The University of Central Florida softball team saw six of its players recognized in the annual end-of-season All-Big 12 Conference awards, as announced by the conference office on May 6. This comes after a strong regular season in which the Knights secured a program-record 14 wins in Big 12 play and achieved a total of 38 victories.
The recognition highlights UCF’s growing presence in the Big 12 Conference and marks another milestone for the program, surpassing previous years when five players were honored. The selections include second baseman Sierra Humphreys and right-handed pitcher Isabella Vega on the All-Big 12 First Team, while shortstop Aubrey Evans, catcher Beth Damon, and outfielders Izzy Mertes and Samantha Rey earned spots on the Second Team.
Vega was noted for her dominant performance as UCF’s leading pitcher this season, achieving career bests with a 2.88 ERA over 136 innings pitched, five saves—tying a single-season program record—and earning winning decisions in eleven conference games. She also threw her first perfect game during a series against Houston and was recognized multiple times as Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.
Humphreys received her first First Team selection after setting new personal records across several offensive categories including batting average (.387), home runs (13), RBI (56), and slugging percentage (.742). Her performance included key contributions against ranked opponents such as Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, along with national recognition from D1Softball.com.
Damon excelled both offensively—with fourteen home runs—and defensively by catching fifteen runners stealing this season. Evans matched or surpassed several career highs at shortstop while maintaining one of the lowest strikeout rates in conference play. Mertes built on last year’s freshman honors with eleven home runs and consistent run production throughout high-profile matchups. Rey returned to postseason recognition by posting team-leading batting averages during conference games.
UCF Athletics describes itself as committed to transforming students’ lives through academics and athletics while representing both university and community at a national level.
