Willis was named the National Division I Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week

ORLANDO The accolades just keep piling up Sarah Willis.

After a dominant weekend that included a pair of shutouts and the third complete game in UCF softball program history and the first complete game in seven innings by a Knight, Willis has become the third hitter in program history. National Division I Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors.

Willis joins the ranks of other right-handers Gianna Mancha and Shelby Turnier in the exclusive club, becoming the first Knights pitcher since Mancha on March 15, 2021, to receive national recognition. Turnier was honored with the national Division I Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week award on three separate occasions during the 2015 season.

“I just try to be like that Jada Cody and Shannon Doherty and get to those UCF all-time records, and I just did that today. It feels great to do it with Carson [Frier]”, Willis said with a smile after his perfect game Friday night. “Just working all season, I’ve been trying to get my pitching to where it is now. Focusing more on pitching makes me locked into just pitching. Whatever I have to do for the team, I’m going to do it.”

In all, Willis threw 14 innings without allowing a single run between his two starts against Houston, allowing just two hits, striking out seven and posting a batting average of just .047 in his two shutouts. He also pushed his personal scoreless inning streak to 26 straight, stretching back to his third inning at South Florida that began on April 21.

His efforts throughout the weekend lowered his season ERA to 1.69 through his first 111.2 innings was able to cover 28 appearances (20 starts), a mark that represents the third lowest in the American Athletic Conference.

His .182 batting average is tied with his teammate Grace Jewell lowest in the conference and represents the lone mark under .200 in the American as well. He also recorded his sixth and seventh complete games of the season separately, leading the team in the class, and posted his third and fourth shutouts of the campaign.

In conference play, no one in The American has been better than Willis. His conference 0.67 ERA (52 IP, 5 ER) is the lowest in the AAC by nearly a full run, and his .133 batting average is also the best in the conference heading into the Knights’ weekend series at Memphis. He is also the only qualified American pitcher to allow just one home run in conference play.

“I just told myself, ‘Good spots in good spots,’ because I hadn’t missed much. Carson backed me up,” Willis added Friday night. “I just knew the whole team was going to have my back, from Carson to the outfielders, because the outfielders are the last line of defense.”

Overall, Willis has also allowed one run or less in 11 of his last 12 games for 24. March against the conference-leading Wichita State Shockers. He has also allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last 12 games. 0.74 ERA (56.2 IP, 6 ER) and five complete games, 40 strikeouts and .146 batting average against in that span.

Dating back to the start of his incredible run in the second half of the season, the Knights’ Feb. 23 Gardner-Webb doubleheader, Willis has posted a 0.95 ERA over his last 95.1 innings spanning 22 appearances (16 starts). . He has pitched each of his seven complete games in that span. He has gone 83:35 with a strikeout and a walk and limited his opposition to a .153 batting average.

“It’s pretty incredible,” the head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said Friday night. “And that speaks to what Sarah has really done since she’s been here, the changes she’s made and how hard she works.”