ORLANDO, Fla. – With just three days left until UCF softball's season opener against No. 12 Georgia, we preview the six Knights who will see time in the three outfield spots.
Denali Schappacher returns for her fifth season as a Knight and is coming off a career year in which she hit for a .353 batting average and a .799 OPS. Schappacher started in 49 games in 2021, with 36 starting nods in right field, seven in left and six in center. She batted all throughout the lineup, seeing the most time at either the seventh or second spot in the order. She caused havoc on the basepaths, swiping 16 bases in 19 attempts and collected four doubles and two triples during the campaign. Her 2021 nod to the American Athletic Conference's All-Conference First Team was the second of her career, following up on her 2018 trip to the First Team and the All-Rookie Team. Schappacher's .353 batting average last season ranks seventh in UCF single-season history and bumped her lifetime average to .333, which ranks second all-time at UCF. Schappacher will need a tremendous season to catch the Knights' all-time leader in batting average, UCF Hall of Famer, who compiled a .384 batting average in her time with the Black and Gold.
FGCU transfer Johneisha Rowe joins the Knights after an incredible first two seasons. In the shortened 2020 season, the Avon Park native got a hit in nearly half of her at-bats, hitting .481 and earning an OPS of 1.122. She followed that up with an impressive first full season in 2021, batting .336 and stringing together a 17-game hitting streak from Feb. 27-Mar. 27. Her performance earned her nods to the ASUN All-Conference First Team and All-Freshman Team. Rowe will give opposing teams fits on the basepaths as she has stolen 49 bases in 52 attempts throughout her career. Not only does she know how to get on base but knows how to keep the opposition from getting on, committing just two errors and recording a .981 fielding percentage.
Maddie Bejarano returns for her sophomore campaign after playing in 29 games last season. In 2021, she was mainly used as a defensive replacement or a pinch runner. The Cottonwood, Ariz. product has not committed an error since putting on a UCF jersey and finished last season with a .333 batting average, going three-for-nine at the plate. She drove in a career-high two RBI in the Knights' early season 18-1 win over New Mexico State.
Allyse Volpe is the lone junior on this year's squad and returns after playing in 47 games last year, earning a start in 20 of them. She hit for a .286 batting average and stole five bases in nine tries. She played a big role for the Knights in the conference tournament and was named to the 2021 American All-Tournament Team. Last season was her first rocking the Black and Gold after transferring in from Bucknell, where she dominated in her first two collegiate campaigns. She earned NFCA Third-Team All-Region, First-Team All-Patriot League and Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors back in 2019 after batting .399 and earning an OPS of .973.
Damaria Cannon is set to embark on her final season as a Knight and has also played errorless softball while at UCF. She has a lifetime batting average of .312 and an OPS of .795. Cannon suited up for five games last year, coming off the bench in all five.
Averi Wong joins Rowe as the two new members of the outfield this season. Wong is an incoming freshman who earned the U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete award in her senior year at Arcadia High School. She was named first-team All-Pacific League in her sophomore and junior seasons, as well as earning scholar-athlete awards in her freshman and sophomore years.
Katie Burge and Kennedy Searcy are listed as utility players and have the ability to play the outfield as well as the infield. Both Burge and Searcy were mentioned in the infielders positional preview, which can be found here.
OPENING WEEKEND
The Black and Gold open the 2022 campaign at home as they host No. 12 Georgia on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. The contest is one of four games on opening weekend, followed by a matchup with Minnesota on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and a double header against Fresno State and Longwood on Feb. 12.
TICKETS
Season and single game tickets are on sale now! Don't miss any of the action this year, click here to purchase season tickets now or click here for single game tickets!
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.