OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – On the heels of yet another dominant weekend in the circle, redshirt freshman Isabella Vega has once again earned conference and national weekly recognition.
For the second time this season, Vega has garnered both Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week and D1Softball National Freshman of the Week honors in the same week, this time after leading the UCF softball team to its fourth conference series win of the year. Vega was also tabbed National Division I Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week, the first such selection for a Knights player this season.
She joins senior right-hander Kaitlyn Felton as the second Knight to earn multiple Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honors this spring, and becomes the first UCF pitcher since Sarah Willis (May 2, 2023) and the fourth in program history to earn Wilson/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week. Shelby Turnier previously earned National Pitcher of the Week honors three times in 2015, and Gianna Mancha was bestowed the honor March 15, 2021.
Vega was responsible for nine innings across the Black and Gold’s first two wins in Lawrence over the weekend, highlighted by her Friday effort during which she yielded just two Kansas baserunners in seven innings in throwing her first career no-hitter.
Her no-no marked UCF’s second of the season after Felton also threw her first career no-hitter against Quinnipiac at home Feb. 20, as well as the 26th in program history.
Vega then earned her second winning decision in as many days, locking down her team’s 5-4, eight-inning, come-from-behind Saturday victory in relief. As her squad erased a 4-1 seventh-inning deficit, Vega entered in the bottom of the seventh and quickly dispatched of the Jayhawks to send the game to extra innings.
Freshman catcher Beth Damon came through with a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the eighth, and Vega worked her way out of one final Kansas rally in the bottom half to clinch the series win.
Following the weekend, Vega clinched her status as the Big 12 Conference’s ERA leader in league play throughout the season with a 0.89 mark spanning 55.1 innings, accompanied by four complete games, two solo shutouts, one save, just nine total runs allowed, 45 strikeouts and a .138 batting average-against.
Overall, Vega concludes her first collegiate regular season with a 12-4 record, a 1.23 ERA, seven complete games, five solo shutouts and one save spanning 108.1 innings of work. Her 97 strikeouts led the team, as did her .179 batting average-against.
She enters play in round one of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City ranking among Big 12 Conference leaders in ERA (1.23, 2nd), shutouts (5, 2nd), fewest hits allowed per seven innings (4.39, 3rd), WHIP (0.91, 3rd), total strikeouts (97, 5th), complete games (7, T-6th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.13, 6th), strikeouts per seven innings (6.3, 7th), fewest walks per seven innings (2.00, 7th), and wins (12, 8th).
UP NEXT
Vega and the UCF softball team will begin conference tournament play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with a first-round matchup against the Utah Utes Wednesday, May 7. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET from Devon Park and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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