ORLANDO – After going 1-1 in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational and boasting a 6-2 record through its first eight games, the UCF softball team is gearing up to face four ranked opponents at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic hosted by the Big League Dreams Complex in Cathedral City, California, Feb. 22-25.
Despite their last three games against No. 14 Kentucky, No. 22 Northwestern and No. 19 UCLA being canceled due to inclement weather in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, the Knights still enjoyed many significant individual performances in the two contests they were able to play, headlined by a historic 21-9 win over the Wisconsin Badgers.
The game marked the third time in program history that UCF scored at least 20 runs in a single game, and the first since the 2003 season, and the Black and Gold also broke the program’s single-game hits record with a total of 25.
Infielders Shannon Doherty and Jada Cody continued climbing the ranks within the program’s record books as well, with the former becoming the fourth player in program history to hit 30 career home runs as a Knight, and the latter claiming sole possession of second place on the all-time list with the 34th of her career.
Right fielder Chloe Evans and catcher Ashleigh Griffin both recorded four-RBI games as well, and freshman infielder Samantha Rey notched her first collegiate three-hit game accompanied by four runs scored.
Center fielder Johneisha Rowe also set single-game career highs with four hits and four runs scored, and the Avon Park, Florida, native enters the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic representing the Knights’ leading hitter by average, with a .480 mark good for a share of sixth-best in the Big 12.
Right-hander Sarah Willis threw a season-high five innings in UCF’s 2-1 loss to North Carolina to open the Clearwater Invitational as well, pushing her season strikeout total to 19, marking the fifth-most in the conference entering the weekend’s action.
UCF will be returning to Cathedral City, Calif. for the first time since 2017 when it bested Cal Poly 2-1 for the second time in program history and fell to then-No. 8 UCLA in a 1-0 loss before the remaining games in the classic were canceled.
The Knights will begin tournament play with two games on Thursday against the No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs and the No. 23 Oregon Ducks, followed by matchups against No. 8 Missouri and Oregon State on Friday. UCF will then wrap up play at the classic with Saturday tilts against No. 5 Tennessee and San Diego.
UCF is tied with the Bulldogs in the all-time series at one game apiece, with the Knights taking the last matchup 6-5 in their 2023 Clearwater Invitational finale. The Black and Gold will be facing the Beavers for the first time since 2012 and are looking to earn their first win against them.
Following the cancellation of UCF’s game against Kentucky, the Knights will have two more opportunities to earn a victory over a top 15-ranked opponent. With a win over the No. 8 Tigers or No. 5 Lady Volunteers, UCF would earn its first top 15 win since April 4, 2022, when the squad toppled then-No. 5 Virginia Tech by a 5-4 final score in 11 innings.
The Knights have previously met four of six teams in the classic but will be facing the San Diego Toreros and the Oregon Ducks for the first time in program history. UCF is looking to tie its all-time series against Missouri and Oregon State.
Before transferring to UCF, designated player and pitcher Sona Halajian earned a career-high three hits twice, with the second time being against San Diego. After falling to Colorado State in the Torero classic, the Torreros will arrive in Cathedral City with a 2-8 record.
The Lady Volunteers bring a 4-2 record to California with two of their wins coming in shutout fashion against Kennesaw State and UT Arlington. Meanwhile, the Beavers are sitting at 5-5 heading into the classic, winning two of their last five games in the Fresno State Tournament.
Missouri has been dominant so far this season, boasting a 10-0 record with its last win against North Texas being earned by the run rule. The Bulldogs are also showcasing their power with a 8-1 record, having bested No. 13 Utah by the run rule and defeating No. 8 Clemson and No. 23 Louisiana.
The Ducks bring a 6-5 record to California on the heels of a 2-3 showing against Texas A&M, Loyola Marymount and San Diego State in the Campbell/Carter Classic in San Diego Feb. 16-18.
All games during the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will be streamed exclusively on FloSoftball.
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