Isabella Vega, Top Bats Return as UCF Softball Eyes Big XII Title
UCF Softball is Poised for a Big 2026
There is great softball down in Florida at all levels, but when you are talking collegiately Florida sits near the top for one of the hotbeds of softball. One team that has been around for quite some time now and is a consistent competitor in major college softball, you have to look at UCF.
The Golden Knights from the Big XII return off a 35-24-1 2025 season that ended in the NCAA Austin Regional where they went down to the eventual national champion Texas Longhorns. Now, a new year has arrived and the season is just a couple of weeks from go time, and Coach Cindy Ball-Malone and the Knights are ready to go.
The Knights return their top three hitters in Sierra Humphreys, Aubrey Evans, and Izzy Mertes, all who hit .315 or better in 2025 and accounted for 22 of the team’s 46 total home runs. The Knights overall have great production coming back. Catcher Beth Damon accounted for eight home runs and 37 RBIs as well.
In the circle, UCF brings back their ace in sophomore Isabella Vega, who had a breakout redshirt-freshman year that saw her go 14-7 with a 1.70 ERA across 135.2 innings pitched. Vega was named a Freshman All-American by both D1Softball and Softball America and threw a no-hitter against Kansas on May 2, 2025.
She picked up multiple national weekly awards throughout the season and is going to be a huge piece for what the Knights want to accomplish.
Another key piece coming back is sophomore infielder Coco Jaimes, who really came on strong down the stretch last season. Jaimes hit her first career home run in the NCAA Tournament against Eastern Illinois and went on to hit .667 (8-for-12) during that weekend in Austin.
In UCF’s final 14 games of 2025, she was their leading hitter at .471 with eight RBIs. The California native had a pair of three-hit games against Michigan in the Regional and looks like she’s going to be a big part of this lineup.
UCF also added some help through the transfer portal, bringing in rising senior outfielder Carley Jo Penner from Kent State. Penner started all 51 games for the Golden Flashes last season. She had a season-long five-game hitting streak from April 20-26, going 7-for-19 and recorded two doubles in that span. Originally from Wintersville,Ohio she chose UCF because of the culture and the competitive attitude that Ball-Malone and her staff have built.
“I wanted to reach my full potential in my last year, and I really thought that UCF would definitely be a good fit for that,” she told myself and Ricky Bumgardner Jr., on the Mays Sports Media Podcast.
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Jaimes and Penner joined the Mays Sports Media Podcast on Monday, and they are ready to go for the season. The Knights are ready to build on to what was started last season. You can catch the full podcast episode on YouTube or anywhere you listen to your podcasts.
As for freshmen, there are always several that breakout every year in college softball. Infielder Kendall Trimm and pitcher Ava Stuewe are tabbed as potential breakouts for the upcoming season, as D1Softball included them on the Top 100 Freshman Watchlist.
Softball America added, outfielder Ayala Durant, two-way player Hildie Dempsey, pitcher Reagan Vokoun, and pitcher Tori Payne as well as Trimm and Stuewe also. Seems the Golden Knights have a lot of potential in their dugout this spring.
The schedule is no joke either. UCF has a 54-game slate that includes 12 opponents who made the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including two that made it to the Women’s College World Series in Florida and Texas Tech. Speaking of the National Runner-Up Red Raiders, they’re also the defending Big 12 champions and will be coming to Orlando March 20-22 in what should be one of the biggest series of the year.
Ball-Malone is entering her eighth season at UCF and has a 51-22 record against in-state opponents during her time there. She’s led the Knights to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances and has a 251-129-3 overall record with UCF. She recently signed a contract extension through 2029, so she’s not going anywhere.
“Orlando is home, UCF is home, and this team, this program and everyone who’s in it are so unique, and it’s very difficult to recreate what we have here. The people, atmosphere and everyone involved in Knight nation are what make it so special, and I couldn’t be more appreciative to Terry Mohajir and this university for this opportunity to continue on in my coaching career here,” she said via UCF Athletics.
The Knights will kick things off Feb. 5-8 when they host the Black and Gold Classic at the UCF Softball Complex. Opening day features games against Boston University and CSU Bakersfield, and the classic also includes matchups with Duke, Maryland, and Buffalo throughout the weekend.
Stay tuned to Mays Sports Media for more college softball news, features, and more throughout the season.
Featured Image Credit: UCF Athletics
