USF Softball: Closing in on a Couple of Milestones

After early morning showers, the day opened to a beautiful typical warm Florida day. The USF Bulls softball team was amid a USF Tournament. Along with USF, the other five teams that were involved were Louisville Cardinals, Central Michigan Chippewas, Villanova Wildcats, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, and Georgia Southern Eagles. The final game of the tournament for the Bulls comes on Monday afternoon as they play the Wildcats. Up till this point, they are 3-1 so far. The last win for USF got them closer to two important milestones of the softball program. With the win over the Chippewas, the Bulls get closer to 1,500 wins as a program, and head coach Ken Eriksen is nearing 1,100 wins for his career. USF beat Central Michigan 3-0 to give the Bulls 15 wins in 2024.

Belle Sardja and Payton Dixon both combined for a complete game shutout. Dixon got her seventh win this season throwing five innings. Sardja threw the final two innings in a save situation. She got through those final two innings and with that, her third save of 2024. Both pitchers combined for only one hit, nine strikeouts, and three walks. The three runs came from second baseman Kathy Garcia-Soto, right fielder Olivia Elliott, and center fielder Jordyn Kadlub. USF got off to a good start with scoring a run in the first. The other two runs came in the fifth and sixth to add to their lead. The three runs came on four hits. On the other hand, the Chippewas struggled with only one hit and committed one error. Central Michigan went through three pitchers in the game.

It is marvelous what is going on in Tampa on the USF campus. The softball team is playing well. The football team came off their first winning season including a bowl win in 2018. The men’s basketball team won on Sunday and won the regular season conference championship and are currently on a 14-game winning streak. The indoor track team won their first conference championship. The USF Bulls now have 1,500+ wins as a program and Eriksen now has 1,100 wins as a coach. USF is one of eight teams in the country to shut out seven or more opponents. This is a good way for the softball team to start their 2024 season. Monday’s game will be the last out-of-conference game for the regular season. On Friday, March 8th they have a three-game series against the Charlotte 49ers at home.

With the two wins over the Villanova, they are now 17-6 heading into conference play. It seems that the team that was started to come together at the right time. One of the great plays from the Central Michigan game was when Jordyn Kadlub stole home to score USF’s second run. The Bulls have a doubleheader versus the Wildcats one game starting at 3 pm and the other at 5:30 pm. All fans are hoping for a clean sweep in the doubleheader. So far, things great for USF Bulls softball and head coach Ken Eriksen.

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