The UCF Knights are dancing for an unprecedented fifth time in a row in the NCAA Softball Tournament.
Head coach Cindy Ball-Malone has brought a new culture to UCF softball and it comes with the expectation of being in the NCAA Tournament every single season. Ball-Malone makes sure to set her team up for success come the end of the season through a tough schedule and keeping them focused throughout the year.
It has all paid off as the Knights are heading to the Austin Regional hosted by the 6-seed Texas. The Knights are in the same regional as Texas, Michigan, and Eastern Illinois, with UCF set to play Michigan in their first game of the regional at 2:00 p.m. EST.
The last time UCF played Michigan in a regional was back when the Knights hosted their first-ever regional in Orlando. UCF beat Michigan in their final game to move on to their first Super Regional in program history.
UCF is currently playing some of its best softball right now, ending the season on two series wins over Kansas and Houston, and then winning its first-ever Big 12 Tournament game over Utah. The Knights then fell in Arizona's comeback win in the second round when UCF blew a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning.
With this being the fifth year in a row that UCF is in the NCAA Tournament, Ball-Malone will know how to get her team in the right headspace to compete. This tournament is a double-elimination tournament, so one loss does not mean the Knights would be out of it. If UCF were to lose to Michigan in their first game, they would play the loser of the Texas vs. Eastern Illinois game. Once a team loses twice, they are done until one team is left standing.
It would be a tough road for UCF to get past both the Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverines and the Texas Longhorns, but not impossible. The Knights have a strong resume going into the tournament with some solid upset wins, and the tournament is where crazy things can happen.