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ORLANDO – The No. 24 UCF softball team is set for its weekend series against Furman, as they'll host the Paladins in a double header on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. followed by the series finale on Sunday at noon.
The Knights are riding a 12-game winning streak which includes a 7-0 sweep of their California trip and most recently run-ruling an Ohio State squad that was receiving votes in the most recent NFCA and USA Softball polls. During the winning streak, the Black and Gold have won six games via the run rule and scored double digit runs in six games as well. They have outscored their opponents 107-27. The Knights sill lead the country in walks, drawing 140 free passes through 30 games. They've also cracked into the top 10 in on base percentage, posting a .433 mark.
Denali Schappacher enters the weekend with 199 career hits, needing just one more hit to get to the milestone 200 mark, something that has only been achieved nine times before in program history. Her next hit will tie her for ninth all-time at UCF with Amber Lamb, who finished her career with exactly 200 hits. Stephanie Best is UCF's career hits leader with a 285 mark.
Jada Cody remains in the national lead for RBI, adding another one to her already outstanding total against Ohio State. Now at 41 RBI, Cody is tied for eighth with Jania Shinhoster in single-season RBI. Best currently holds the top three single-season RBI counts, posing 66 in 2003, 60 in 2005 and 48 in 2004.
Gianna Mancha is two-thirds of an inning pitched from taking over sole possession of eighth place on UCF's career innings pitched list. She is one save away from overtaking Jamie Ujvari for second in all-time saves and one complete game away from moving into ninth-place in career complete games.
Furman comes to Orlando with a 9-10 record this season. They gave No. 3 Florida Sate a run for its money their last time out as the Paladins fell by a score of 2-0. As a team, Furman has a .231 batting average and a .333 slugging percentage, both ranking above 200th in the nation. Their pitching staff has surrendered a .294 batting average to opponents and have posted an ERA of 4.06 which is 184th in the nation.
Ashlee Lykins leads the Paladins in batting average, earning an impressive .343 clip so far. Emily Bartlett leads the team in home runs with three while Natalie Morgan has collected 15 RBI. Bartlett and Morgan both have eight extra base hits on the season. In the circle, Sierra Tufts leads the way in innings pitched, strikeouts and wins, compiling 54.0, 32 and five respectively.
The Knights are 4-1 all-time against Furman. Their last meeting on the diamond was on Mar. 9, 2019 where the Paladins beat the Black and Gold in a neutral site contest 3-2. UCF won the prior four meetings, all from 2003-04.
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