ORLANDO – For the third time in the first three weeks this spring, the UCF softball team saw a Knight represented in the Big 12 Conference’s weekly awards following a strong weekend of action.
On the heels of the program’s third week of play, left-hander Hildie Dempsey was recognized as the league’s Freshman of the Week, representing the first Big 12 weekly honor for the Jefferson, Wisconsin native.
Dempsey joins fellow freshman Ava Stuewe (week one Freshman of the Week) and redshirt sophomore Isabella Vega (week two Pitcher of the Week) as the third Knights pitcher to garner a weekly honor from the Big 12 Conference this season, and earns UCF’s ninth weekly award and eighth by a pitcher since the program joined the Big 12 prior to the 2024 season.
UCF also represents the only program to have been represented in each of the Big 12 Conference’s first three weekly awards this spring.
The southpaw made a trio of appearances for her squad during the weekend SpaceU Classic, producing a spotless 0.00 ERA in 12.1 innings of work while earning two winning decisions and limiting opposing hitters to a .182 batting average-against.
She began her weekend with what, at the time, marked a new single-game career high five innings in her third start of the year, holding the Ohio Bobcats to just one unearned run on four hits. Her effort helped lead the Knights to a 4-1 victory to open the weekend’s action Feb. 19.
After she recorded the final defensive out of the Knights’ Feb. 20 matchup against Penn State, Dempsey was given the starting nod once again by head coach Cindy Ball-Malone against Notre Dame Feb. 22. The left-hander responded with the strongest appearance of her young career thus far, throwing her first seven-inning complete game to lead her team to its 3-1 victory.
Dempsey yielded just one unearned run on three hits to the Irish Sunday afternoon while notching a career high five strikeouts.
The freshman enters play against Florida Atlantic Wednesday evening boasting a glistening 1.79 ERA, a 4-0 record, and a .246 batting average-against through her first 31.1 innings of work, and trails the Knights’ innings leader, Vega (32.1), by just one full inning.
Dempsey also ranks among Big 12 Conference leaders in appearances (11, T-3rd), ERA (1.79, 9th), and innings pitched (31.1, T-12th).
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.