Then-redshirt sophomore Ashleigh Griffin aided her team in jumping out to a 4-0 first-inning lead in the series-opener with a two-run double to left-center field, and then-junior right-hander Kaitlyn Felton starred in game two, tossing a single-game career high eight innings with four strikeouts and just two runs allowed.
Then-redshirt junior Stormy Kotzelnick also played a key role in securing the series win, going 2-for-2 with a game-tying two-run single in the sixth inning and scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth of game two on outfielder Chloe Evans’ walk-off double down the right field line.
The series win also saw UCF’s all-time record against Kansas improve to 4-3, as well as a 4-2 mark against the Jayhawks in Orlando. This weekend’s three-game set will represent the first three games between the two programs in Lawrence.
Against the Cougars over the weekend, it was Kotzelnick and Griffin who paced their team offensively, combining for a .632 average (12-for-19) with one double, one home run, eight RBI and 16 total bases.
Kotzelnick continued her recent offensive tear, hitting safely in each of the three games highlighted by her first career four-hit showing in Saturday's game two. Since UCF’s 9-1 run-rule win at BYU April 10, the Carmel, Indiana, native has represented her team’s leading hitter, producing a .455/.500/.545 line (15-for-33) with two extra-base hits, eight RBI and 18 total bases in 10 games in that span.
Griffin also saw her run as one of the Knights’ most reliable situational hitters continue its rise, as she produced six RBI between the final two games of the series, including a run-rule-clinching three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday’s finale.
Over the course of the Knights’ last 10 games, Griffin’s 14 RBI lead the team, and her .583 average (7-for-12) with runners in scoring position in that span also represents a team-best.
Redshirt freshman Isabella Vega, who recently became the first player in program history to be named to the NFCA’s Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 finalist list, continued her dominant debut campaign in the circle as well, totaling 7.2 scoreless frames in her two appearances against Houston.
She yielded just three hits, good for a .130 batting average-against, and fanned six to lower her season ERA to 1.34 through 99.1 innings entering the regular season’s final weekend. Through her latest dominant outings last weekend, Vega ranks among league leaders in Big 12 Conference play in batting average-against (.157, 1st), ERA (1.06, T-1st), home runs allowed (3, T-1st), runs allowed (9, 2nd), and earned runs allowed (7, T-2nd).
The Jayhawks, meanwhile, bring a 21-24 record into the Wednesday evening midweek tilt against Wichita State, as well as a 6-15 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The squad won its first Big 12 series of the season against Baylor, two games to one, outscoring the Bears by an aggregate 17-7 over the three games, and most recently earned a ranked win over the then-No. 23 Oklahoma State Cowgirls April 27 by a 3-2 final score.
First pitch for Friday’s series-opener is set for 6 p.m. ET from Arrocha Ballpark and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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