ORLANDO – The No. 16 UCF softball team is set to host an NCAA regional for the first time in program history. They'll begin their run to the Women's College World Series on Friday evening, hosting Villanova at 1:30 p.m.
The Knights earned the No. 16 national seed after a wildly successful campaign that saw them win 15 games against team that are headed to the NCAA Tournament this season. Overall, UCF posted a 46-12 record on the campaign and a 16-2 mark in conference. The 46 victories are tied for the fourth most in program history with 50 being the program record. UCF's 16 victories in conference play were tied for the most in program history and is the sixth time the Knights have reached that mark, joining the 2004, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2021 squads. They lost just two conference contests, tying the 2015 for fewest losses in league play.
UCF is the first non-power five to host a regional since Louisiana and James Madison did in 2016. Overall, the Black and Gold earned the 11th overall non-power five bid to host and are the seventh team to do so. The Knights posted the 15th RPI and 16th non-conference strength of schedule in the country.
The Knights earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a pair of wins in Greenville, N.C. at the American Athletic Conference Championship. UCF walked-off against Houston with a Savannah Adams homer in the bottom of the eighth to top the Cougars 4-2. Gianna Mancha tossed all eight innings and struck out nine in the victory. Saturday turned out to be a slugfest for the Knights as they walloped long-time rival South Florida 11-0 in five innings. Shannon Doherty and Jada Cody both hit three-run blasts for the Knights as they went on to take a 20-19 series lead over their War On I-4 foes and became the only team to win by run-rule in The American's title game.
This UCF squad is the first team to win a conference title since 2015, a team that also won both the regular season and tournament championships. It's the fourth tournament championship in program history, joining the 2005, 2008 and 2015 titles.
D1Softball tabbed UCF as "the most interesting softball team in the world" in an article this week, and the team's statistics make that statement in themselves. The Knights are ranked top 50 nationally on both sides of the ball, sitting in the top 50 in batting average, on base percentage, walks, stolen bases per game, ERA, shutouts and double plays per game. The Knights are third in the country in walks with 226 free passes this season, a big reason why they are ranked 15th in on base percentage with an even .400 mark. In the circle, Mancha and Kama Woodall rank in the top 100 individually in ERA, with Mancha ranked 37th with a 1.70 mark and Woodall sitting 79th with a 2.01 clip. Mancha is ranked 14th in the country in hits allowed per seven innings, allowing less than four hits a game with a 3.98 average.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
The Knights will match up with Big East champions Villanova in their opening game of the weekend. The Wildcats come into the regional with a record of 32-22, ripping off four consecutive wins. They didn't allow a run at the Big East Championship in Rosemont, Ill., beating second-seeded Butler 2-0, fourth seeded DePaul 1-0 in eight innings and top seeded UConn 3-0 to win the crown. Paige Rauch has been a big part of Villanova's success this year, as the two way player is first on the team in innings pitched with a 2.19 ERA, is fourth on the team in batting average with a .306 mark and first on the team in homers and RBI, posting 10 and 34 respectively.
UCF will face either No. 24 Michigan or South Dakota State on Saturday depending on the result of each contest. A Knights win would set the Knights up for an 11 a.m. contest while a loss would mean a 1:30 start time, with both contests slated for Saturday.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines fell in the Big Ten title game to Nebraska but still earned the at-large bid to the tournament for their 29th overall appearance. Kristina Burkhardt leads Michigan with a .372 average while Hannah Carson leads the team in RBI with 37, 10 more than anyone else on the team. In the circle, Alex Storako has tossed the most innings on the team, collecting 182 innings of work. She's posted a total of 284 strikeouts this season while holding opponents to a .166 batting average.
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
South Dakota State left Vermillion, South Dakota with the Summit League title after beating second-seeded Omaha in the "if-necessary game" of the championship. They posted a 40-11 record this season while going 18-2 in conference play. Rozelyn Carrillo leads the team in batting average and OPS, posting a 3.88 mark and 1.096 clip respectively. She leads the team in RBI with 47, but its Cylie Halvorson who leads the team in home runs with 17. In the circle, Grace Glanzer leads the team in innings pitched with 161.2. Tori Kniesche leads the team in strikeouts with 253 and leads the team in ERA with a 1.42 clip, all while holding opponents to a .145 batting average.
The winner of the Orlando Regional will match up with the winner of the Norman Regional, where top national seed Oklahoma will host Texas A&M, Minnesota and Prairie View A&M.
ORLANDO REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 20
South Dakota State vs. Michigan – 11:00 a.m.
Villanova vs. UCF – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 11:00 a.m.
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 1:30 p.m.
Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 22
Regional Final – 2:00 p.m.
Regional Final (if necessary) – 4:30 p.m.
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.