#19 UCF Set for Road Series Against Houston

ORLANDO – The No. 19 UCF softball team is set for the second half of its American Athletic Conference slate as they visit Houston for a weekend series.

Pitching has been the story for the Knights during conference play, with the staff posting a miniscule 0.56 ERA against American foes while holding opponents to just a .108 batting average. Gianna Mancha and Kama Woodall have shouldered 53 of the 62 innings pitched for UCF in league action, with Mancha going 5-0 with a 0.62 ERA with four complete games and three shutouts while striking out 36 batters. She has held the opposition to a .082 clip at the dish. Woodall is 3-0 with a 0.74 ERA, tossing a complete game and taking part in a combined shutout, working 19 innings while striking out 11. Mancha and Woodall are both ranked in the top 100 in the nation in ERA this season, with Mancha posting a 1.62 mark, ranking 43rd in the country, and Woodall owning a 2.04 clip, good enough for 87th in the nation. As a staff, UCF has the 27th best ERA in the NCAA, recording a 2.27 ERA.

Knight pitchers have held their opponents to three hits or less over the last seven contests. Mancha and Woodall threw back-to-back one-hitters this past weekend and were a part of the longest conference shutout streak in program history at five consecutive games.

Jada Cody tallied an RBI over the weekend, bringing her nation-leading count to 57 this season. She has led the country in RBI since Mar. 14 when she burst into the solo lead with 40. The sophomore chasing Stephanie Best's single season record of 66 RBI set back in 2003. Cody is just three RBI away from tying the second-best single season total, also set by Best in 2005.

UCF's 9-0 start to conference play is the best as part of The American. It is the second-best league start, the only other better one being a 10-0 start in Atlantic Sun play in 2004. The Black and Gold will have a chance to top that mark this weekend and will try to do it against a team that they've had success against in the past. The Knights are 27-20 against Houston all-time and have won 11 of the last 14 meetings.

The Cougars enter the weekend on a four-game skid. They were swept by Wichita State last weekend before going toe-to-toe with No. 16 Texas on Wednesday. The Longhorns jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings but saw Houston post a four spot in the top of the third to make it 5-4. Texas added one more in their half of the fourth, which ended up being the final run of the game in a 6-4 Longhorn victory. Houston has played their fair share of top opponents this season, having to face No. 1 Oklahoma three times and No. 7 Washington twice. The Cougars came away with a 5-4 eight inning victory over the Huskies back on Mar. 4 at the Boyd Gaming Classic in Las Vegas.

As a team, Houston bats for a .271 average while opponents hit .272 against them. They're floating around the top 100 in major offensive categories, ranking 129th in batting average, 106th in runs per game (4.81), 108th in on-base percentage (.360) and 97th in slugging percentage (.434). In the circle, the Cougars have compiled a 3.86 ERA, 167th in the country.

Becca Schulte provides power for the Houston lineup, smashing 11 homers and driving in 39 runs and collecting seven doubles in the process. Amanda Carden leads the team in batting average with a .328 mark. On the defensive side, Kenna Wilkey leads the team in innings pitched and strikeouts, earning 101.1 and 95 respectively. Wiley, along with Hannah Todd, have each recorded eight victories.

UCF, along with Houston, accepted bids to enter the Big 12 Conference in the near future. This season, the Knights are 3-0 against Big 12 opponents, beating Texas Tech 7-3 in eight innings, No. 11 Texas 15-10 and Iowa State 7-5.
 
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