Ranked 21st in the country by Softball America, UCF takes its shot at a first Big 12 tournament title over the next three days.
The Knights (38-15-1) closed the regular season with wins in each of their last five conference series, taking two of three in mid-April against first-round opponent Kansas. They are set to square off at noon on May 7 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City — the site of the Women’s College World Series.
UCF brings a well-rounded squad to the Big 12 tournament, ranking 44th nationally in batting average (.325), 31st in earned run average (3.02) and 57th in fielding percentage (.970) out of 304 Division I teams.
Five players have tallied double-digit home run seasons for the Knights this spring: Kendall Yarnell (14), Beth Damon (14), Sierra Humphreys (13), Izzy Mertes (11) and Aubrey Evans (10). Humphreys also leads the team in batting average (.387), RBIs (56), doubles (14) and stolen bases (nine).
Isabella Vega anchors the UCF pitching staff, posting a 17-8 record with a 2.88 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 136 innings. The redshirt sophomore has gone the distance 11 times and registered five saves.
Stream Big 12 softball tournament on ESPN+
Big 12 softball tournament bracket
Quarterfinals, May 7
Semifinals, May 8
Championship, May 9
UCF vs. Kansas softball time, TV channel
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF softball heads to Big 12 tournament: Full bracket, schedule, TV
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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