ORLANDO — UCF truly needed just about every person on its 28-player softball roster to survive the Tallahassee Regional, so much so that head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said she needed to “keep it together” when reflecting on those contributions.
The Knights’ expected stars delivered, to be sure. Coco Jaimes had three hits, including an eighth-inning walk-off RBI single, in their May 15 comeback win over Jacksonville State. Aubrey Evans and Kendall Yarnell homered in Saturday’s 10-1 winner’s bracket blowout of Stetson. Beth Damon and Izzy Mertes did the same in the decisive 4-2 upset of regional host Florida State the following day. All-Big 12 ace Isabella Vega allowed just two runs in nine innings inside the circle.
But their success came from somewhat unexpected sources as well. Tori Payne, making just her eighth college start, went six innings in the win over the Seminoles and held one of college softball’s most potent lineups to just one run. Kalista Birkenstock entered the game in the seventh inning as a defensive substitute and made a game-saving diving grab in left field.
And then, of course, was the momentum swing from a pair of eagle-eyed reserves in what Ball-Malone describes as her “All-American dugout.”
Florida State appeared to take a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third on a bases-clearing single, but Taylor Kittleman and Kayla Alexandre insisted Seminoles catcher Anna Hinde, the runner on second, got a head start before reliever Lena Elkins delivered the ball toward the plate.
Replay confirmed the early departure, erasing the runs and keeping UCF in the lead for the time being.
“It is so difficult to go and recruit highly talented players and say, ‘Only nine of them get to be on the field at a time, 10 get to be in the lineup. But we still need you to be all-in,'” Ball-Malone said. “That concept is so hard to grasp and understand. … We talk about, ‘If your name is on that lineup, whether it’s in the top 10 or at the bottom, you’re a starter.'”
Depth, in its pitching staff and its batting order, is the primary reason why UCF crossed the country this week to compete in super regionals for just the second time in school history. The Knights (41-17-1) meet No. 8 national seed UCLA (50-8) at 9 p.m. on May 22 in a best-of-three series with a spot in the Women’s College World Series at stake.
The overturned challenge stands out as the signature moment from a memorable, monumental triumph for UCF — its first in five all-time trips to the state’s capital city for NCAA Tournament action.
Ball-Malone expressed initial frustration that her team overthrew home plate and failed to limit damage. But she heard the conviction in Kittleman and Alexandre’s voices, and rolled the dice on a review.
“They showed it up on the video board, and right away, I was like, ‘Huh, look at this.’ All-American dugout just got one,” Ball-Malone said. “It takes the words out of my mouth right now. It’s such an emotional time because, in that moment, I knew this is the team.”
Ball-Malone stresses the idea of all roles not necessarily being equal, but having equal value. After the game, Damon, who has a team-high 16 home runs, nominated Kittleman and Alexandre for a badge representing Knights’ honor, one of the team’s core values.
“It’s huge. I’m glad (they) are getting some recognition,” Damon said. “I’m going to shout out (Alexandre) and Maddie Parker. I’m not able to play on the field without them. They catch a lot of bullpens. They help our pitchers out, and they help me out.”
Damon bought into the concept of making history and disrupting the sport’s norms while being recruited at Edmond Memorial High School in Oklahoma. The Knights toppled Florida State for the first time in eight all-time, head-to-head NCAA Tournament meetings, and will now look to eliminate UCLA — the program with the most WCWS appearances (33) and national championships (13) ever.
Megan Grant rewrote the NCAA’s home run records this spring for the Bruins, launching 40 while leading the nation in slugging percentage (1.342) and on-base percentage (.647). She is one of three finalists for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year along with Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm and Florida State’s Isa Torres.
It’s a special opportunity for Ball-Malone and four of UCF’s starters — third baseman Jaimes, left fielder Mertes, center fielder Samantha Rey and second baseman Sierra Humphreys, all of whom hail from California.
“At least for us sophomores, we haven’t had a chance to play in California yet, so it’s a really cool homecoming for us to play in front of our families and play in a stadium like UCLA’s,” Jaimes said. “I grew up watching them, hearing about the program, went to a couple camps when I was pretty young. When you’re in Florida, you hear about (the University of) Florida, Florida State, UCF. When you’re in California, you hear about UCLA, Cal-Berkeley, Stanford.”
Ball-Malone added: The tradition there is so amazing. They have some of the greatest softball players coming out of there. And, good, what an awesome opportunity for us to go in and get it done.
“If we’re true disruptors, then we’re going to take this task and this mission and keep it our thing, keep playing against our best selves.”
UCF softball roster
UCF softball schedule
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Standout starters, ‘All-American dugout’ help UCF softball reach supers
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
