ORLANDO – Riding the high of its current four-game win streak, the (RV) UCF softball team is set for the finale of its current four-game road trip, a Wednesday evening tilt against the FGCU Eagles in Fort Myers, Florida, at 5 p.m.
The Knights (23-18, 4-2 AAC) most recently put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep of the ECU Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina over the weekend, following their 3-2 walk-off win over the North Florida Ospreys March 29. The squad was rewarded for its efforts with its highest RPI ranking of the season thus far, checking in at No. 35 in the nation Monday.
Junior right-hander Grace Jewell starred for UCF in the circle throughout its last four games, posting an aggregate 0.39 ERA (18 IP, 1 ER) and yielding just six hits and five walks while striking out 12 and limiting opposing hitters to an .097 average.
She came within two outs of throwing a seven-inning complete-game shutout against the Ospreys, allowing the sole tally in 6.1 innings of work before throwing her fifth shutout of the season in seven frames in the Knights' second contests against the Pirates. The junior capped her dominant week with 4.2 innings of one-hit ball in relief Sunday afternoon, and was named American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career Monday.
Fellow right-hander Sarah Willis also enjoyed a strong week for the Knights, highlighted by her fourth complete-game and second shutout in the series opener at ECU Friday night. The junior transfer represented the only other arm to see action in the circle for UCF throughout its last four games, complementing Jewell's sparkling ERA with a standout 1.56 (9 IP, 2 ER) mark of her own.
Veteran first baseman Shannon Doherty paced the team offensively, earning her first selection of the season to The American's weekly Honor Roll Monday with a .625/.714/.875 (5-for-8) line accompanied by three runs scored, two doubles, four RBI, seven total bases, four walks and one stolen base during the Knights' current four-game win streak.
Freshman utility infielder Aubrey Evans also produced a robust .545 average (6-for-11) during the last week of play, adding one double, two RBI and seven total bases of her own in that span. The pair helped lead a UCF offense that outscored its opposition 24-4 in its last four games, hitting a combined .321/.395/.443 (34-for-106) with nine extra-base hits and 47 total bases.
UCF Wednesday evening will face an Eagles team off to a 24-15 start to the 2023 campaign, including a 6-3 mark in conference play within the ASUN. FGCU has won four consecutive series against Chattanooga, Jacksonville, Liberty and Austin Peay entering the midweek matchup, going 9-3 in their last 12 games, though the Knights hold an 11-1 edge in 12 all-time meetings between the two programs.
The Knights swept the Eagles in three games last season, outscoring FGCU by a collective 30-6 in Orlando March 4-6. Utility player Jada Cody led the offensive charge against the Eagles last season, going a combined 5-for-10 with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and 16 total bases in the three games. Doherty and Emmerson Lee were also tough outs throughout the series, as both went 3-for-4 and combined for three doubles, four RBI and nine total bases.
This season, the Eagles are led offensively by graduate student infielder Tayli Filla, who through her first 39 games has produced a team-leading .339/.391/.551 (40-for-118) line with 15 extra-base hits, 25 RBI and 65 total bases.
She has also represented a threat on the basepaths, boasting 10 stolen bases in her first 13 tries. Filla is just a piece of the puzzle, though, for an FGCU squad that has demonstrated tremendous success in the run game.
The Fort Myers native is one of four Eagles with at least 10 stolen bases, with freshman outfielder Emily Chiarella having going 18-for-19 to lead the team in the category. Overall, FGCU has stolen 96 bags in 111 attempts thus far, a mark that ranks eighth-most in the nation and first in the ASUN.
In the circle, senior right-hander Ally Hulme has worked almost 38 percent of the Eagles' 262 total innings pitched, posting a strong 2.83 ERA (99 IP, 40 ER) with 52 strikeouts in her first 23 appearances (16 starts).
Junior right-hander Angelina Bonilla has also represented a reliable arm out of the bullpen this season, recording a team-leading 1.99 ERA (66.2 IP, 19 ER) in her 22 total appearances, 14 of which have come in relief.
