LOUISVILLE, Ky. – From the UCF Hall of Fame to the Atlantic Sun Conference Hall of Fame, one of the 'Best' players in UCF softball program history continues shining as brightly as ever.
Former Knights star shortstop Stephanie Best this week was officially inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame, joining FGCU baseball's Casey Coleman, Lipscomb men's basketball's Adnan Hodzic, and the conference's own Ted Gumbart in the four-member Class VIII.
Best, who remains atop the majority of UCF's career offensive leaderboards thanks to her contributions to the 2002-05 Knights, became the first UCF softball alum to be inducted into a conference Hall of Fame.
"I'm so incredibly grateful to be here. Thank you, the ASUN committee that thought what I did in my career was worthy of this opportunity, thank you so much. That initial call that I got from Commissioner Ted, that was amazing. It was probably one of the coolest phone calls I've ever gotten," Best said during Wednesday evening's ceremony. "To be here with the other inductees is awesome, your accolades speak for themselves. I'm really excited to be a part of this group."
On the heels of a standout debut season as a freshman in 2002 that saw her land on the ASUN's Second Team All-Conference and All-Freshman Team, Best was a First Team All-Conference selection in each of the final three years of her career from 2003-05.
She was named to the ASUN's All-Tournament Team twice, in 2003 and 2005, and she was awarded ASUN Player of the Year honors in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Best also snagged ASUN Player of the Week selections on six separate occasions and earned a spot on the conference's All-Academic Team each of her four years sporting Black and Gold.
"You think about all the people who helped put you in this position, because you know there's no way you get here without the people who helped make it possible," Best continued. "Whether that's your family, friends, coaches or teammates. The ASUN, thank you for teaching me how to compete, because that has carred on in my adult life too."
Among the career leaderboards Best remains at the top of are the Knights' all-time leaders in batting average (.384), on-base percentage (.487), slugging percentage (.756), games played (272), runs scored (216), hits (285), home runs (71), RBI (213), total bases (562), walks (147), intentional walks (28) and assists (558).
She also ranks tied for second in program history with her 13 career triples, and her 38 doubles rank tied for seventh-most all-time. Per the ASUN, her 71 home runs also still lead the conference, and her six Player of the Week awards rank second-most in league history.
The UCF Hall-of-Famer also holds a handful of Knights single-game records, including RBI (11, vs. Army, March 19, 2003), home runs (3, vs. Army, March 19, 2003) and total bases (12, vs. Army, March 19, 2003).
Following the conclusion of her collegiate career, Best also played softball in the professional ranks with the National Pro Fastpitch's Washington Glory, winning the 2007 NPF Championship before also spending five years as an assistant coach with UCF in her return to Orlando.
"I didn't get an opportunity to coach you, but I know that you still have a huge impact in our program. Even 20 years later, we still have some of our amazing athletes chasing all the records that you accomplished here," said UCF softball head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. "You are a staple and foundation of this program, and I thank you so much for continuing to grow the game, bringing great people together, and always loving up our program still to this day."
