The 2016 National Pro Fast Pitch Softball League season is underway and three players from the UCF softball program are on opening day rosters.
Former UCF infielder Kahley Novak, who played for the Knights from 2012-2015, begins her second season in the NPF with the Dallas Charge. Novak was drafted 16th overall in the 2015 NPF Draft.
She hit .267 with seven stolen bases, which was among the leaders in the NPF. Novak is UCF’s all-time leader in stolen bases in a career. She was part of three NCAA Tournament teams (2012, 2014, 2015) and two American Conference regular season championships (2014, 2015). Novak also was part of the Knights 2015 American Conference Tournament champions as the Knights would go on to go 50-9 and finish No. 16 in the final national polls of the 2015 season.
This season Novak will not be the only Knight playing in the NPF.
Former UCF All-American pitcher Shelby Turnier begins her rookie season with the Chicago Bandits. Turnier was selected 11th overall in 2016 NPF Draft which is the highest any Knight has ever been drafted in the NPF.
“I am so thrilled to be able to continue playing the sport I love,” said Turnier via the Bandits press release. “As an athlete, you dread the day your career will come to an end and I can’t thank the Bandits organization enough for providing me the opportunity to extend my career.”
Turnier was an all-american in her junior season in 2015 and would end up finishing as a top-10 finalist for College Softball Player of the Year. That same season, Turnier was named the 2015 American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and led the NCAA in ERA with 0.87.
Turnier was the first UCF Softball pitcher to get to 80 career wins. Turnier also was the first Knight to start in three different NCAA Tournament regionals as Turnier helped lead the Knights to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances 2014-2016.
Turnier also guided the Knights to two American Conference regular season championships (2014, 2015) and the American Conference Tournament championship, where Turnier pitched a one-hit shutout in the win over Tulsa at the UCF Softball Complex. Turnier also became the third Knight pitcher of all-time to reach 800 career strikeouts joining Kime and Mackenzie Audas.
“Shelby is going to be a big addition to our rotation this season,” said Chicago Bandits General Manager Aaron Moore via Bandits Press Release. “She is a pitcher that was very successful in her collegiate career and we think she will continue that success in a Bandits uniform.”
Turnier will have a familiar face on the team when the Bandits season starts Thursday in her former catcher at UCF, Samantha McCloskey. McCloskey made the Bandits after trying out for the Bandits last weekend.
According to the Bandits Press Release, McCloskey impressed at tryouts with a level swing that can generate power from the right side.
McCloskey played for the Bandits in Chicago’s exhibition game Sunday night against Indiana. McCloskey started the game and made an immediate impact throwing out a base runner trying to steal second base. McCloskey also started at catcher on Monday night as the Bandits played an exhibition against the Men’s Minor League Baseball team Southern Illinois Miners, which also saw Turnier’s debut as a Bandit. She struck out four Miners in two innings of relief.
McCloskey caught Turnier for most of the four years they played together at UCF. McCloskey finished tied for third all-time at UCF softball in career home runs and in top 10 in career slugging percentage.
McCloskey was part of three UCF NCAA Tournament teams (2014-2016) and two American Conference regular season championships (2014, 2015). In the 2015 American Conference Championship Game, Turnier and McCloskey put on memorable performances with Turnier pitching a one-hit shutout and McCloskey hitting one of if not the most memorable home runs in UCF softball history.
Her walk off home run against the Tulsa Golden hUrricanes delivered the tournament title to the Knights..
Novak, Turnier and McCloskey will always be link to the magical 2015 UCF Softball season, The greatest Knights team in program history.
Now Novak, Turnier and McCloskey will also be linked to another part of history for UCF softball program as the three of them will embark on this NPF season.
Novak will see Turnier and McCloskey next week as the Bandits host Novak’s Dallas Charge from June 8-10. The Bandits come to Central Florida July 16-18 to take on the USSSA Pride at the Wide World of Sports.
Novak, Turnier and McCloskey are three of six former UCF Softball players to play in the NPF joining the following names below.
You can follow McCloskey and Turnier with the Chicago Bandits on ChicagoBandits.com as they will provide radio and video coverage throughout the season.
You can follow Kahley Novak and the Dallas Charge all season long at DallasCharge.com.
Johnny Dawkins Talks UCF Basketball on Sportstalk 1080am Orlando
UCF men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins appeared on Sportstalk 1080 AM’s “Tuck and O’Neill” last Thursday. Dawkins talked to Jerry O’Neill and I.
Among the topics Dawkins discussed included what drew him to coming to UCF and the potential the program has.
“We have to believe,” Dawkins said. “We’ve been a sleeping giant. UCF has greatness written all over it. Now it’s about making it happen. I think there’s a lot of potential. We have to make it happen. You can’t do it without believing. We have to get them believing and confident and two, understanding the only way we’re gonna get there is to outwork people. We have to be a blue-collar type team with a great work ethic. Outwork people for what we want. It takes time to instill that type of culture and mindset.”
I asked Dawkins if his roster for the 2017 was finalized with all the turnover of players transferring into and out of the program.
“We’re still looking to add to our roster before the basketball season starts,” Dawkins said. “We have a few more opportunities to recruit some players, so we’re gonna do that. I do like the young men that we have. We have work to do. When you’re installing a new system offensively and defensively, it takes time to adjust to your culture. Tacko [Fall] can be as good as he wants to be. B.J. [Taylor] was injured all of last year so I want to get him healthy. I think he has a promising career as well. I look forward to building with those types of young men in our program.”
Jerry O’Neill followed by with a question to Dawkins about Tacko Fall.
“He has a lot of potential,” Dawkins said about Fall. “We have to show him the path. The one thing I like about Tacko is he’s very coachable. He wants to learn. He’s hungry to get better. Those are qualities you need. His willingness to be coached is going to carry him a long way.”
Dawkins also discussed how College Basketball has changed since he played as well talked NBA, The one and done rule in basketball and much more. You can listen to Interview below:
Orlando ranked best city for soccer
If anyone needed any more proof Orlando had become Soccer City USA, WalletHub has the answer.
WalletHub evaluated cities across the country and determined Orlando was the top soccer city in the country. This is more validation for what a lot of Orlando residents already know.
The study compared cities on several metrics ranging from ticket prices to team performance. Orlando came out on top in the overall, finishing second in MLS and fifth in NWSL.
