ORLANDO – The UCF softball team has made its second transfer signing of the offseason, landing redshirt-junior infielder Stormy Kotzelnick from Louisiana.
Kotzelnick comes to the Knights on the heels of a pair of standout seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2022 and 2023, hitting for a combined .323/.381/.566 (108-for-334) line in 118 games, including 104 starts. She began her collegiate career with the Washington Huskies but did not see game action in 2021, taking a redshirt.
“I love the competitive environment they provide around us,” Kotzelnick said of the program at UCF. “I love the will to win that everyone has. The coaches are awesome, they inspired me to see the vision they have for this team and I’m excited to see what it continues to look like in the future.”
During her first campaign with the Ragin’ Cajuns as a redshirt freshman in 2022, Kotzelnick slashed an impressive .356/.419/.644 (69-for-194) including 14 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs, 125 total bases, 51 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 59 games, including 58 starts.
At season’s end, Kotzelnick led the team in RBI, total bases, doubles, triples, total hits and runs scored (47), and her 22 stolen bases ranked second-most. Her six triples also fell two shy of matching the Louisiana single-season record.
She helped lead her squad to a 47-13 record in 2022, including a trip to the NCAA Clemson Regional that saw her go 4-for-14 with a two-run home run as the team’s leadoff hitter in Louisiana’s four-game NCAA Tournament stint.
The Carmel, Indiana, native was later rewarded for her strong collegiate debut season with Louisiana, earning Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll, All-Sun Belt Second Team, All-Louisiana First Team, and NFCA All-Central Region Third Team honors.
Kotzelnick started 46 of Louisiana’s 59 games in 2023, helping lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 50-16 record and a trip to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, and later the Seattle Super Regional. In her 59 games, she hit .279/.327/.457 (39-for-140), including five doubles, one triple, six home runs, 28 RBI, 64 total bases and 21 runs scored.
She hit safely in each of Louisiana’s five games in Baton Rouge, going 6-for-18 with one multi-hit game, one double, four RBI and one stolen base.
“I looked for two things during my recruiting process, great culture and the will to win,” Kotzelnick continued. “I’m so blessed to say I have found that here at UCF and they have provided me with the opportunity to be a part of their family. I felt overwhelmed with joy in more ways than one when I was welcomed in this program, and I know it’s going to be something special.”