Softball to Host Quinnipiac, Columbia, FGCU and Pitt in Weekend SpaceU Classic

ORLANDO – With the squad’s first road trip of the 2025 season complete, the UCF softball team returns home and is set to host the second of its three home tournaments at the UCF Softball Complex Feb. 20-23.

Joining the Knights for the SpaceU Classic throughout the weekend will be the Quinnipiac Bobcats, Columbia Lions, FGCU Eagles and Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Black and Gold most recently concluded a five-game road swing through Clearwater, Florida, taking part in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational for the fourth consecutive season.

UCF earned an eight-inning victory over the Clemson Tigers, 6-4, while playing to an inclement weather-abbreviated 4-4 tie with Ohio State and falling to Auburn, No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 6 Florida State. Auburn (6-0) and Florida State (4-0) represented two of three teams that authored perfect showings in the weekend tournament, joining the San Diego State Aztecs who won each of their five contests.

The weekend showing saw the continued breakout of the Knights’ younger contributors, led by freshman catcher Beth Damon, who hit a team-best .429 (3-for-7) with two runs scored, one double, four RBI and one walk while posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Damon, the highest-ranked recruit in UCF’s 2025 freshman class at No. 24 in the nation according to Extra Inning Softball, served as one of the catalysts for her team’s second extra-inning win in as many opportunities, recording three of the Knights’ six RBI in the win against Clemson, including a key go-ahead two-run single in the top of the eighth inning. Fellow freshman Izzy Mertes gave the Black and Gold a fast start in the contest as well, slugging her first collegiate home run in the top of the first.

Her first career three-hit game, two runs scored, and three HUGE RBI

Have a day, @BethDamon08! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/oEEl2g7Nwb

— UCF Softball (@UCF_Softball) February 15, 2025

Sophomore Sierra Humphreys also provided a timely extra-base hit in UCF’s first tie since 2021, driving in three runs on a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the third inning. The three-bagger marked Humphreys’ first of the season and the second of her career.

In the circle, freshman Yessenia Lopez and senior Kaitlyn Felton led the Knights’ charge through the tournament, combining for 20 innings and 12 strikeouts. Lopez turned in the strongest outing of her brief collegiate career against Auburn, throwing a six-inning complete game, the first of her career, while striking out nine and yielding just one run on three hits.

Felton, meanwhile, threw seven of UCF’s eight innings in the circle against Clemson, surrendering just three runs, two of them earned, to clinch her squad’s first win of the weekend. The appearance marked her second of the season that saw her responsible for seven innings, joining her complete-game shutout of Illinois Feb. 9, and the seventh seven-plus-inning showing of her career.

Redshirt freshman Isabella Vega also recorded another strong appearance in her opportunity against the Buckeyes, fanning seven in her three innings of work. Her effort marked the second of her first collegiate season with at least seven punchouts, joining her seven-inning gem in relief against then-No. 15 Missouri Feb. 11 that saw her record nine strikeouts.

The Knights totaled six more doubles as a team throughout the weekend as well, courtesy of Samantha Rey (3), Coco Jaimes (1), Madison Simon (1) and Damon (1), and entering play Tuesday rank first in the Big 12 Conference and 11th in the nation in the category with 21 through 13 games. Eleven of UCF’s 21 two-baggers have come courtesy of Mertes (6) and Humpreys (5), who rank second and third in the conference, and fifth and 10th nationally in the individual rankings.

The team’s 82 total hits also rank third most in the league, behind Arizona (124) and Baylor (83), and its collective 3.13 ERA is good for fourth lowest, behind BYU (1.48), Texas Tech (2.33) and Arizona (2.88).

That first career home run feeling 🤩

Congrats, @MertesIzzy!! pic.twitter.com/zLQWx6zg20

— UCF Softball (@UCF_Softball) February 15, 2025

Pittsburgh makes the trip to Florida after producing a 5-5 mark through its first 10 games this season, having participated in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater Feb. 7-9 and the Easton Classic II in Houston Feb. 14-16. The Panthers are led thus far by five players hitting north of .300 in consistent time on the field, including Saleyna Daniel’s .357 (10-for-28) mark that joins her three doubles and two home runs.

The Knights own a 4-2 all-time record against Pittsburgh, including wins in both of the teams’ previous two matchups in Orlando Feb. 22-23, 2019.

The Eagles, who earned an NCAA Tournament berth and a trip to the NCAA Gainesville Regional in 2024 on the strength of a 38-21 record and an ASUN Conference Tournament title, are off to a 5-8 beginning in 2025. The team earned a pair of wins over Wisconsin in its FGCU Invitational, and is led by sophomore right-hander Allison Sparkman’s 1.70 ERA in 33 innings pitched so far.

UCF brings an active five-game win streak into the matchup with the Eagles, factoring into an overall 12-1 all-time lead in the series.

Quinnipiac and Columbia, meanwhile, are both just getting started this spring, with the Bobcats having gone 0-2 in their first two games and the Lions’ first 2025 contests scheduled for the weekend in Orlando. UCF won its lone previous matchup with Quinnipiac, 7-1, March 11, 2018, and the Knights will face Columbia for the third time in program history and first time since 2003.

UCF’s games against Quinnipiac (3:30 p.m. Thursday), Pittsburgh (6 p.m. Thursday) and FGCU (5 p.m. Friday) during the weekend’s first two days will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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