After beating No. 24 Michigan 9-4 in the Orlando Regional on Sunday, The No. 16 UCF softball team advances to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in program history.
UCF Softball Head Coach Cindy Ball-Malone said she is proud of the fight shown this weekend, sweeping all three of their matchups in the Orlando Regional which included a 3-2 win over the Wolverines in 11 innings on Saturday.
“They’ve done it. We’re not done, we’re definitely not done,” Ball-Malone said. “I’m just so proud of the fight of this team. I’m super proud of these women and what they’ve done and the odds that they’ve fought against. The show keeps going.”
The Knights, which never trailed in the second matchup with the Wolverines, picked up ten hits and earned a total of nine walks setting a program NCAA Tournament best as Michigan struggled to find the strike zone against UCF.
Ball-Malone said she was proud of her team’s ability to make it difficult for pitchers on the mound, which will prove important going forward.
“Walks are just as big as a base hit or a homerun to me,” Ball-Malone said. “They’re passing a bag, putting runners on and putting runners across. Those two pitchers especially are both All-Americans. They’re tough. For us to walk, a lot of people swing and miss at those ball out of the zone. I’m really proud of their discipline. I like the adjustments they made from yesterday.”
The nine runs for the Knights were a record for the team in a single NCAA game, topping the previous seven runs achieved against FIU on May 21, 2010.
With the Victory, the Knights at 49 wins for the season and one behind a program high of 50 set in 2015. UCF is also now .500 all-time in the NCAA Tournament going 16-16 after Sunday’s win.
The Knights will take on the No.1 ranked team in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday May 27, at 4:30 pm at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Oklahoma. A second game with the Sooners will take place on Saturday May 28 at 2 pm and a third game on Sunday May 29 if necessary. The first game will be televised on ESPN 2.
