where it will take on Florida International (35-21) in the opening round of the Gainesville Regional May 21, hosted by No. 4 overall seed Florida. Game times are yet to be determined.
“In eighteen years of coaching, this is the first time I have had a team earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament,” head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. “It is so great to see C-USA being recognized as a strong Division I conference by having three teams make the tournament.”
The host Gators (43-8) and Bethune-Cookman (32-22) will also participate in the four-team regional which follows a double-elimination format.
The at-large selection to the tournament is the first for the Black and Gold in its nine-year history, while it will be the third time in three appearances in the NCAA Tournament that the Knights will be playing at Katie Seashole Pressley Softball Stadium.
The last time UCF made an appearance was in 2008, when it won the C-USA Championship title game against then No. 9 Houston in Houston, Texas. During their impressive run at the Gainesville Regional that year, the Knights posted a 3-2 record, defeating USF, Georgia Tech and then-No. 1 Florida, before falling to the Gators in the Regional final to end their record-breaking season.