No. 21 Softball Prepped for Wednesday Road Clash with No. 3 Florida

ORLANDO – Newly-minted a top 25 team in the nation according to polls released by D1Softball and Softball America, the No. 21 UCF softball team is set to conclude its four-game road swing with a Wednesday evening midweek matchup against the No. 3 Florida Gators in Gainesville March 12.

The contest will mark the first of two midweek contests for the Black and Gold (19-8-1, 2-1 Big 12) against Florida (26-2, 2-1 SEC) this spring, and the fifth against a top five-ranked opponent thus far, joining UCF’s tilts against then-No. 5 Texas A&M and its weekend three-game series at then-No. 4 Arizona.

The Knights made a statement in Tucson over the weekend, taking two of their three games against the fourth-ranked Wildcats to earn the highest-ranked series win in program history and the sixth and seventh all-time top four-ranked victories for the team.

In addition to boosting the squad into national top 25 polls for the first time since 2023, the series win also secured the Knights’ placing in this season’s second NCAA RPI release within the top 20, at No. 19 Monday afternoon. Just Arizona (No. 4) and Oklahoma State (No. 11) sit ahead of the Black and Gold in this week’s RPI rankings among fellow Big 12 schools.

UCF did it on the strength of strong pitching performances and timely offensive contributions, led by the now-two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Kaitlyn Felton, who was bestowed the honor for the second time this year for her efforts in Tucson.

The right-hander secured her third save and conference-leading ninth win in her two appearances, totaling five innings pitched without allowing an earned run. She yielded just one unearned tally on three hits, good for a .150 batting average-against, in stifling an Arizona offense that entered the series leading the Big 12 in team batting average (.397), doubles (38), total hits (252), home runs (33), on-base percentage (.473), RBI (182), runs per game (8.87), slugging percentage (.638), total runs scored (204) and triples (8).

Redshirt freshman Isabella Vega impressed in her game one outing as well, leading UCF to its Friday 9-3 win allowing just two earned runs on four hits in 5.1 innings of work.

Vega’s latest appearance marked her second of the season consisting of at least five innings against a top 15-ranked foe, joining her dominant seven-inning relief effort that propelled UCF to the largest ranked comeback win in program history against the then-No. 15 Missouri Tigers Feb. 11.

Offensively, UCF out-hit the Wildcats 26-21 over the three games, including a 6-5 edge in home runs. Redshirt junior Ashleigh Griffin (2), Sierra Humphreys, Beth Damon, Aubrey Evans and Stormy Kotzelnick contributed the Knights’ long balls, with fifth year senior Madison Simon pacing the squad with a .600 weekend average (6-for-10).

The Oregon State transfer recorded hits in six consecutive at-bats from the seventh inning of game one through the second inning of Sunday’s finale, doubling twice and driving in two while also making a critical would-be go-ahead home run-robbing catch at the center field wall in the fourth inning of Saturday’s game two.

UCF’s four doubles during the series aided the team in retaining its status atop the Big 12 in the category entering Wednesday’s action as well with 42 on the season, co-leading the league with Texas Tech. The Black and Gold also enter Wednesday’s contest ranking among Big 12 team leaders in shutouts (8, 2nd), team ERA (2.60, 3rd) and stolen bases (36, 3rd).

The midweek tilt with the third-ranked Gators will mark the first meeting between the two programs with both ranked within at least one of the four major polls (NFCA, USA Softball, Softball America or D1Softball) since March 30, 2022, when UCF was ranked No. 20 and Florida No. 7.

Florida, like the Wildcats entering the March 7-9 weekend set, boasts a record with 20+ wins and just two losses, as the Gators are off to a blistering 26-2 start in 2025, including a two games to one road series win over the No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies in College Station to open SEC play this weekend.

The team bounced back from a 3-2 series-opening defeat, just its second of the season, with a 12-4 six-inning run-rule victory over the Aggies in game two and a 4-2 win in Sunday’s finale. Freshman Katelynn Oxley led the squad in innings pitched with 10.2 in the series, surrendering just four earned runs on 11 total hits between her two appearances.

Senior Kara Hammock clinched Florida’s Sunday win with three hitless frames, allowing just a pair of walks, while sophomore Ava Brown threw a six-inning complete game Saturday, giving up only two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts.

The series win over Texas A&M gave the Gators their third and fourth ranked wins of the season as well, joining the team’s 13-1 five-inning rout of the then-No. 22 Michigan Wolverines Feb. 8 and 9-0 five-inning win over then-No. 14 Duke Feb. 14.

The Knights will face another challenging offense in Gainesville as well, as Florida enters the contest representing the national leader in total hits (275), home runs (56), RBI (236), slugging percentage (.707) and total runs scored (252).

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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