ORLANDO – Following the (RV) UCF softball team's showing in the 2023 OSU Mizuno Classic hosted by the No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Stillwater last weekend, the Knights will return home this weekend for the official start of conference play within The American, beginning with a three-game series against the No. 22 Wichita State Shockers (NFCA/USA Today).
UCF (18-16, 0-0 AAC) is coming off a 1-3 showing in Stillwater after matching up twice with both the Cowgirls and the then-No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils over the weekend, highlighted by right-hander Grace Jewell's first career no-hitter against ASU in the Knights' tournament opener Friday afternoon.
Jewell yielded only four walks and one hit-by-pitch during her six-inning no-hitter, and was supported by an eight-run outburst by her offense that clinched UCF's 8-0 run-rule win in the bottom of the sixth inning. Her effort also contributed in her garnering American Athletic Conference weekly Honor Roll honors for the first time this season.
The Knights' offense was quieted over the next two games, though, falling by 4-0 and 6-0 final scores against the Cowgirls and Sun Devils in their next two games before the team was edged by Oklahoma State once more, 9-4, in the tournament finale Sunday afternoon.
The weekend was not without a handful of other strong individual performances, though, headlined by freshman trio Aubrey Evans, Shelli DiPuma and Katelyn Cochran. Evans hit her first collegiate home run during Sunday's contest against the Cowgirls and finished the weekend 3-for-11 with one home run, three walks and three runs scored.
DiPuma most notably came through in her Friday sixth-inning pinch-hit appearance against Arizona State, clinching Jewell's no-hitter with an RBI single that also punctuated the Knights' four-run inning. The single marked her first collegiate hit, and she completed her perfect weekend 1-for-1 with two walks and one RBI.
Cochran was given the nod by head coach Cindy Ball-Malone for an inning of work in the tournament finale against the Cowgirls and came through with a scoreless frame that also included her second strikeout of the season.
The Knights enter their weekend series led offensively by junior outfielder Chloe Evans, who sports a .327/.387/.604 (33-for-101) line thus far, accompanied by a .991 OPS, 61 total bases, 25 RBI and 16 extra-base hits (eight doubles, four triples and four home runs).
Jewell represents UCF's most consistent starter to this point, boasting a team-leading 2.35 ERA (59.2 IP, 20 ER) with 38 strikeouts and a .183 batting average-against. Fellow right-hander Sarah Willis joins Jewell with a sub-3.00 ERA, bringing a 2.67 (55 IP, 21 ER) mark into the weekend's action along with 57 punchouts and a .216 batting average-against.
The Knights will meet Wichita State for three games this season after winning the three-game set between the two squads in Wichita last season, 2-1. Utility player Jada Cody posted a team-leading .455 average (5-for-11) in the series last year, adding one double, two RBI and six total bases. Ashleigh Griffin, Micaela Macario and Kennedy Searcy also enjoyed standout weekends against the Shockers a year ago, each posting a .333 average in the three games.
No. 22 Wichita State brings a 24-6 record to Orlando, as well as a 4-2 record away from home to match up against the Knights' 14-4 record at the UCF Softball Complex. The Shockers also boast a No. 20 ranking in the NCAA's RPI rankings entering play Wednesday.
Wichita State most recently completed a 3-1 showing in the Shocker Invitational followed by a 9-3 win over Kansas Tuesday evening, and has gone 8-2 in its last 10 games.
Freshman Right-hander Alex Aguilar, the reigning American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, paces the squad with a team-low 1.65 ERA (46.2 IP, 11 ER). Southpaw Alison Cooper has logged the majority of the innings for the Shockers, posting a 2.75 ERA (71.1 IP, 28 ER) to go along with 29 strikeouts. Junior Lauren Howell paces the team with 51 punchouts in 68.1 innings as well.
Offensively, Wichita State boasts the national leader in batting average in senior infielder Sydney McKinney, as her .558 average (58-for-104) is accompanied by a .593 on-base percentage, .779 slugging percentage, 81 total bases and 36 runs scored.
McKinney leads a Shockers offense that ranks 10th in the nation overall in slugging percentage (.572), 13th in batting average (.334), 17th in runs per game (6.47), and 26th in on-base percentage (.402).
First pitch for the series-opener from the UCF Softball Complex is slated for 6 p.m. Friday evening, with the next two games scheduled for 4 p.m. and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
