UCF softball headed to Tallahassee after earning spot in NCAA Tournament

UCF softball is back in the NCAA tournament, with the Knights heading to familiar surroundings.

UCF (38-16-1) is headed to the Tallahassee Regional for the fifth time since 2005. The Knights will face Jacksonville State (45-14) in their first game of the double-elimination regional Friday at 2:30 p.m.

“What’s really awesome about what this team did is we knew we were going in. It was just where,” said UCF coach Cindy Ball-Malone. “That’s a cool feeling to have, because we have had some years where we know we’ve done some good stuff, but are we going to get in? And this time, we knew for sure.”

Florida State (49-8) and Stetson (36-20) complete the regional field and meet at noon Friday. FSU is the No. 9 overall seed in the 64-team field.

“As soon as we saw Florida State pop up, it’s very familiar, and I feel good about how much experience that our senior class has had there,” said Ball-Malone.

It is the sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the Knights. UCF has made one appearance in a Super Regional (2022) and was swept by top-seeded Oklahoma.

“(I’m) super grateful,” said senior infielder Aubrey Evans. “Four years going to the postseason, that’s a big deal. To see what we’ve done over the past four years has been super fun and super competitive. I’m excited for what this team can do for the rest of the season.”

UCF is 3-2 all-time against Jacksonville State. The schools’ last meeting was March 2, 2007.

The Knights are coming off their best season since joining the Big 12 in 2023, finishing fourth in the conference with a 14-9 record. UCF recently lost to No. 5 Kansas, 6-5, in the first round of the Big 12 Softball Tournament on May 7.

Evans is looking forward to one more trip up north to JoAnne Graf Field.

“They have a great environment, but I think we’re ready,” she said. “Tallahassee, we’ve been there a lot of years, I don’t even know how many, but I’m just super excited for this group and the experience that we have, and just the competitive atmosphere and drive that we all give each other. I’m really excited to be back at FSU, because I think we have some unfinished business.”

Other state schools in the tournament are regional host Florida, Florida A&M and South Florida. UF plays Georgia Tech and FAMU faces Texas State in the Gainesville regional. South Florida plays Washington in the Fayetteville, Arkansas, regional.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com