Vega then spun 2.1 scoreless frames in UCF’s 3-0 road shutout win over then-No. 22 Florida Atlantic, and in her return home, struck out a single-game career high 11 in tossing a seven-inning, one-hit shutout against Providence.
As conference play commenced, Vega kicked off the highest-ranked series win in program history with 5.1 innings and just two earned runs allowed against then-No. 4 Arizona in the teams’ series-opener March 7, and led the Knights to a six-inning run-rule win over fellow NCAA Tournament team Arizona State March 15.
She set a single-game career high in innings pitched against Iowa State March 20, going 8.2 innings in a pitchers’ duel with the Cyclones, and in her next appearance produced arguably her signature moment of the 2025 campaign, throwing a seven-inning complete game shutout against the then-No. 3 Florida Gators, yielding just five hits while striking out four.
In doing so, Vega became the first freshman of any team since 2023 to stifle the Gators, as well as the second freshman in program history to accomplish the feat.
Her effort against Florida marked the first of a trio of outings throughout the week that clinched her first Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and D1Softball Freshman of the Week honors, as she would go on to throw a six-inning complete game in UCF’s series-opener at Baylor, allowing just one run, followed by a four-inning save with just one hit yielded in the series finale March 30.
She later tossed five innings of two-run ball in the largest overall comeback win in program history at Stetson April 23, and would sweep Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and D1Softball Freshman of the Week honors in a single week for the second time for her efforts in UCF’s series sweep of the Kansas Jayhawks.
Vega tossed her first career no-hitter in the Knights’ series-opener in Lawrence, and earned a win in relief in game two with two more scoreless frames to also rake in her Wilson/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week recognition.
