Friday, Feb. 19
#24 UCF
4 p.m.
UCF Softball Complex
Orlando, Fla.
ESPN+
Live Stats

Saturday, Feb. 20
#24 UCF
1 p.m.
UCF Softball Complex
Orlando, Fla.
ESPN+
Live Stats


Sunday, Feb. 21
#24 UCF
11 a.m.
UCF Softball Complex
Orlando, Fla.
ESPN+
Live Stats


LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The NM State softball squad will look to get back on track against 24th-ranked UCF in a three game series against the Knights. The Aggies come into the series 1-3 after back-to-back losses to Liberty on Monday at The Spring Games. UCF took three games against Florida Gulf Coast last weekend with the Eagles stealing a game from the Knights on Sunday. All three games will be played at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando, Fla. and can be seen live on ESPN+ with a paid subscription. 

Opening Weekend
Opening weekend was anything but normal for the Aggies, as they had four games postponed due to weather at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla. The Aggies opened up the season with a 3-0 loss to Middle Tennessee but bounced back with a 6-3 win over ACC foe Pittsburgh. The Aggies were scheduled to play Liberty and Middle Tennessee on Saturday morning but those games would be rained out. The Aggies then rescheduled a doubleheader for Middle Tennessee on Sunday morning, but Mother Nature had different plans, and those games would not be played. The Aggies finally took the field against Liberty in a doubleheader on Monday, but the Flames powerful offense was too much to handle, as they dropped the Aggies in two straight games. 

A bright spot for the Aggies was redshirt freshman Ramsay Lopez, as she picked up right where she left off in the 2020 season. Lopez hit .364 with two home runs and four RBIs. She also drew two walks which put her on base in six out of her 11 at-bats. Redshirt freshmen Matalasi Faapito and Hailey Tanori also had a solid start to their season in the batter's box. Both Tanori and Faapito hit .333 with Faapito knocking in an RBI against Pittsburgh. Tanori used her speed to become a serious threat on the base paths going 3-for-3 in stolen bases on the weekend. She also recorded a double on a bunt down the third base line. 

In the circle, the Aggies flexed their pitching on day one of The Spring Games, as Faapito got the start in the first game against Middle Tennessee. Faapito would go six innings while giving up eight hits but just three runs. In the following game against Pittsburgh, redshirt freshman Felicia De La Torre was nothing short of great, as she would go five innings and allowed just three runs on three hits and career-high eight strikeouts. Junior Chloe Rivas would come in for relief for De La Torre against Pittsburgh and would allow just one hit in two innings to record her first save of the season. 

Scouting the Knights
The Knights come into their matchup with the Aggies 3-1 after taking three games in a four game series against Florida Gulf Coast to open up the season. The Knights will be led by redshirt senior Jazmine Esparaza who hit a staggering .600 in four games against FGCU with two RBIs. The Knights also received a pleasant surprise with the emergence of freshman Kennedy Searcy. Searcy hit .500 on the weekend with one home run and five RBIs. She drew two walks and was also 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts. In the circle, the Knights will be led by 2019 First Team All-AAC pitcher Alea White. On opening weekend, White made two starts for the Knigts and recorded a 2.92 ERA in 12 innings. She allowed just five runs on 11 hits and struck out 11 batters in her two starts.

The Knights are coached by Cindy Ball-Malone who is in her third season with the Knights. She posts a 58-27-1 record at UCF and led the Knights to a program-best 16-2 start in 2020.

The Series
The Aggies are 2-2 all-time against the Knights. The last time these teams met was in 2016 with UCF defeating the Aggies in a two game series. UCF will be the Aggies first game against a nationally-ranked opponent since Mar. 6, 2020, when they defeated 17th-ranked Arizona State. The Aggies will be looking for just their 12th win over a nationally-ranked opponent when they face the Knights this weekend.

++NM State++