ORLANDO – Having commenced its current road swing in Waco, Texas March 28, the UCF softball team will conclude its stretch of three consecutive weekends away from Orlando with a three-game set against the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah April 10-12.
The two squads will meet for just the second time in either’s history, and the first time since UCF took all three contests in Orlando April 4-6, 2024, representing the first Big 12 Conference series sweep in program history.
The Black and Gold outscored the Cougars by an aggregate 17 runs to 10 over a series last season that was highlighted by a standout weekend by then-redshirt junior Stormy Kotzelnick at the plate, then-sophomore Aubrey Evans’ first career walk-off hit, and a strong showing in the circle by then-junior Kaitlyn Felton.
Kotzelnick produced a .500/.500/.800 (5-for-10) line throughout the weekend, accompanied by two runs scored, three doubles, two RBI and eight total bases. She notably hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth inning in the teams’ series finale April 6, just moments before Evans recorded a double of her own down the right field line to lift UCF to a 5-4 walk-off win and the series sweep.
Felton earned the win in relief, spinning 2.1 hitless frames with a pair of strikeouts after the Cougars rallied for four runs between the fifth and sixth innings. Overall, the right-hander recorded a 3.15 ERA over 6.2 innings in the series, along with a .231 batting average-against.
UCF will look to replicate its 2024 success against the Cougars this weekend on the heels of a 1-1 showing in the Okana Invitational hosted by the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners April 4. The Knights and Sooners were slated to play a second game April 5 that was canceled due to inclement weather in the Norman Area.
The Black and Gold opened their stay in Norman last weekend with an 8-4 win over the St. Thomas Tommies, led by freshman catcher, and Edmond, Oklahoma native, Beth Damon’s two-homer game. She lined a pair of long balls in one game for the second time in her young career, joining her multi-home run effort against the Arizona State Sun Devils March 15, a contest UCF won in six innings, 11-0.
Damon also tied her single-game career high with nine total bases and drove in four of the Knights’ eight scores in helping push the team to its 23rd win of the spring. She also notched her fourth three-hit game of the year.
Overall, the catcher extended her season-long hit streak to seven straight, and boosted her season line to .296/.352/.531 with nine runs scored, three doubles, one triple, six home runs, 26 RBI and 52 total bases. She paces the squad in both home runs and RBI, and pulls in second behind sophomore Sierra Humphreys’ .552 slugging percentage.
Fifth year senior Madison Simon also produced a pair of RBI with a 2-for-3 showing that included a fifth-inning RBI double that plated redshirt freshman Taylor Kittleman, one of two runs scored by the latter in the contest.
After right-hander Isabella Vega limited St. Thomas to four runs, just two of them earned, in her four innings of work, Felton was called upon in relief by head coach Cindy Ball-Malone. The senior spun a trio of hitless frames, issuing just one walk while striking out five to clinch her fourth save of the season and seventh of her career.
Felton now enters the weekend in Provo tied for fourth on the UCF all-time career saves list, and tied for second on the single-season list. She also ranks among Big 12 Conference leaders overall this season in saves (4, T-1st), ERA (1.16, 2nd), complete games (7, T-3rd), WHIP (0.97, T-3rd), shutouts (3, T-4th), fewest hits per seven innings (5.25, 5th), wins (9, 6th), fewest walks per seven innings (1.51, 7th), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.76, 9th).
The Cougars, meanwhile, bring a 23-10 record into their Tuesday midweek tilt against Utah Tech prior to the weekend series, and own a 7-5 record in league play with series wins over Houston and Iowa State. The squad also earned a top 10 win over then-No. 6 Arizona in their series finale March 29, by a 9-4 finale score, spearheaded by Kaysen Korth’s seven-inning complete game and five RBI by Ilove'a Brittingham.
Korth has represented one of the most consistent arms in the Big 12 this spring, owning the seventh-lowest ERA (1.88) and seventh-fewest hits allowed per seven innings (5.40) in 93.1 innings of work. Her four saves are tied with Felton’s for the most in the conference as well, and she enters Tuesday’s game ranking fourth in the Big 12 in total strikeouts (79).
First pitch in the series-opener Thursday evening is set for 8 p.m. from Gail Miller Field at Miller Park and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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