On the heels of a hall-of-fame collegiate playing career, UCF head softball coach Cindy Ball-Malone, also known by her nickname, “Bear,” has lifted the UCF softball program to new heights throughout her first six seasons at the helm since she was named the second head coach in program history June 27, 2018.
Ball-Malone’s resume showcases:
- Ten career seasons as an NCAA Division I head softball coach (the last six at UCF), including six postseason appearances, five NCAA Tournament berths, and one NCAA super regional appearance
- Extensive player development, highlighted by one All-America selection, one National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Regional Coaching Staff of the Year selection, two national Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week selections, one American Athletic Conference AAC Pitcher of the Year selection, one AAC Rookie of the Year selection, and three consecutive top 25 nationally-ranked recruiting classes (Extra Inning Softball, 2021-23)
- Four additional previous seasons of experience as an assistant coach at Washington and Cal State Northridge, including two NCAA super regional appearances with the Huskies
- A playing career at the University of the Pacific that landed Ball-Malone among the selections for the 13th West Coast Conference Hall of Honor Class in 2023
Under “Coach Bear,” the UCF softball team is in the midst of the most successful period in the program’s 23-year history. With the team’s 31-25 record in 2024, the Knights again made history, earning an NCAA Tournament berth in four consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.
The Knights’ current postseason run also encompasses three consecutive 40-plus-win seasons (2021-23), four NCAA Regional appearances, one of which was hosted by the Knights at the UCF Softball Complex (2022), and the first NCAA super regional appearance in program history.
Ball-Malone most recently led the Knights to their sixth consecutive non-COVID-19-shortened 30-plus-win season in 2024, also marking the team’s inaugural campaign in the Big 12 Conference.
The Knights saw five players earn selections to the Big 12’s post-season All-Conference teams, as well as a pair who saw their names added to the NFCA’s All-Region squads. Right-handed pitcher/outfielder Sarah Willis wrapped up her two-year Knights tenure as an All-Big 12 First Team honoree, as well as an NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team selection.
First baseman Shannon Doherty and right fielder Chloe Evans earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors, while freshman infielder/outfielders Sierra Humphreys and Samantha Rey both garnered unanimous All-Big 12 Freshman Team appointments.
Fifth-year utility player Jada Cody concluded her storied career with the Black and Gold as an NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team selection as well, rounding out UCF’s post-season awards. Willis and redshirt-sophomore catcher/designated player Ashleigh Griffin became the first two Knights in program history to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors as well.
UCF collected five series wins in its first season in its new conference, toppling the Kansas Jayhawks, Texas Tech Red Raiders, BYU Cougars, and Iowa State Cyclones while consistently playing close matchups against many of the top-ranked programs in the nation.
In the final home start of her collegiate career, Willis turned in a dazzling performance against the then-No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners, limiting the squad to just two runs on two hits in seven innings. In tossing her third seven-inning complete game of the season, Willis became the first pitcher of any NCAA Division I school since 2022 to throw a two-hit, seven-inning complete game against the Sooners.
The Knights earned the first Big 12 Conference series win in program history against Kansas March 8-10, the first road Big 12 Conference series win at Texas Tech March 28-30, and the first Big 12 Conference series sweep against BYU April 4-6.
UCF’s series win at Texas Tech featured Coach Bear’s 200th UCF win (March 28, 8-5 victory) and the 300th win of her overall head coaching career (March 29, 12-9 victory) as well.
The Black and Gold concluded their 2024 campaign at the 2024 NCAA Tallahassee Regional, where they earned the highest-ranked win of the season by the NCAA’s RPI metric over the Auburn Tigers (No. 24). The victory marked the largest NCAA Tournament comeback win in program history, as the Knights rallied from a four-run deficit to claim an eventual 11-6 victory.
After leading the Knights to their first Super Regional appearance in program history in 2022, Coach Bear again made history with UCF softball in 2023, leading the team to its third consecutive 40-win season with its 40-21 finish, also marking the first time in program history that the Knights have won at least 40 games in three consecutive seasons. UCF opened the season ranked as high as 15th in the nation, and by season's end had won its second consecutive American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship with a 3-0 showing against Memphis, South Florida and Tulsa.
The automatic NCAA tournament bid clinched by the Knights' tournament title marked the 10th NCAA tournament appearance in program history and third straight dating back to 2021. UCF earned a spot in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional hosted by No. 3 Florida State, along with No. 20 South Carolina and Marist. The Knights opened NCAA Regional play with a 6-1 victory over the Gamecocks May 19, a victory that extended UCF's season-long win streak to 14 consecutive games dating back to the Knights' 13-1 win at Tulsa April 16. The Knights' 2023 season came to an end with losses to the Seminoles and Gamecocks May 20.
During the 2023 season, Coach Bear oversaw the development of RHP/OF Sarah Willis, a junior transfer from the Washington Huskies, who became the second Knight in program history to win American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. The Knights also saw three selections to the NFCA's All-Region First (Willis), Second (RHP Grace Jewell) and Third (INF/DP Aubrey Evans) Teams, as well as eight selections to The American's All-Conference First and Second Teams.
The Knights clinched the 800th win in program history during the 2023 season as well, a milestone that accompanied UCF's three-game sweep of the South Florida Bulls April 23. Coach Bear also recorded the 150th win of her UCF career with the Knights' 6-5 win over Mississippi State Feb. 19, and she notched the 250th win of her head coaching career four days later with UCF's 8-0 win over Gardner-Webb Feb. 23.
The UCF softball program took a massive leap in the 2022 season as the team posted an impressive 49-14 record. In what was the best season in program history, the year included the Black and Gold winning the conference’s regular season and tournament titles as well as earning the right to host NCAA Regionals, being named the No. 16 national seed on Selection Sunday. Bear and her squad didn’t stop there, as the Knights swept their way through the Orlando Regional, beating Villanova 6-0 on the strength of two Jada Cody home runs before topping No. 24 Michigan twice to advance to the program’s first Super Regional.
The 2022 season began with a bang as UCF, which began the year receiving votes in the NFCA poll, earned a walk-off win over then-No. 12 Georgia on opening night with an eighth-inning solo shot from Shannon Doherty. Mid-February saw the Knights take part in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, one of the top tournaments in the sport. UCF picked up a pair of wins against future Big 12 Conference foes, beating then-No. 11 Texas 15-10 and Texas Tech 7-3.
March saw UCF go 7-0 on its California swing, going unbeaten on a west coast trip for the first time in program history. The remainder of the regular season saw the Knights dominate American Athletic Conference play, eventually clinching the outright regular season championship on the final day of the season against Wichita State.
UCF earned a walk-off victory over Houston in the semifinals of The American Championship before run-ruling rival South Florida 11-0 to earn the conference tournament crown. It marked the first time since 2015 that the Knights had won both conference titles. The Black and Gold’s magical season came to an end in Norman as UCF was swept in the Super Regional by the eventual national champion and top-seeded Oklahoma.
UCF finished in the top 16 in all four major polls at 2022’s end. The Knights checked in at No. 14 in the final edition of the NFCA's rankings, their highest finish in the poll in program history. The Black and Gold finished in a tie for 15th in USA Softball's rankings while checking in at No. 13 in D1Softball's final poll and No. 14 in Softball America. The No. 14 finish in the NFCA poll was one spot shy of tying the program record, set back in week 15 of 2015. The same can be said about the Knights' USA Softball ranking, as UCF finished one spot behind its program-best ranking of No. 14 set in week 14 of 2015.
Bear helped guide more than one team to new heights in 2022, as she was named as an assistant coach for the USA National Team at the World Games and Canada Cup in the summer. The team won gold at the World Games.
Bear once again led the program to new heights in 2021, securing a career-best 41-19-1 record with the Knights and leading the Black and Gold into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Bear led her Knights all the way to the AAC Championship game, and UCF’s 41 wins represented its highest total since it had posted in a season since 2015.
The Black and Gold also recorded three wins over top five-ranked teams in the country, taking down then No. 5 Florida twice (March 24, 8-6 and April 14, 7-0) and No. 2 Arizona (March 8, 2-0). UCF played 14 games against a top-25 opponent in 2021, posting a 4-9-1 record in those games.
In year two in 2020, Ball-Malone brought the program to new heights. After leading UCF to a program-best 16-2 start in 2020, including an 11-game winning streak from 02/14-03/01, the Knights were tabbed as high as No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Softball and NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Polls. In the first release of the NCAA RPI, UCF checked in at No. 7 overall.
Coach Bear achieved her milestone 50th win at UCF on 03/01/20 in a 2-0 win over Longwood. In the 26 game, COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, UCF outscored opponents 156-64 and racked up a 9-4-1 record against Power6 teams and a 6-5-1 record against Top 25 teams or teams receiving votes.
She joined the Knights in 2019, going 34-21 (11-10), including picking up Power 6 wins over Ohio State, Pitt, Penn State and Boston College in her first season as head coach.
Ball-Malone joined the Knights following four successful seasons at Boise State University. In her last two campaigns, she compiled a 73-36 record and led the squad to the program's first postseason appearance at the 2017 National Invitational Softball Championship, followed by a 2018 NCAA Tournament berth.
In 2018, the Broncos set program records for most wins in a season (40), most conference wins in a season (18), and the first conference title in program history, defeating New Mexico in the Mountain West championship.
Ball-Malone brought a plethora of coaching experience into her first stop as a Division I head coach, highlighted by a two-year stint on staff with the Washington Huskies. In those two seasons, she served as recruiting coordinator and was responsible for the development of the Husky pitching staff. The Huskies went 76-35 during Ball-Malone’s two seasons in Seattle and reached a pair of NCAA Super Regionals while developing Kaitlin Inglesby into a second team All-American.
Under Ball-Malone’s leadership, Inglesby held the lowest ERA on the 2012 team for the second straight year (2.31), while also leading the Huskies pitching staff in starts (30), wins (19), saves (5), complete games (21), shutouts (6), and strikeouts (169).
Ball-Malone has also spent time coaching at Cal State Northridge, Cosumnes River College, Modesto Junior College, and her alma mater, Pacific.
She graduated from Pacific in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in sports sciences and earned her master's in education in 2006. Ball-Malone is considered the greatest two-way player in the history of Pacific Softball, earning back-to-back All-America honors and holding nine career pitching records for the Tigers.
Ball-Malone currently lives in Oviedo, Fla. with her husband, Robert Malone III. Together, they have four children, three boys named Four, Ryder and Cayson, and a girl named Sawyer.