Softball Set for Final '25 Midweek at StetsonSoftball Set for Final '25 Midweek at Stetson

Softball Set for Final '25 Midweek at Stetson

by Ryan Ladika

ORLANDO – In the squad’s final midweek action of the 2025 campaign, the UCF softball team is set for a Wednesday road trip to DeLand for an evening tilt against the Stetson Hatters.

The contest represents the latest opportunity for UCF to continue bolstering its NCAA Tournament resume, as the Hatters hold the highest-remaining RPI mark of the three teams left on the Knights’ regular-season schedule, at 66, according to the NCAA’s most recent release Monday afternoon.

The Black and Gold enter the contest slotted at No. 31 in the nation according to Monday’s release, sitting six games north of .500 at 26-20-1. UCF’s complete body of work thus far is highlighted by five wins over RPI 1-25 programs and six wins against nationally-ranked top 25 teams, the most recent of which came during the Knights’ weekend series against No. 21 Oklahoma State.

UCF earned its sixth ranked win of the year in its Friday contest against the Cowgirls under a national ESPNU spotlight, riding the momentum of a nine-run first inning to a 12-6 victory. The win represented the first for UCF against Oklahoma State under head coach Cindy Ball-Malone, as well as the team’s first against the Cowgirls in Orlando.

The nine-run first frame, one that featured Aubrey Evans’ first career grand slam and sixth home run of the season, marked the Knights’ highest-scoring single inning since the team plated nine runs in the bottom of the third inning against then-No. 12 Tennessee Feb. 21, 2020.

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A single-game season high nine walks were integral for UCF’s prolific offensive evening as well, marking the team’s highest single-game total since the 2022 Knights walked 10 times on two occasions, against then-No. 12 Georgia Feb. 10 and Longwood Feb. 12.

Evans, meanwhile, hit UCF’s second grand slam of the season, joining freshman catcher Beth Damon, who hit her first collegiate grand slam as part of her first career multi-home run game against Arizona State March 15.

Her first-inning slam factored into a 2-for-3 showing out of the leadoff spot for one of the team’s most productive hitters of late, as Evans is hitting a team-best .375 (12-for-32) in UCF’s last 10 games following the series, accompanied by a .474 on-base percentage, .656 slugging percentage, eight runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and 21 total bases in that span.

After beginning the season with an .091 average (2-for-22) through her first 10 games, Evans has been her team’s second-leading hitter in 37 games since the Black and Gold’s 6-4 eight-inning win over Clemson in Clearwater, not going more than a single game without hitting safely in that span.

Freshman Izzy Mertes then led the charge offensively in the series finale, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an RBI double against Oklahoma State ace Ruby Meylan Saturday afternoon.

Mertes’ fourth home run of the season was also just the 10th allowed by Meylan in her 152 total innings this spring.

Senior Kaitlyn Felton led the team in the circle against the Cowgirls, throwing a team-high 10 innings, including a seven-inning complete game in UCF’s 12-6 Friday win, her ninth complete game of the season.

In besting a Cowgirl offense that entered the contest averaging over five runs per game with a .496 slugging percentage that ranked third-highest in the Big 12 Conference, Felton set a new single-season career high in innings pitched, reaching 92.2 this spring, and notched her ninth outing with seven innings pitched this season.

Freshman Yessenia Lopez impressed in games one and three as well, throwing three scoreless innings in relief in Thursday’s opener before Oklahoma State utilized a UCF error in pulling away in the seventh frame. She then tossed four hitless frames in starting Saturday’s finale, striking out a total of nine and limiting the Cowgirls to a .125 batting average-against in her 7.1 innings of work between her two appearances.

Against Stetson, UCF will look to improve upon a 21-9 all-time record, including a 3-1 all-time mark under Ball-Malone. UCF bested the Hatters in Orlando last season, 4-2, thanks in part to a first-inning two-run home run by Evans. Felton also entered the game in relief, locking down her first save of the season with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless seventh inning.

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First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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