Cindy Ball-Malone doesn’t need a lesson on the history of UCLA softball.
UCF’s softball coach grew up about 30 minutes away from the Bruins campus in nearby Simi Valley. It’s where she attended her first collegiate game and witnessed the program’s rich traditions and multiple national championships firsthand.
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“They’re the Alabama of softball,” Ball-Malone said, referring to the program’s dominance similar to that of Alabama football. “Growing up, what I knew and what I was aware of and just the tradition there is so amazing. They have some of the greatest softball players coming out of there.”
When Ball-Malone found out her UCF team would be facing UCLA in the NCAA’s Los Angeles Super Regional this weekend, she was excited for the chance.
“What an awesome opportunity for us to go in and get it done,” she said on Tuesday. “The norm is for a program like UCLA to move past it and move on. If we’re true disruptors, then we’re going to take this task, this mission and keep it our thing. We’re just going to keep playing against our best selves.”
UCF (41-17-1) advanced to just its second super regional after defeating Florida State, 4-2, in Game 7 of the Tallahassee Regional on Sunday. It was the first postseason win over the Seminoles in seven previous attempts.
The last time the Knights reached a super regional was in 2022, when they were swept by top-seeded Oklahoma in Norman. The Sooner would go on to capture their sixth World Series title that season.
UCLA (50-8) rolled through the Los Angeles Regional, defeating Cal-Baptist, 12-11, in the opener, followed by a 7-2 win over No. 7-seed South Carolina on Saturday and a 15-1 win over the Gamecocks in the regional finals on Sunday.
The Bruins are searching for their third straight appearance and 35th overall trip to the College World Series in Stillwater, Ok. The program has won 13 national championships and finished as runner-ups seven times.
Despite overwhelming odds, the Knights aren’t going to play scared.
“That’s a good program, a lot of rich history there, but we’re just focusing on ourselves,” said senior shortstop Aubrey Evans. “We know we’re a great program, we have nothing to lose if we go out there and play Knights’ softball the way we know how to.”
UCLA leads the nation in slugging percentage (.836) and home runs (193), thanks to a lineup that features Softball America’s Player of the Year, first baseman Jordan Woolery, All-Americans Aleena Garcia, Bri Alejandre and outfielder Megan Grant, who was one of three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
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The Knights, meanwhile, feature the third-best pitching staff in the Big 12, with a staff ERA of 2.96.
“I hear they’re pretty good, those hitters,” Ball-Malone said jokingly about UCLA’s lineup. “I don’t think anybody in the country has a pitching staff like us. I don’t know any other team in the country that has the pitching staff that we have. Yes, there are teams in the country that have pitchers; we have a pitching staff, so we’re going to utilize it to the best of our abilities and then we’re going to play against our best selves.”
“They can take on any lineup in the nation,” added sophomore catcher Beth Damon, who is batting .300 with a home run and 5 RBIs in the postseason. “They all have good stuff, they’re all very different looks and they’re all very good at what they do. I have full faith in them that they can take on anyone.”
Isabella Vega, who has been UCF’s top pitcher this season, appeared in three of the Knights’ four regional games this weekend. The redshirt sophomore right-hander has an 18-9 record with 39 appearances and a team-best 149 ⅔ innings.
“I’ve worked so hard and the team has worked so hard throughout the offseason and in-season to get to this moment, so we just need to execute our plan and be true to us and not change just because of the name on the jersey.”
Ball-Malone isn’t the only Knight making her return home this weekend.
Center fielder Samantha Rey, second baseman Sierra Humphreys, third baseman Coco Jaimes and left fielder Izzy Mertes all grew up in California.
“It’s a really cool way to have a little homecoming,” Jaimes said. “You grow up hearing all about that program, being a Californian, so to go there and play on that field and with this team, it’s gonna be a really cool experience.”
“I didn’t think I was ever going to be a coach and here I am, being able to bring this team from the home that I never expected to be on the East Coast, my home, and I love it. Our family loves it and now we get to bring them both together,” said Ball-Malone.
Up next …
UCF (41-17-1) at UCLA (50-8)
When: 9 p.m., Friday; 10 p.m., Saturday; Sunday, if necessary
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles
TV: ESPNU (Friday), ESPN (Saturday)
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
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