ORLANDO – The No. 25 UCF softball team, off to its best 12-game start to a season since 2021, returns home for its third weekend of action this spring following a strong display in the 2026 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational.
UCF earned its spot in two of Division I softball’s four major weekly top 25 polls following its 4-2 showing last week, landing at No. 25 in the week two polls authored by Softball America and D1Softball.com. The Knights were also the first team out of ESPN/USA Softball’s week two top 25 ranking.
The Knights most recently improved to 9-3 on the young season on the strength of wins over Missouri, then-No. 10 LSU, Northwestern and NC State, with the final three coming in Clearwater. UCF’s 3-2 showing in the weekend tournament ensured the 2026 Knights a winning record in Clearwater for the first time in program history.
UCF also joined Texas Tech (5-1) and Oklahoma State (3-2) as the third Big 12 Conference program to produce a winning record in Clearwater, making the Big 12 the lone conference to see all participating schools finish the weekend over .500.
The Knights’ first statement win of the season, their 5-1 effort over 10th-ranked LSU, represented the team’s first victory over a ranked opponent this season and its eighth in the last two seasons alone. The Black and Gold also notched their first win over LSU in program history, evening the all-time series between the two programs at one win apiece.
The tandem of freshman southpaw Hildie Dempsey and redshirt sophomore right-hander Isabella Vega combined to limit the Tigers to just a single score on eight hits, representing just the second time in the Tigers’ first 10 games this spring that LSU had failed to eclipse two runs scored.
Vega’s appearance factored into a dominant overall week, one that saw her garner her first Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week recognition of the season and the third such honor of her career. The Bradenton, Florida native totaled 15.1 innings between her appearances against Missouri, Northwestern, then-No. 10 LSU and NC State, posting a spotless 0.00 ERA with just a .158 batting average-against.
Dempsey also enjoyed a strong second week of her collegiate career, throwing 10.2 innings with a .328 ERA spanning her four appearances. She earned her first career win over an SEC opponent in the Knights’ 5-1 victory over Missouri, allowing just two hits in 3.2 innings of work, and later added 3.2 innings of one-run ball against LSU to help lead her squad to its 5-1 victory in Clearwater.
Offensively, the Knights produced another prolific week in the field, bolstering their season home run total with seven more long balls throughout their last six games and slugging over .450 as a team.
Sophomore third baseman Coco Jaimes paced the team with her .400 average (6-for-15), while Sierra Humphreys (2 HR, 6 RBI), Kendall Yarnell (2 2B, 1 HR), Aubrey Evans (2 2B, 1 HR), and Beth Damon (2 HR, 11 TB) led the way in the power department.
The Black and Gold’s 15 home runs through 12 contests represent the third most in the league, behind Houston (22) and Texas Tech (17), and the team also ranks among Big 12 Conference leaders in walks (51, 1st), stolen bases (19, 2nd), runs scored (88, 3rd), on-base percentage (.436, 3rd), and RBI (77, 4th).
Joining UCF in Orlando this weekend for the SpaceU Classic are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio Bobcats and Charleston Southern Buccaneers. The Knights have limited history against each of the four visiting programs, but boast a 4-0 all-time record against Charleston Southern and have split four all-time meetings with Penn State.
Both Penn State and Notre Dame have enjoyed strong starts in the circle to start the 2026 campaign, as the Lions lead the Big Ten with their 2.06 team ERA and the Irish rank second in the ACC with their team 2.24 mark.
Each of Penn State’s five pitchers this season have produced an ERA below three while recording at least 10 innings of work, led by Bridget Nemeth’s 2.33 ERA in a team high 18 innings. The squad has limited its opposition to two or fewer runs in each of its last four games, outscoring Houston, Lafayette, Houston Christian and Pitt 39-6 in that span, and has also notched wins over Missouri and BYU this spring.
The Irish, meanwhile, are led in the circle by junior Kami Kamzik and senior Micaela Kastor, who have both turned in ERAs south of 2.00 in over 23 innings pitched. The team bested then-No. 21 Liberty, 5-1, in the season’s first weekend of action, and has also toppled Maryland, East Carolina and Buffalo.
Each of the SpaceU Classic’s 13 games over the weekend will be streamed live on ESPN+, beginning with UCF’s Thursday evening tilt against Ohio at 6 p.m.
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.