{"id":1640,"date":"2026-05-24T18:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T18:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1640"},"modified":"2026-05-24T18:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T18:37:14","slug":"ucf-softball-coach-believes-best-is-yet-to-come-for-knights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1640","title":{"rendered":"UCF softball coach believes \u2018best is yet to come\u2019 for Knights"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The emotions were raw for UCF coach Cindy Ball-Malone, who wiped away tears as she reflected on the Knights\u2019 season following their 14-4 elimination loss to UCLA in Game 2 of the NCAA Super Regional in Los Angeles on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Read more SEC Spring Meetings center on CFP expansion, NIL uncertainty<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m emotional because it\u2019s kind of like being a parent,\u201d said Ball-Malone. \u201cYou can\u2019t blink because they grow up so fast. I have three boys and these guys are my daughters. Their parents let me borrow them for a few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see where they started and where they are now and what they\u2019re going to do, that\u2019s what these emotions come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

UCF (41-19-1) may not have finished as it would have liked \u2014 two wins shy of the Women\u2019s College World Series \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t take away from what the Knights were able to accomplish this season.<\/p>\n

And while this weekend\u2019s Super Regional may seem like a disastrous showing on paper for UCF, being swept by the Bruins and outscored 23-5, it was still a momentous moment for a program still relatively young in terms of college softball\u2019s rich history.<\/p>\n

It was just the second time in program history that the Knights advanced to a Super Regional. They faced top-ranked Oklahoma in 2022. The Sooners swept the series before going on to win their sixth WCWS title.<\/p>\n

Both Oklahoma and UCLA have long been considered bluebloods among the softball elite, having played the game for more than half a century. UCF, meanwhile, is a relative newcomer on the block, celebrating its 24th season in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t happen this year, but we\u2019re going to be there,\u201d said Ball-Malone. \u201cWe are and we\u2019re going to have to do it quicker than those two programs did it because that\u2019s what\u2019s going to be required.\u201d<\/p>\n

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UCF\u2019s season ends in Super Regional as UCLA advances to World Series<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n