ORLANDO – On the heels of a 5-1 start to the spring 2024 campaign on its home turf, the UCF softball team prepares to embark on its first road trip of the season Feb. 16-18, when the Knights will play five opponents in three days in their annual trip to the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida.
UCF will face another significant test throughout the weekend, matching up with three ranked foes according to the week one top 25 polls produced by USA Today/NFCA Coaches, ESPN/USA Softball, Softball America and D1Softball.com in No. 14 Kentucky, No. 19 UCLA and No. 22 Northwestern. The Black and Gold will also meet the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Wisconsin Badgers to open the tournament in a Friday afternoon twin-bill.
The Knights have authored a handful of memorable wins in the Clearwater Invite over the past two seasons, highlighted by their 15-10 victory over the then-No. 9 Texas Longhorns Feb. 19, 2022 and their 8-2 win over the then-No. 25 Michigan Wolverines to open the tournament in 2023. UCF has also enjoyed wins over Texas Tech (7-3, 8 innings, Feb. 18, 2022) and Mississippi State (6-5, Feb. 19, 2023) in Clearwater in that span.
Following the squad’s season-opening week against Howard, UConn, Georgia State, Seattle and Liberty, the Knights get their first three tries of the spring at besting a ranked foe. With a win over Kentucky, UCF would earn its first victory over a top 15 opponent since the squad earned its dramatic 7-6 eight-inning walk-off victory on Opening Knight over the then-No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs Feb. 10, 2022.
The Knights earned a trio of wins over ranked programs in 2023, including Grace Jewell’s no-hitter against then-No. 22 Arizona State March 17, UCF’s 3-1 win over then-No. 22 Wichita State to open conference play March 24, and the Knights’ aforementioned victory over the Wolverines in Clearwater.
Center fielder Johneisha Rowe has represented among the most consistent performers at the plate throughout the Black and Gold’s first six games, hitting for a team-best .438 average (7-for-16) among Knights who have started every game thus far. Utility player Jada Cody has led the way hitting for power as well, slugging a team-best three extra-base hits with her first double, triple and home run of the new season to factor into her team-high .571 slugging percentage.
In the Knights’ 7-5 Wednesday win over the Liberty Flames, Cody recorded her 10th career multi-extra-base hit game of her career that featured her 43rd career double, now tied for second most in program history, and her ninth career triple, now tied for fifth most all-time.
The Murrieta, California, native is joined by Stormy Kotzelnick, Chloe Evans and Kennedy Searcy as the Knights’ other three home run hitters throughout the first week, with Searcy and first baseman Shannon Doherty pacing the squad in RBI with seven and six, respectively.
In the circle, UCF posted an aggregate 2.03 ERA and .209 batting average-against in 38 innings of work in its first six games, led by 19.1 strong innings by right-handers Sarah Willis and Kaitlyn Felton. The duo has recorded respective ERAs of 0.78 and 1.35 thus far, combining for 20 strikeouts and just eight walks.
The Knights’ two southpaws, Angelina DeVoe and Ava Justman, have impressed as well so far, with DeVoe beginning her season with nine perfect innings and Justman throwing 2.2 scoreless frames including her first collegiate save in her UCF debut.
The Black and Gold have previously met four of their five weekend opponents, and will match up with Northwestern for the first time. UCF is in search of its first win in program history against North Carolina, Wisconsin and UCLA, while the all-time series against Kentucky is knotted up at two wins apiece.
The Wildcats are off to a dominant start in 2024, boasting a 4-1 record that features two wins over then-No. 3 Stanford Feb. 9-10 and a slim 2-1 loss to then-No. 24 San Diego State Feb. 10. Wisconsin has also prevailed in four of its first five games, topping Weber State, Boise State, Maine and St. Thomas at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State Feb. 8-11.
North Carolina has authored a spotless beginning to its 2024 slate, going 4-0 against NC A&T and Winthrop entering its Thursday morning matchup with Kentucky, and Northwestern has also enjoyed a 4-1 start to the season with wins over Arizona State, Weber State and St. Thomas at the Kajikawa Classic.
The Bruins, meanwhile, bring a 2-3 record to Clearwater after falling to No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Oklahoma State in the Stacy Winsberg Tournament Feb. 9-11, with two of their three losses coming by the run-rule.
UCF will commence play in Clearwater Friday with a 2 p.m. tilt against the Tar Heels, followed by an 8 p.m. matchup with the Badgers. The Knights will then square off against No. 14 Kentucky at 1 p.m. on Saturday and conclude the tournament with a Sunday doubleheader against No. 22 Northwestern and No. 19 UCLA at 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. All five games throughout the weekend will be streamed on the ESPN network family, with UCF’s tournament finale against the Bruins set to be broadcast on ESPN.
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