STILLWATER, Okla. – The (RV) UCF softball team was firing on all cylinders throughout its most recent seven-game homestand, and with the momentum of its seven-game win streak, now sets its sights on the challenge presented by the upcoming OSU Mizuno Classic tournament hosted by the No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
The Knights on Thursday will make the trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where they will play four games over the weekend, two against Oklahoma State and two more against the No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils. The team was originally scheduled to play five games in Oklahoma with three against the second-ranked Cowgirls, but one game was eliminated from UCF's schedule due to updated plans to accommodate anticipated inclement weather.
UCF most recently completed a perfect showing in its last seven games, winning each of its five contests against the Toledo Rockets, Kennesaw State Owls and North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the UCF Round Robin tournament before sweeping a doubleheader against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Tuesday evening to conclude the homestand.
The Knights outscored their opposition by an aggregate 47-8 during the seven-game stretch, led offensively by outfielder Johneisha Rowe and shortstop Jasmine Williams while right-handers Grace Jewell and Sarah Willis produced dominant efforts in the circle.
Rowe's .400 average (8-for-20) paced the squad among regulars in head coach Cindy Ball-Malone's lineup over the last week, and the center fielder also collected one RBI, scored five runs, and went 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.
Williams, meanwhile, collected four extra-base hits (two doubles and two home runs) while driving in five runs and scoring nine times during UCF's last seven games, racking up a team-leading 16 total bases in that span. She clubbed a pair of leadoff home runs during the Knights' March 11 doubleheader as well.
UCF's regular shortstop also collected a three-hit game in the nightcap against Rutgers for the second time in her last five games and has gone 8-for-19 at the plate since the Knights' March 11 win over the Rockets.
Jewell and Willis, meanwhile, both added on to their recent stretches of brilliance in the circle. In the team's opener against the Scarlet Knights, Jewell completed her homestand with her second seven-inning complete game shutout in her last three appearances. The Chesapeake, Virginia, native did not allow a single run in 17 total innings pitched in that span, yielding only seven hits while collecting nine strikeouts in posting her second and third complete games of the season, as well as her second career save.
Her last three appearances build upon a career season by Jewell, as her 2.11 ERA (49.2 IP, 15 ER) represents a career-low by a significant margin and leads the team after UCF's first 30 games. She has also collected a career-high 31 strikeouts entering the weekend tournament in Oklahoma.
Willis, meanwhile, joins Jewell as one of the Knights' most effective arms to this point after matching Jewell's 17 innings with 17 of her own over the last seven games while yielding just two runs (one earned) on nine hits and collecting a team-leading 14 strikeouts in that span.
The junior transfer followed Jewell's complete game in the opener against Rutgers with one of her own in the nightcap, marking a single-game career-high in innings pitched.
In her last nine appearances (five starts) since Feb. 23, Willis has posted a team-low 0.59 ERA (35.2 IP, 3 ER) accompanied by 38 strikeouts and a .155 batting average-against. Through the team's first 30 games, Willis trails Jewell in overall ERA by only a slim margin, boasting a 2.29 (52 IP, 17 ER) mark.
Right-handed returner Kaitlyn Felton, who logged a team-high 50 innings pitched last season, has also produced a strong sophomore season with a 3.11 ERA (56.1 IP, 35 ER) and a team-leading 61 strikeouts through her first 17 appearances.
The weekend tournament will mark the second time this season UCF has met the No. 2 team in the nation, after the Knights also matched up with the then-No. 2 UCLA Bruins during the 2023 Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California, earlier this month.
The Cowgirls, ranked No. 2 by the NFCA/USA Today, USA Softball/ESPN and D1Softball.com polls, are off to a 21-2 start this season, with their only two losses coming against Maryland and then-No. 5 Florida State. The two games will represent the fourth and fifth meetings between the Cowgirls and Knights all-time, with UCF holding a 2-1 series lead.
Graduate student infielder Rachel Becker paces the team at the plate, sporting a .532/.646/.726 (33-for-62) line with 10 extra-base hits and 45 total bases. She's also been perfect in five stolen base attempts and boasts a team-leading 1.372 OPS.
Redshirt senior pitcher Kelly Maxwell has logged the most innings in the circle for Oklahoma State, registering a 2.09 ERA (50.1 IP, 15 ER) with a strikeout total of 88 that ranks first in the Big 12.
The Knights will face off against the Sun Devils for the second and third time in program history, having dropped the lone previous meeting between the two schools Feb. 6, 2009. The Sun Devils, ranked as high as 22nd by the NFCA/USA Today, are off to a 16-5 start and have already seen a bit of action in conference play with a three-game series against rival No. 17 Arizona.
Offensively, ASU is led by graduate student outfielder Yannira Acuña's .448/.494/.896 (30-for-67) line, accompanied by 15 extra-base hits and 60 total bases. Senior infielder Jordyn VanHook also paces the team with her 1.665 OPS and 1.172 slugging percentage.
Sophomore right-hander Kenzie Brown and junior righty Mac Osborne have represented Arizona State's two most consistent hurlers thus far, combining for 70.1 innings pitched with 2.29 and 2.91 ERAs, respectively. The pair have also done their part in limiting solid contact against, yielding opponent batting averages of just .206 and .241.
