ORLANDO – Head coach Cindy Ball-Malone and the UCF softball team have announced the program’s complete 2026 regular-season schedule, a 54-game campaign that features 35 home games, 14 true road tilts and five neutral site contests. The Knights, for the second straight season, will host a trio of home tournaments throughout their non-conference schedule as well.
UCF’s 33 different 2026 opponents last season produced an aggregate 999-785-3 record, good for a .560 win percentage, and the Knights this spring will square off against 12 opponents that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, four that made it as far as the NCAA Super Regional round, and two that advanced to the 2025 Women’s College World Series, the Florida Gators and Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Four of the Knights’ 2026 opponents won their respective conference’s tournament or regular-season championship, and seven recorded 40+ win 2025 seasons.
Black and Gold Classic – Feb. 5-8 – Orlando, Fla.
The Knights will kick off their 25th season, eighth under Ball-Malone, and third as a member of the Big 12 Conference, with their annual Black and Gold Classic. Making the trip to Orlando for the season’s first weekend will be the Boston Terriers, CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners, Duke Blue Devils, Maryland Terrapins, and Buffalo Bulls.
Of the Black and Gold’s first five opponents, Duke (41-18) and Boston (39-19) earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2025, with the Blue Devils earning hosting honors with 38 wins entering postseason play. Boston, meanwhile, earned its third consecutive Patriot League Tournament Championship in 2025 and the eighth in program history.
UCF hosted the Roadrunners during the first weekend last season as well, earning a 10-0 run-rule victory in the first meeting between the two squads.
Missouri – Feb. 11 – Orlando, Fla.
Following the conclusion of the season’s first weekend, UCF will meet Missouri in the Knights’ first midweek matchup of the spring. The two programs will clash for the fourth consecutive season, with the Tigers holding a 3-2 edge in the all-time series.
The Black and Gold last season snapped a three-game losing streak to Missouri in dramatic fashion, authoring the largest comeback win in program history against a ranked opponent. Then-redshirt freshman right-hander Isabella Vega threw seven scoreless innings in relief as the Knights erased a five-run Tigers first-inning lead.
Shiners Children’s Clearwater Invitational – Feb. 13-15 – Clearwater, Fla.
The Knights will make their fifth consecutive trip to Clearwater this spring, once again taking part in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational. A handful of marquee opponents await on UCF’s tournament schedule this year, as the Black and Gold will meet Northwestern (30-20-1), Georgia (35-23), LSU (42-16), Nebraska (43-15) and NC State (25-29) throughout the weekend.
Of the five, only NC State missed the NCAA Tournament in 2025, with Georgia and Nebraska advancing as far as the NCAA Super Regional round.
For the full rundown on UCF’s Clearwater Invitational slate, click here.
SpaceU Classic – Feb. 19-22 – Orlando, Fla.
Returning home for their second of three home weekend tournaments, the Knights will welcome Ohio, Penn State, Notre Dame and Charleston Southern to Orlando.
The four squads combined for 105 wins in 2025, led by Ohio’s strong 37-19 campaign. The meeting between the Bobcats and Knights will be the first in either’s history, while UCF hasn’t met any of its other week three opponents since at least 2019.
The Black and Gold will look to take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with the Nittany Lions, even the series with the Fighting Irish at two wins apiece, and push their all-time lead over Charleston Southern to 5-0.
Florida Atlantic – Feb. 25 – Orlando, Fla.
In the first of five midweek contests against in-state opponents this spring, UCF will host the defending AAC regular-season champion Florida Atlantic Owls Feb. 25.
The Owls produced a dominant 2025 campaign, going 45-12 to earn a berth in the NCAA Gainesville Regional and its second consecutive AAC regular-season title.
The Knights, though, have enjoyed great recent success against Florida Atlantic, boasting an active seven-game win streak over the Owls dating back to 2018, including six straight shutout wins. UCF has not yielded a single run to Florida Atlantic since the first inning of the Knights’ eventual 2-1 win in Orlando April 17, 2018, holding the Owls scoreless in 46 consecutive frames in that span.
UCF’s latest win over Florida Atlantic came on the road in Boca Raton Feb. 26, 2025, a 3-0 effort that represented the Black and Gold’s second ranked win of the year.
Charge On Classic – Feb. 26-March 1 – Orlando, Fla.
Rounding out the Knights’ home tournament schedule, the program will host Dartmouth, Wagner, George Washington and Florida A&M during February’s final weekend.
Two of the four visiting squads produced winning records in 2025, in George Washington (33-21) and Florida A&M (28-20), while the four combined to produce 93 victories a season ago.
The Knights have never met George Washington or Wagner, and will look to build upon a 2-1 all-time record against Dartmouth and a 15-4 lead in the all-time series against Florida A&M.
Big 12 Conference Play
Following the conclusion of the Charge On Classic, UCF will commence conference play with a road trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for a three-game set with the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
The Knights will also meet defending Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament champion Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, Utah, Arizona State, Kansas and Iowa State during conference play in 2025.
For the full rundown on UCF’s Big 12 opponents, click here.
Home-and-Home vs. Florida – April 24-25 – Gainesville & Orlando, Fla.
One year removed from splitting the teams’ home-and-home series against the Florida Gators in 2025, the two squads will again see a pair of matchups this spring, this time on consecutive days.
UCF will first make the trip to Gainesville for a Friday evening contest at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium April 24, before both teams return to Orlando for a Saturday night matchup at the UCF Softball Complex April 25.
Last spring, Florida won the teams’ tilt in Gainesville, 3-0, before the Knights earned a 4-0 victory over the Gators in Orlando as the program celebrated its annual Autism Awareness and Acceptance night. Then-redshirt freshman right-hander Isabella Vega spun a seven-inning complete game shutout, and Aubrey Evans and Izzy Mertes contributed a pair of two-run homers in the winning effort.
Remaining Midweeks
Making up the remainder of the Knights’ 2026 spring schedule are four midweek matchups against in-state opponents, in Florida International (on the road, March 18), FGCU (at home, March 25), Stetson (at home, April 15), and North Florida (at home, April 22).
Ball-Malone enters her eighth season at the helm boasting a 51-22 record against in-state opponents throughout her UCF tenure.
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UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.