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ORLANDO – The Knights are hitting the road over the weekend as the Black and Gold are set to play four games in three days in a conference showdown with Memphis, from April 23-25 at the Tigers Softball Complex in Memphis, Tennessee.
The two sides will open the series with a Friday afternoon doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET before meeting again on Saturday at the same time and wrapping things up with a Sunday afternoon showdown scheduled for noon.
There will be no live streams over the weekend, but fans can follow along with live stats here.
THE TIGERS
Memphis is 7-29 overall and have yet to win a game in conference play, sitting at 0-12 against AAC opponents.
After dropping their first eight games to begin the year, the Tigers picked up their first win against North Carolina on Feb. 28 in a 5-4 victory. The Tigers are currently on a five-game losing steak headed into the weekend series with the Knights.
UCF is 23-16 all-time against Memphis. The Knights are on a three-game win streak against Memphis after sweeping the series last time out in 2019.
KNIGHT BITES
DOWN GO THE GATORS!
The Knights bested No. 5 Florida in a 7-0 victory on April 14 in Gainesville. Breanna Vasquez tossed a gem in the circle, allowing just three hits in a complete-game shutout. The Norwalk, Calif., native struck out a season-best eight batters in seven innings. Offensively, the Knights did their damage early. UCF scored four runs in the first inning, added a fifth run in the second and tacked on a pair in the third. The Black and Gold posted their second-straight 10-hit contest. The UCF defense also came up big, keeping the Gators off the scoreboard for the first time this season. The victory gave UCF a season sweep over Florida for the first time in program history, and the Knights picked up their first win in Gainesville since May 18, 2008. It was the first regular season road victory over the Gators in program history. The 7-0 score marked UCF's largest margin of victory in the series against the Gators and UCF's seven runs are the second-most for the Knights in the series history. UCF scored 15 runs on the Gators in the two-game series.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The Knights have had two Knights earn national Player of the Week award for their efforts on the diamond. On March 30, Jada Cody was named the D1 Softball national Player of the Week. Cody was scorching hot over the week for UCF as she finished the week batting .438 with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI and five runs scored in five games (one against No. 5 Florida and four against Houston). Cody hit a walk-off solo home run against Houston to give UCF the 2-1 win and she was an integral part in the Knights' toppling of No. 5 Florida. Against the Gators, Cody was 2-for-4 with a double, including one in the bottom of the seventh that scored a runner from first and tied the game before she came around to score the winning run.
Meanwhile, UCF senior Gianna Mancha was named the Wilson/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week on March 16 after posting one of the best weeks in program history. Mancha was called on to start three times over the week, guiding the Knights to three victories, including over then No. 2 Arizona. Mancha tossed 20 scoreless innings and allowed just seven hits and no runs while striking out 30. On March 15, Mancha was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row.
HOLDING STEADY
UCF is still holding relatively steady in several national polls. The USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll was released on Tuesday and the Knights were tied at No. 25. The Knights are no longer the sole AAC team to make an appearance in the top 25 as Wichita State is now at No. 23. The Knights were also No. 25 in the D1 Softball poll and are receiving votes in the USA Softball/ESPN rankings.
TOP FIVE TAKEDOWNS
The Knights' have three wins over top-five ranked teams in the country to this point in the season with wins over No. 5 Florida (twice - March 24, 8-6 and April 14, 7-0) and No. 2 Arizona (March 8, 2-0). UCF has played seven games against a top-25 opponent in 2021 as the Knights have already done battle with then No. 20 Mizzou (L, 6-5), No. 2 Arizona, No. 5 Florida and No. 24 South Carolina (L, 9-1, L, 4-2, W, 10-4). UCF's matchup with the Gators on Wednesday marked just the third time in program history that the two sides have squared off while ranked in the top 25. The first time was on Feb. 25, 2015 when then No. 15 UCF lost to then No.1 Florida, 2-1, in Gainesville.
WHITE KNIGHT
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 on Feb. 21, 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.
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