ORLANDO – Fresh off a standout week in the circle during the UCF softball team's last four games against the North Florida Ospreys and the ECU Pirates, junior right-handed pitcher Grace Jewell has been named American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career. Veteran first baseman Shannon Doherty was also named to the conference's weekly Honor Roll to round out the weekly honors recognition for the Knights.
Jewell earns weekly recognition from the conference for the second time this season after being named to the Honor Roll for her performance March 13-19, while Doherty becomes the seventh Knight to be recognized this season, joining Jewell, outfielder Chloe Evans, utility infielder Aubrey Evans, right-hander/outfielder Sarah Willis, utility player Savannah Adams and right-hander Kaitlyn Felton.
Jewell produced a trio of strong appearances to build upon her breakout junior season, beginning with a 6.1-inning effort March 29 against the Ospreys during which she yielded just one run, which scored after she departed the game, on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Her efforts helped lead the Knights to a 3-2 walk-off win over North Florida, thanks also to Micaela Macario's leadoff triple in the bottom of the seventh inning and Kennedy Searcy's RBI groundout-turned-error on the Ospreys shortstop which allowed Macario to score the game-winning run.
The Chesapeake, Virginia, native also appeared in two of the Knights' three weekend contests on the road at ECU, highlighted by her fifth complete-game shutout of the season April 1. In seven innings, Jewell allowed only three hits and a pair of walks accompanied by five strikeouts while utilizing 111 pitches.
Her first two appearances of the week marked her sixth and seventh of the season that saw the junior toss six or more innings in a single appearance after doing so only once in her first two seasons combined.
Her five punchouts Saturday evening also marked her highest single-game total since her 2023 debut against Boise State, when she recorded a career-high seven strikeouts.
Jewell punctuated her weekend with a dominant performance in relief Sunday afternoon, spinning 4.2 scoreless innings against the Pirates while allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three to earn her seventh win of the season.
In her three appearances (two starts) last week overall, Jewell posted an aggregate 0.39 ERA (18 IP, 1 ER), allowing only six hits and five walks while racking up 12 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to an .097 average. Through 22 appearances this season, Jewell's 2.26 ERA represents a career- and team-low, and her seven wins, 86.2 innings, 52 strikeouts and .179 batting average-against all represent the best marks of her career.
Doherty, meanwhile, also enjoyed a strong week at the plate, posting a team-leading .625/.714/.875 (5-for-8) line with a 1.589 OPS, three runs scored, two doubles, four RBI, seven total bases, four walks, one sacrifice fly and one stolen base.
She also extended her current hit streak to five consecutive games, one shy of tying her season-long, and her April 1 showing against the Pirates marked her sixth multi-hit game of the season.
The surehanded first baseman was, naturally, spotless in the field as well, recording 36 putouts without committing an error.
UP NEXT
The Knights will begin preparations for the final contest of their current four-game road trip, a Wednesday evening tilt against the FGCU Eagles. First pitch from the FCGU Softball Complex in Fort Myers, Florida, is slated for 5 p.m.