ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF softball sophomore right-hander Kaitlyn Felton was a crucial element in the Knights winning three of their first four games of the young season during the 2023 Black and Gold Classic, and for her efforts has been awarded American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors. Junior transfer outfielder Chloe Evans was also named to The American's Weekly Honor Roll following her standout offensive performance throughout her first four games as a Knight.
Felton enjoyed a career weekend during the Knights' opening series, appearing in each of UCF's first four games against Georgia, Massachusetts, Boise State and Ohio State. She made her season debut in relief against the Bulldogs Feb. 9 and allowed one unearned run in two innings of work while collecting her first two strikeouts of the year.
Felton's weekend was highlighted by her performance the following day in her first start of the season against the Minutewomen. The Valrico, Fla., native was nearly untouchable, yielding just one unearned run in her first career seven-inning complete game.
Felton also recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in leading the Knights to their first win of the year, marking the most single-game punchouts by a Knights pitcher since then-junior Gianna Mancha struck out 13 Tigers en route to no-hitting Memphis on the road April 23, 2021.
The sophomore's number was called once again in relief in the Knights' second game Friday night against Boise State, when she recorded the final out of the seventh inning and was awarded her second win by virtue of Evans' walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.
Felton then recorded the first save of her career in the Knights' final game against the Buckeyes Saturday night, punctuating UCF's first shutout win of the season with two scoreless frames and the Knights' only strikeout of the evening. In total, the sophomore allowed two unearned runs on four hits in 11.1 innings of work with 17 strikeouts, and enters UCF's Wednesday tilt with RV Missouri with a 2-0 record and one save.
Evans, meanwhile, wasted no time making a first impression with her new home fans. In her first weekend of action with the Knights after transferring from Minnesota, the junior hit .545 (6-for-11) with four extra-base hits, five runs scored, 12 total bases and five RBI.
Her opening weekend also included three go-ahead RBI, highlighted by a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning against Boise State that lifted UCF to a 9-8 win and a sweep of its two Friday games. The seventh-inning blast marked the second walk-off hit and homer of her career, and the first since her two-run shot that boosted Minnesota to a 7-5 eight-inning win over Illinois State Feb. 19, 2022.
She came through in a crucial moment for her team once again in the Knights' final game of the weekend against RV Ohio State, driving in UCF's lone run of the evening with a double off the center field batter's eye in the third inning. UCF's pitching and defensive effort made the tally stand in a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes.
UP NEXT
Following their 3-1 start to the season over the weekend, UCF will host Missouri Feb. 15 in the team's final game before the Clearwater Invitational Tournament. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Wednesday evening from the UCF Softball Complex.
