ORLANDO – A dominant pitching staff was the UCF softball team's heartbeat in 2022, instrumental in leading the squad to the first Super Regional berth in program history. With the 2023 season-opener just a week away, the Knights are again looking forward to a strong year in the circle authored by new and familiar faces alike.
Three returners from last year's staff, junior southpaw Angelina DeVoe, junior right-hander Grace Jewell and sophomore righty Kaitlyn Felton, will lead a staff that also includes three freshmen and one transfer. Freshmen Madison Applebe, Macy Miles and Katelyn Cochran, and junior transfer Sarah Willis, will join the veteran trio in the circle throughout the new slate.
Felton brings with her the most experience of the three returners, having tossed an even 50 innings as a freshman a year ago that ranked third-most on the team. Felton, in her first season at UCF, remained a reliable option head coach Cindy Ball-Malone could turn to, posting a 3.36 ERA and a WHIP just above 1.50, along with 32 strikeouts against 18 walks, in her 17 appearances, nine of which were starts.
She needed just four collegiate starts to spin the first complete game shutout of her career, a five-inning effort during which she yielded just two hits and struck out five on 64 pitches in the Knights' 11-0 win over James Madison Feb. 26. Her second shutout again was bolstered by a strong offensive display, as she allowed two hits and struck out three in six innings during an 8-0 win against Memphis April 10. Following a Knights loss to South Carolina March 4, the Valrico, Fla., native surrendered three runs or fewer in nine of her final 11 appearances.
Jewell received a larger workload in her second season in the circle last year, making 13 appearances (seven starts) on the heels of a freshman campaign that saw her appear in seven games (two starts). She improved upon a 6.30 freshman ERA, posting a 4.86 mark with 17 strikeouts in her 31.2 innings of work. The Chesapeake, Va., native's season was highlighted by a seven-inning complete game shutout of DePaul Feb. 26, during which she allowed only four hits and whiffed six on 91 pitches to lead her team to a narrow 2-0 victory.
DeVoe was a steady presence for the Knights out of the bullpen throughout the season, as each of her 12 appearances came in relief. She more than halved her 5.48 freshman ERA, posting a 2.39 mark in her 14.2 innings of work, allowing just 13 hits and collecting the first three strikeouts of her collegiate career. While she was bitten a bit by unearned runs, DeVoe did not allow an earned run in any of her final seven appearances of the year spanning 6.2 innings.
Willis joins the Knights as a junior transfer from the University of Washington. More of a two-way player, the Ontario, Calif., native has seen considerable time throughout her first two collegiate seasons at the plate and in the circle, and will again see time as a pitcher and an outfielder in 2023. She in 2022 made 11 appearances, nine of which came in relief, posting a 4.81 ERA with 16 strikeouts while also hitting .241 with five extra-base hits in 58 at-bats.
Applebe, Miles and Cochran round out the pitching staff as the three incoming freshmen who will each get a look in the circle as well. Each will bring valuable high school experience from which to draw as they get their first taste of college softball. Cochran comes to the Knights as the 40th-ranked prospect on Extra Innings' Elite 100 and the 18th-ranked pitcher, Miles received First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-State honors during her high school career, and Applebe was named Co-Pitcher of the Year, All-District First Team and All-State Second Team her junior year.
Behind the plate, UCF enters the season with the option to turn to as many as four players to handle catching responsibilities, with sophomore Carson Frier and redshirt-sophomore Emmerson Lee figuring to receive most of the reps working with the Knights pitchers.
Frier appeared in 14 games during her freshman season, making three starts behind the dish. She saw her first game action off the bench Feb. 12 and singled in her first career at-bat before driving in her first run Feb. 26 as part of a 1-for-3 day. Lee did not see game action during her freshman 2021 campaign, but appeared in 30 games, including five starts, during her redshirt-freshman 2022 slate. She saw time at a handful of positions around the infield, including shortstop, second base, third base, and designated player. Her college career began with a bang, as her first career was a three-run homer at FIU on Feb. 23.
Junior Jada Cody and freshman Aubrey Evans may also see time at catcher during the 2023 campaign, though the pair will likely see more time roving the infield throughout the season.
OPENING WEEKEND
The Knights open their season against the Georgia Bulldogs at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, marking the second straight season that UCF has drawn an Opening Knight matchup with Georgia. The season-opener is the first of four games the Knights will play during the Black & Gold Classic at the UCF Softball Complex, followed by a pair of Friday matchups against UMass and Boise State Feb. 10 and a Saturday evening tilt against Ohio State Feb. 11.
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