Coach Renee Luers-Gillispie showed her team a video highlighting and paying tribute to a senior class that has literally built UCF from the ground up. It was hard not to get emotional for this final game for some of the program’s foundational players for a noon first pitch.
Perhaps on that emotional pull, UCF got off to a bit of a slow start. A walk from Shelby Turnier on the first at bat. What has made this group so great though is how it turns that corner quickly and puts teams away.
In the bottom of the first inning Jessica Ujvari kicked off her senior day with a two-run home run and everything seemed to settle down. The emotions of the day ended and even with no American Conference seeding to play for, the Knights took care of their business heading into the conference tournament this week in Tulsa.
UCF picked up runs in the third, fourth and fifth inning to defeat East Carolina 5-0 at the UCF Softball Complex on Sunday, completing a 35-19, 12-4 American regular season.
“When I was up there to bat, I just wanted to do what I can do to get on top to get all my seniors to get in this game,” Ujvari said. “It means so much. We wanted this game. To get this win was really something special and to do it on our home field, it’s something we are going to remember and never forget. These girls side by side from freshman to senior class, it was amazing.”
UCF got many of its seniors in the game and many contributed.
It started with Ujvari hitting her home run to give the Knights that cushion they needed. It was Ujvari’s eighth home run of the season.
Her sister Jamie Ujvari came in to pitch the seventh inning, striking out one and giving up a hit to close the door. She set a UCF season record for saves with four this year.
Seniors got their opportunities to play their final game at home. Including pitcher Mackenzie Huhn making a rare appearance in the sixth inning, giving up just one hit in an otherwise flawless inning. Seniors Taylor Wagner and Kirsten Foster also came in to pinch hit and pinch run in the game.
The “star” of the senior class and the key to the team is pitcher Shelby Turnier. She pitched five innings giving up just one hit and striking out six, dominating the East Carolina lineup.
She recorded her 800th strikeout during the game, becoming just the third UCF player to reach that career plateau. Her win also tied the UCF career wins mark at 78.
“You saw how many years of her battling back and forth with Mackenzie Audas, those two were inseparable,” Gillispie said. “To see her come out and be able to get that record today for the most wins, it wouldn’t be more fitting than for that to happen on her senior day. She has more games to go. We will see what happens in the next two weeks.”
Getting the early lead gave the Knights the chance to take all the emotions in and celebrate this great senior class.
When Turnier and her teammates arrived on campus in 2012 for the 2013 season, the Knights program did not have much of a history. The team finished 29-25 and 10-14 in Conference USA that first year.
As they depart though, the Knights have won two conference regular season titles, one American Conference Softball Tournament title, gained the team’s first national top-25 ranking in program history and make two NCAA Softball Tournament appearances.
The Knights should be considered a favorite to win the American Conference tournament this year — having won every series in conference this season. They have become perennial powers in the American Conference.
“This senior class has helped build this program up from the bottom up,” Turnier said. “We had a freshman year that was unlike any other. It was hard, we weren’t playing well. We literally came from rock bottom all the way to the top. We have been on one of the worst teams to come through UCF and one of the best teams. I’m so grateful to be a part of that.”
What the Knights have built has become incredible.
This final game at home for this senior class was something written out of a storybook. It was the perfect atmosphere to get all the seniors a chance on the field. A great way to salute a group that has built and accomplished so much with UCF.
The Knights were in cruise control Sunday. They made plays throughout the game to extend the lead and simply pull away. A few singles in the second scored Linnea Goodman. Two more singles got Willow Kalinen on base and scored here in the fourth inning. A double from Jessica Ujvari and a single from senior Samantha McCloskey finished things off in the fifth.
That is all the Knights needed. The Pirates were not threatening and taking this moment away from hem.
Still the moment had to end. The journey in Orlando for these seniors came to a close. There will be no more games at the UCF Softball Complex and only the tournament games remain. There is still a lot to accomplish for this group.
As a few of the seniors described it, saying goodbye was bittersweet. But there is still a part of their story to write.
“It’s bittersweet,” Turnier said. “I can’t believe we’ve reached this point. I can’t believe it is my last home game as a Knight. I’m excited because I think there is a lot left for this season for us.”
