UCF softball is set to make history today, and it may not be for what fans would think it's for. The Knights are heading to their unprecedented fifth straight NCAA Softball Tournament regional and while that is history in itself, the fact that it is outside the state of Florida is what makes it history.
Typically, whenever UCF has made a regional, they are set somewhere in the state of Florida, like Gainesville or Tallahassee, or even the one season where they hosted a regional back in 2022. However, for the first time in program history, UCF had to hit the road outside of the state of Florida for the regionals, as they were sent to the land of the Longhorns for the Austin Regional.
The Knights hit the road on Wednesday for their cross-country trip to the Midwest, a trip that they have become more accustomed to in the last two years since joining the Big 12. UCF has played Texas a total of four times, but never in Austin. These two teams first met back in 2022 when the Knights were victorious 15-10 in a shootout game in Clearwater, Florida, at the Clearwater Invitational.
The Longhorns got their revenge last season in UCF's first season in the Big 12 when they came to Orlando and swept the Knights in a three-game series. While UCF isn't set to take on Texas in the first round, they could potentially see them at some point in the regional if they win enough games.
UCF is set to take on Michigan in their first game of the regional today, Friday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
UCF is coming off a strong end to the season, where they won six of their final seven regular-season games. The Knights won their first-ever Big 12 Tournament game against Utah in the first round and came close to taking down the Arizona Wildcats in the second round.
Either way, head coach Cindy Ball-Malone knows how to get her team right for this time of year, and with strong pitching on the mound behind Isabella Vega and Kaitlyn Felton and the strong hitting of Aubrey Evans and Sierra Humphreys, UCF is a force to be reckoned with in May.