ORLANDO – On the heels of a dominant two-year UCF tenure, right-hander Sarah Willis is taking her talents to the next level.
As announced by the organization Friday morning, Willis has officially signed on to compete in Athletes Unlimited’s Pro Softball AUX competition from June 10-25 in Wichita, Kansas.
Willis becomes the first UCF alum in program history to play professionally with AU, but marks the second player in as many seasons to represent the Black and Gold with AU after current Knights softball graduate assistant and former FIU and Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Shannon Saile competed with the organization in 2023.
Willis most recently concluded her collegiate career with 17 strong innings of work against the Auburn Tigers during the NCAA Tallahassee Regional May 17-18, highlighted by an impressive 12-inning effort in UCF’s season finale May 18 that saw her strike out seven and yield just two runs in recording a new single-game career high in innings pitched and total pitches (200).
Her stellar regional performance punctuated a dominant individual run through the Big 12 in UCF’s inaugural season in the conference, as she finished the year with a 2.34 ERA in 137.1 innings pitched, accompanied by 115 strikeouts, two shutouts, 11 complete games and a batting average-against of just .214. She became the first in program history to earn Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, as well as All-Big 12 First Team recognition.
Willis’ season was highlighted by a historic performance against then-No. 2 Oklahoma April 27, when she became the first pitcher of any school in NCAA Division I softball to throw a seven-inning, two-hit complete game against the Sooners. The two hits Oklahoma managed against Willis also represented a season low.
The transfer right-hander in just two seasons etched her name on many of the Knights’ all-time career pitching leaderboards as well, as she concludes her time with the Black and Gold ranking sixth in lowest batting average-against (.198), sixth in ERA (1.98), seventh in saves (3), ninth in winning decisions (29), ninth in strikeouts (239), ninth in innings pitched (289.2), tied for ninth in shutouts (7) and tied for 10th in complete games (21).
Swilly to The Show 😎
— UCF Softball (@UCF_Softball) May 31, 2024
Sarah's taking her talents to the next level, becoming the first UCF alum to sign with @AUProSports! Congratulations, Sarah! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/PoRWb0Rfgx
About AUX
The AUX event is one of two seasons played by those within Athletes Unlimited throughout the summer, consisting of a two-week, 18-game schedule. The three teams are drafted and then re-drafted by captains prior to the commencement of each of the three six-game series, and players earn individual points based on performances throughout the season.
The top three point-scorers from the previous series earn the right to become captains for the next series, and with a captaincy comes rights to drafting teams, setting lineups, making in-game managerial decisions and setting practice plans.
The athlete who finishes at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the season is crowned champion, and points can be earned by players in three different ways: when their team wins a game or an inning, making a positive play in the field, or being voted one of the top three MVPs of a game by fans and fellow players.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF softball on X (@UCF_Softball), Instagram (@UCF.Softball) and Facebook (/UCFSoftball).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite teams by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android devices. The app provides personalized information for men’s and women’s teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and breaking news. Click here to download the app now.