ORLANDO – For the second time in as many weeks to begin the new season, the UCF softball team has earned a conference weekly honor from the Big 12.
After a strong second week of action, redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Isabella Vega has been named the Big 12 Conference’s week two Pitcher of the Week. She joins freshman right-hander Ava Stuewe as the second Knight to earn a weekly honor this spring, after the latter garnered week one Freshman of the Week recognition.
The honor also represents Vega’s third career Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week award, after she twice earned the recognition last spring.
Vega returned to the dominant form she displayed throughout the 2025 campaign, totaling 15.1 innings over the last week without surrendering an earned run. Her first outing of the week saw her clinch UCF’s first win over an SEC opponent this season with a scoreless seventh inning against Missouri Feb. 11.
She then kicked off her stay in the 2026 Clearwater Invitational with four spotless relief innings to close out the Knights’ 6-4 win over Northwestern Feb. 13, striking out six while yielding just two hits and one walk.
Her second appearance in Clearwater saw her once again enter in relief to lock down her squad’s first statement win of the season against then-No. 10 LSU.
Taking the ball in the bottom of the fourth inning of a 1-1 game, she yielded little to the Tigers throughout the rest of the affair, just a pair of hits and one walk in 3.1 clean innings with a trio of strikeouts. Her efforts aided UCF in claiming its first ranked win of the season, as well as its second victory over an SEC team this spring.
Her final appearance of the spring saw her toss her first seven-inning complete game of the year, stymieing the NC State Wolfpack with just a pair of unearned runs allowed on four hits in authoring her sixth career outing with at least seven innings pitched.
Overall, Vega posted a spotless 0.00 ERA in her 15.1 innings in the last week, earning three winning decisions with 15 strikeouts and a .158 batting average-against.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
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.