The UCF softball team is making 2026 a season to remember.
The Knights are heading to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2022 and just the second time in program history thanks to a gutsy performance in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
With UCF’s 4-2 victory over No. 9-seeded Florida State on the Seminoles’ home field on Sunday, the Knights will now face UCLA for a chance to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the first time.
The softball team is the eighth UCF program to compete at an NCAA postseason regional or championship event in 2025-26, joining 尘别苍鈥檚 and wo尘别苍鈥檚 soccer, indoor track & field, 尘别苍鈥檚 basketball, 尘别苍鈥檚 and wo尘别苍鈥檚 tennis and women’s golf.
Resiliency in NCAA Regional
The Knights scored their sixth-consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament and were tabbed as the No. 6 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, kicking off postseason play against Jacksonville State on Friday.
Down to the last out of the opening game and trailing 1-0, sophomore catcher and health sciences major Beth Damon came through with one of the biggest hits of her career, sending in the tying run to force extra innings where UCF ultimately prevailed for a 2-1 walk-off victory.
After a 10-1 win over Stetson on Saturday, the Knights advanced to championship Sunday against the Seminoles. UCF fell 2-1 to Florida State in the first game, forcing an immediate winner-take-all matchup in the double-elimination tournament.
After the Seminoles tied game 2 in the top of the fourth, sophomore utility player and pre-integrated business major Izzy Mertes responded for the Knights with a two-run home run to give UCF all it needed for the victory.
鈥淚t took every ounce of us to be able to get to this point, and I鈥檓 so proud of the fight that they had,鈥� says head coach Cindy Ball Malone. 鈥淚t is very difficult to play here, and I鈥檓 so proud of the resilience of our team to stay together and fight.鈥�
The win, UCF鈥檚 first over Florida State since April 6, 2011, represented the sixth over the Seminoles in program history, third over Florida State in Tallahassee, and the Knights鈥� first in NCAA Tournament play.
NCAA Super Regionals Info
UCF is one of two Florida schools remaining in the tournament. The Knights will travel to No. 8-seed UCLA from May 22-24.
The Bruins boast a 50-8 record this season and are coming off of back-to-back victories over South Carolina in which they outscored the Gamecocks 22-3.
Game 1 of the Best-of-3 series will take place on Friday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPNU. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at 9 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.
If necessary, game 3 would take place on Sunday, May 24 at a time to be determined.
UCF鈥檚 Road to the NCAA Tournament
This year marks UCF’s 13th all-time appearance in the premiere postseason tournament.
UCF is one of seven Big 12 Conference teams selected to the tournament after producing a dominant regular season with 38 wins. Along the way, the Knights notched three victories over opponents ranked among the top 15 in the nation and a program-record 14 wins in Big 12 Conference play.
UCF, ranked at No. 23 heading into the postseason, has climbed as high as No. 15 in the national rankings this year, just two spots shy of their program-best record achieved in 2015 and 2022.
The NCAA Wo尘别苍鈥檚 College World Series will be held from May 28-June 4/5 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
