The UCF Knights Softball is expected to make a 12th appearance in a NCAA Softball regional. The Knights will make history when their name is officially called on Sunday night, becoming only the sixth Division 1 sport to make a fifth-straight NCAA Tournament.
Five-Straight Tournaments
Sport
Years
Full streak length
Sport
Years
Full streak length
Women’s Soccer
2007-2015
9
Women’s Golf
2017-2025
8
Softball
2021-2025
5
Women’s Tennis
2018-2023
5
Volleyball
2018-2022
5
Rowing
2015-2019
5
Volleyball*
1977-1981
5
Men’s Tennis^
1974-1978
5
*= AIAW Tournament, ^= NCAA Division 2 Tournament
The Knight’s resume is solid with an RPI of 30, which would be the 4th best RPI ranking of any of the 12 NCAA Tournament teams, trailing only the 2014, 2015 and 2022 regional teams. The Knights went 33-22-1 with the 19th toughest schedule in the country and 10th toughest non-conference schedule. Both are the program’s toughest schedules ever.
But the biggest question is where will they go? Here is my breakdown of the likely scenarios:
Scenario 1 – Gainesville Regional
Bryson Turner
UCF has played in a Gainesville Regional six previous times (05,08,10,12,14,16) but has not been sent there since 2016. So, they are overdue for being sent there.
If UCF is sent there. They will be the No. 2 seed and will play in all likelihood the Florida Atlantic Owls, who have won back-to-back AAC regular season titles and have a RPI of 31. The Knights beat the Owls in the regular season 3-0 in Boca Raton back on February 26th.
UCF Head Coach Cindy Ball-Malone and Florida Head Coach Tim Walton embrace following the Knights’ 4-0 win over the Gators on Mar. 26.
Brenna Johnson
The host Florida Gators will likely be anywhere nationally seeded 3-5. I have projected on D1Softball this scenario with Florida as my national 3 seed. UCF knocked off Florida on March 26th.
Scenario 2- Tallahassee Regional
Florida State Seminoles head coach Lonni Alameda
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The Knights have become familiar with traveling to Tallahassee, having been sent there in 3 of the last 4 regionals (2021,2023-2024). Florida State figures to be a Top 5 national seed.
What is interesting is that if UCF gets sent to Tallahassee, they will likely be paired with the South Florida Bulls, who won the AAC Tournament championship on Saturday over North Texas. UCF and USF last played in 2023, with the Knights sweeping the Bulls in the AAC Conference series. UCF would be the 2 seed for just the 2nd time in a Tallahassee regional with the other coming in 2015.
3rd Scenario- Travel Out of the State
Oklahoma’s Ailana Agbayani (50) gets caught in a rundown in between UCF’s Beth Damon (80) and Sierra Humphreys (8) in the second inning of the college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the UCF Knights at Love’s Field in Norman, Okla., Friday, April, 4, 2025.
SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Perhaps in a year of many firsts, the Knights could get shipped out of state for a regional for the first time in program history. The committee could decide that FAU should be a 2 seed in Gainesville and Mississippi State should be the 2 seed in Tallahassee. That would mean the Knights would need to get shipped out as a 2 seed elsewhere.
Non-Florida regional Sites that UCF could travel to include Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas, and LSU. The opponents of the Knights would likely be a three-seed Big Ten schools like Washington, Michigan, Indiana or mid-major conference champions like UConn, Omaha as an example.
The Knights will learn their postseason fate during the NCAA Softball Tournament Selection Show on Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.