ORLANDO – Representing the other half of the UCF softball team's explosive offensive attack throughout the 2022 season, the Knights infielders were an indispensable component of the great success and steps forward the team achieved and took.
With three of the team's four 2023 captains, a new single-season program record and a trio of memorable walk-offs last season, the UCF infielders are aiming to help lift the team to new heights and surpass the strong finish the Knights enjoyed a year ago.
Juniors and lineup regulars Shannon Doherty and Jada Cody were the Knights' two captains following the '22 season and have now been joined in their leadership roles by sophomore catcher/infielder Ashleigh Griffin and junior left-handed pitcher Angelina DeVoe.
Redshirt senior transfer Jasmine Williams will be able to provide a veteran locker room presence for the team as well, and the group will also return junior Katie Burge, redshirt sophomore Emmerson Lee and reigning American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Micaela Macario in her sophomore year.
The returners will be joined by a handful of promising freshmen eager to prove themselves among the squad, including Aubrey Evans, Shelli DiPuma, Macy Miles and Nehanda Lewis.
Cody returns for her fourth season donning the Black and Gold, coming off a breakout 2022 season that saw her 75 RBI shatter Knights Hall of Famer Stephanie Best's 2003 single-season RBI record of 66. Her '22 slate saw her set season-bests in a plethora of statistical categories, including RBI, batting average (.361), on-base percentage (.439), slugging percentage (.701), runs scored (48), hits (70), doubles (15), triples (3), total bases (136), home runs (15) and walks (27).
Those in the sport around the country took notice. Cody has been ranked among the top players in the sport in many national publications, including her ranking as the top utility player, No. 14 player overall in the country, and a Preseason First Team All-American by D1Softball.com, the No. 5 catcher/utility player in the nation by Extra Inning Softball, the No. 31 player in the nation and a Preseason Third Team All-American by Softball America, and her appointment to the USA Softball Top 50 Player of the Year watchlist.
Doherty earned the nickname "Walk-off Queen" for her exploits last year, recording a team-high three walk-off hits that included a pair of homers and a double. Her emotional walk-off home runs against Georgia Feb. 10 and Ole Miss Feb. 25 garnered over 1.5 million views on social media, and she added an 11th-inning double that boosted UCF to a 5-4 win over No. 5 Virginia Tech April 4.
Also entering her fourth season in Orlando, Doherty joined Cody as the lone two Knights to start each of UCF's 63 games last year. She set season-bests in average and on-base percentage as a regular in head coach Cindy Ball-Malone's lineup, slashing .308/.459/.500 with 18 extra-base hits and a season-high-tying 86 total bases.
Williams transferred to UCF after three seasons in green with the Oregon Ducks. She made an immediate impact in the Pac-12, earning First-Team All-Pac-12, Pac-12 All-Freshman and Pac-12 All-Defensive honors after hitting .326 with a team-high 15 doubles, four homers, one triple and 22 RBI in 45 games during her freshman year.
Her production dipped a bit the following year in fewer games, but she still finished fourth on the team with 16 RBI and reached base safely at a .282 clip. The Mission Viejo, California, native redshirted during the 2021 campaign and returned to the diamond last year with a .233/.273/.367 slashline and seven extra-base hits. She has also steadily improved her defensive prowess since committing seven errors in 45 games her freshman year, making just two miscues in her 24 games in 2020 and only three in 40 games last year.
Macario, as the nature of her post-season award would suggest, enjoyed one of the better years by any player in The American in 2022. She became the second Knight to win Conference Rookie of the Year in The American and the fourth Knight to win the award overall.
The Chula Vista, California, native started 61 of the Knights 63 games, all at shortstop, and slashed .286/.375/.347 while also collecting five doubles and a pair of triples. She was a threat on the basepaths as well, as she was caught only once in her 20 stolen base attempts.
Griffin produced a strong freshman campaign herself, becoming a unanimous selection to The American's All-Rookie team and earning an appointment to The American's All-Conference Second Team. She started 53 games and appeared in 56, hitting .281/.387/.432 with 36 RBI. She also clubbed the first four home runs of her collegiate career and added 10 doubles.
Griffin saw time behind the plate and at designated player throughout the '22 campaign and committed only six errors in 168 total chances while recording 147 putouts and 15 assists en route to a .964 fielding percentage.
Lee and Burge both played around the infield off the bench as well, as the former started five of her 30 appearances and the latter 8 of 41. Lee's first collegiate hit was a three-run homer at FIU Feb. 23, and she posted a .946 fielding percentage after making just two errors while recording nine putouts and 26 assists. Burge started at least once in left field, center field, third base, second base and designated player. The Miami, Florida, native scored 14 runs on the season, and enjoyed a stretch that saw her score in eight consecutive games, from Feb. 23–March 12.
The quartet of freshmen all begin their collegiate careers on the heels of impressive performances throughout their high school careers. Lewis was awarded FAHSA First Team All-State, NFCA All-Region Team and Sunshine Athletic Conference First Team honors, among others, after hitting .477 with 40 RBI and 20 stolen bases her junior year. Evans earned Apopka High School MVP and was awarded First Team All-Metro, Apopka High Defensive Player of the Year and FACA All-Star honors after hitting .480 with a .933 slugging percentage.
Miles was a standout two-way player during her high school career, collecting 159 strikeouts and a 0.84 ERA in 132 innings of work while also hitting .392 with a .489 on-base percentage her senior year. For her efforts, she was one of the top 225 recruits in her class according to Extra Inning Softball, including representing the 72nd-ranked pitcher and the 218th overall prospect. DiPuma was ranked in the top 100 recruits of the 2022 class, according to Extra Inning Softball after hitting .410 with five home runs during her senior season. She was also named a West Region All-American and was a MaxPreps RHS Player of the Year, and made the PGF Watch List during her senior season as well.
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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