreys' roster features 15 returners and eight newcomers.
In 2021, the Ospreys are off to a 4-5 start, with one of their premier victories coming in an 11-0 win over then RV Clemson. UNF is currently on a three-game win streak after sweeping Georgia Southern last weekend.
The Knights are 13-5 all-time against UNF, including a current six-game win streak. UCF's last win against the Ospreys came on May 1, 2019, when UCF won 6-2 at the UCF Softball Complex. Breanna Vasquez earned the win and Alea White closed the door for the save.
KNIGHT BITES
OFFENSE ON FIRE
The Knights' offense ranks in the top 15 in batting average (.389), on base percentage (.456%), slugging percentage (.598%) and total scoring (8.27 runs per game). To this point in the season, UCF has outscored opponents, 91-23.
STAYING PUT
The USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll was released on Tuesday and the Knights checked in at No. 22 for the second straight week. 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. UCF was also ranked No. 17 in the JWOS Top 25 Poll, No. 19 in the D1 Softball poll and were tied for No. 23 in the USA Softball/ESPN rankings with Auburn.
TWO SWEEPS!
The Knights are hot to start the season, having already swept two out of three series. UCF posted its highest margin of victory ever in the opening game against New Mexico State on Feb. 19, winning 18-1. The Knights posted 37 combined runs over three games to sweep the Aggies and move to 6-1 on the year. Two pitching gems and another offensive explosion guided the Knights to another sweep over McNeese State this past weekend. Following the sweep over the Cowgirls, UCF is 9-2 to begin the year.
THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER
Australia native and UCF senior Georgia Blair has been on an absolute tear to begin the season. Heading into Wednesday night's matchup with UNF, Blair is slashing .484/.556/1.097 with six home runs, 15 RBI and 34 total bases. She has accounted for 23 percent of the UCF offense to begin the season. In 2020, Blair became the fastest Knight to ever get to six home runs, needing just 15 games to do so. This year, she did it in eight games.
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 the series finale over New Mexico State, passing Shelby Turnier as the winningest pitcher in program history. On the mound, White 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.
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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