No. 23 Softball Places Five on 2026 NFCA All-Region Teams

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As announced by the organization Thursday afternoon, the No. 23 UCF softball team saw five Knights garner additional post-season honors at the national level.

Junior second baseman Sierra Humphreys, redshirt sophomore right-hander Isabella Vega, sophomore catcher Beth Damon, sophomore utility Kendall Yarnell, and sophomore outfielder Izzy Mertes were all tabbed to the NFCA’s 2026 All-Region squad, with Humphreys landing on the First Team, Vega, Damon and Yarnell earning Second Team recognition, and Mertes earning a slot on the Third Team.

UCF’s five All-Region selections represent its most in a single season in the program’s Big 12 era, and its most since the 2015 Knights placed six on the NFCA’s All-Region squad (Shelby Turnier, Kahley Novak, Mackenzie Audas, Jessica Ujvari, Brittany Solis and Linnea Goodman).

SIERRA HUMPHREYS – NFCA FIRST TEAM ALL-REGION

An All-Big 12 First Team selection for the first time in her career this spring, Humphreys now also adds her first career NFCA All-Region selection to her growing resume.

The Corona, California, native this spring set new single-season career bests in average (.390), on-base percentage (.465), slugging percentage (.742), runs scored (46), doubles (15), total bases (118), home runs (13), RBI (56) and total hits (62).

She recorded 13 multi-RBI games throughout the regular season and added 16 multi-hit games, and in conference play paced her team with 31 total hits, nine home runs, 28 RBI and an .831 slugging percentage.

Among the best moments of her 2026 campaign, Humphreys came through in a key spot in UCF’s series finale at then-No. 12 Oklahoma State March 8, helping clinch the program’s first series win over the Cowgirls in program history with a key seventh-inning go-ahead RBI double against Oklahoma State ace Ruby Meylan in the Knights’ eventual 6-4 victory.

She later hit safely in all three games against then-No. 3 Texas Tech, including an RBI double against reigning conference Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady in game one, and enjoyed a standout weekend against the Houston Cougars March 27-29, hitting .600/.692/1.900 with four home runs, nine RBI, one double and 19 total bases, including a program record-tying three home runs in the series finale.

ISABELLA VEGA – NFCA SECOND TEAM ALL-REGION

A top 10 finalist for the NFCA’s National Freshman of the Year award a season ago, Vega followed her breakout 2025 debut campaign with a dominant 2026 slate in her second season as the Knights’ leading arm in the circle, earning a second consecutive All-Big 12 First Team nod and now her second straight NFCA All-Region selection.

Already having eclipsed her 135.2 innings from a season ago, Vega boasts a strong 2.89 ERA through her first 140.2 frames this spring, accompanied by 98 strikeouts and a batting average-against of just .203. Against conference opponents, her opposing batting average dipped even further to .201 in 85.2 innings, and she earned the winning decision in 11 of UCF’s 14 conference victories.

The right-hander this year also set new single-season career bests in winning decisions (17), saves (5) and complete games (11), and her five saves currently sit in a tie for the most in a single season in program history.

Against Houston, Vega earned the winning decision in all three games, a series that saw the Bradenton native throw the first perfect game of her career and second career no-hitter in Saturday’s game two March 28, and with victories in both of the first two games against Utah April 2-3, Vega became the first Knight since Alea White in 2019 to earn the winning decision in six consecutive team games.

She later earned both winning decisions in the Knights’ first series win over then-No. 12 Oklahoma State in program history, throwing a two-hit complete game in the series-opener March 6.

BETH DAMON – NFCA SECOND TEAM ALL-REGION

In her second season as UCF’s starting catcher, Damon earned her second career All-Big 12 Conference recognition and her first second team selection for her efforts as one of the Knights’ leading run-producers, and now brings home her first career NFCA All-Region selection.

She surpassed her previous season bests in average (.333), on-base percentage (.429), slugging percentage (.686), runs scored (24), total hits (51), doubles (9), home runs (15), walks (15) and RBI (49), representing one of a single-season program record five Knights this season to slug at least 10 home runs this spring.

Her 15 home runs represent the most by a Knight in a single season since Jada Cody’s 15 in 2022, good for a share of fourth-most in a single season in program history.

Damon represented UCF’s top hitter against ranked foes throughout the regular season, hitting a team-best .404/.431/.750 (21-for-52) with three doubles, five home runs, 12 RBI and 39 total bases against the nation’s best.

The catcher throughout the season hit long balls against then-No. 10 LSU, then-No. 12 Oklahoma State twice, then-No. 3 Texas Tech and then-No. 23 Arizona State, highlighted by back-to-back games with a home run against the Cowgirls’ Ruby Meylan and a solo home run against reigning conference pitcher of the year NiJaree Canady, representing one of two players in the nation to hit home runs against both Canady and Meylan this season.

KENDALL YARNELL – NFCA SECOND TEAM ALL-REGION

A season after cementing herself as one of the most reliable options off the bench in program history, Yarnell earns her first career major post-season recognition with her NFCA Second Team All-Region selection this spring.

The Olathe, Kansas, native established herself this year as one of the leaders on UCF’s offensive corps, slashing .358/.470/.781 (49-for-137) in her first season as a mainstay in the starting lineup. She added eight doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 107 total bases, 24 walks and 44 RBI, and hit the first two grand slams of her collegiate career within a four-game span during her team’s opening weekend.

Throughout the non-conference portion of UCF’s schedule, Yarnell homered against each of Boston U, Maryland, NC State, Notre Dame, Florida Atlantic and Dartmouth, before helping lead her team to its statement series win over then-No. 12 Oklahoma State in Stillwater March 6-8.

She hit safely in both of UCF’s last two games against the Cowgirls, including a standout 3-for-4 showing with a double, an RBI and a run scored in the Knights’ series-clinching 6-4 win in game three.

Yarnell later slugged four home runs in UCF’s series sweep of Houston March 27-29, added a fifth in a four-game span in the Black and Gold’s series-opener against Utah, and also homered in her team’s bounce-back 8-1 win at then-No. 23 Arizona State April 11. In helping the Knights to their series win over then-No. 24 Kansas, Yarnell homered in back-to-back games, including a dramatic eighth-inning walk-off three-run home run to lift UCF to its 6-3 victory.

IZZY MERTES – NFCA THIRD TEAM ALL-REGION

An All-Big 12 Freshman Team pick a season ago, Mertes garners her second straight selection to an All-Big 12 team this spring, and now her second consecutive NFCA All-Region honor.

The outfielder this year is on pace to set new single-season career bests in average (.321), on-base percentage (.423), slugging percentage (.635), runs scored (45), total bases (99), home runs (11), RBI (52) and stolen bases (3).

With 16 doubles entering the conference tournament, Mertes has matched her freshman year total, and needs just two more to tie teammate Aubrey Evans’ 2023 single-season program record of 18.

She caught fire offensively toward the end of UCF’s non-conference slate, compiling an eight-game RBI streak Feb. 22-March 6. Five of those eight games featured at least two RBI, including three consecutive three-RBI displays against George Washington, Florida A&M and then-No. 12 Oklahoma State.

Mertes was also a key contributor in UCF’s first series win over the Cowgirls in program history, slugging a first-inning three-run home run in the series-opener and adding a 3-for-4, two-double effort in the series finale.

The outfielder then went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI in the Knights’ 4-3 series-opening win over Baylor March 13, and later joined Evans and Humphreys as the third Knight to match the program’s single-game home run record in Houston, slugging three long balls in the Knights’ 22-8 series-concluding triumph.

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.