ORLANDO – The UCF softball team has been listed at No. 32 by D1Softball in its Top 50 College Softball Programs ranking. The mark is the highest out of any American Athletic Conference team.
The list released by D1Softball takes every program's history over the past decade into account, as well as how they are projected to look in the future based on recent success. In May, D1Softball called UCF "the most interesting softball team in the world."
The Knights' program has been consistently trending up since head coach Cindy Ball-Malone's arrival. She has posted a record of 145-56-2 in her four seasons leading the Black and Gold, with each season finding improved success. Ball-Malone led the Knights back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the team's first appearance since 2016. UCF was defeated in the regional final by Florida State that season, while the Seminoles went on to be the national runner-up.
It was a record season for the Knights in 2022, as they secured the first NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history. The NCAA selection marked UCF's sixth tournament appearance over the past decade and its ninth overall. Prior to heading to the super regional, the Knights earned hosting rights for the NCAA Regional round for the first time after posting a 46-12 record at the time of selections. UCF ran through the Orlando Regional unphased, topping Villanova in the opener before beating No. 24 Michigan twice.
At the conclusion of the 2022 season, the Knights ranked in the top 16 in all four major polls, including their highest finish in the NFCA's ranking at No. 14. UCF's 16 victories in conference play were tied for the most in program history and it was the sixth time the Knights have reached that mark, joining the 2004, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2021 squads. The Black and Gold lost just two conference contests, tying the 2015 season for fewest losses in league play. The 2022 squad was the first team to win a conference title since 2015 and earned the fourth tournament championship in program history.
Ball-Malone not only led the Knights to historic heights in 2022, but also did the same with Team USA this summer. She was invited to join the U.S. Women's National Team as an Assistant Coach, where she helped the team win titles at the Canada Cup and the World Games.
Three American teams are named in D1Softball's list, with the Knights being the highest at No. 32. They are followed by South Florida at No. 35 and Wichita State at No. 43. The Knights check in as the fifth-highest ranked team in next year's Big 12 behind No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 10 Texas, No. 16 Oklahoma State and No. 24 Baylor.
D1Softball's Top 50 College Softball Program list
1. Oklahoma ^
2. Florida
3. UCLA
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Arizona
7. Washington
8. Georgia
9. Tennessee
10. Texas ^
11. LSU
12. Kentucky
13. Oregon
14. Arizona State
15. Michigan
16. Oklahoma State *
17. Texas A&M
18. Auburn
19. Louisiana
20. Missouri
21. Northwestern
22. Arkansas
23. Minnesota
24. Baylor *
25. James Madison
26. Mississippi State
27. Virginia Tech
28. Notre Dame
29. Ole Miss
30. Clemson
31. Duke
32. UCF #*
33. Stanford
34. Oregon State
35. South Florida #
36. BYU *
37. Wisconsin
38. Boston
39. Furman
40. Cal
41. Cal State Fullerton
42. McNeese State
43. Wichita State #
44. Texas State
45. Liberty
46. Nebraska
47. St. Francis
48. Ohio State
49. San Diego State
50. UMBC
^ - Temporary Big 12 Member
* - Current/Future Big 12 Member
# - Current AAC Member
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