Isabella Vega, UCF pitchers ready for UCLA challenge: ‘Winning every pitch is going to be really important’
Isabella Vega had already done her part Sunday.
The UCF redshirt sophomore pitcher went the distance in the Knights’ first matchup against Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final, holding the Seminoles to two runs on three hits in a 2-1 loss.
Less than an hour later, Vega was back helping the Knights another way.
Before freshman Tori Payne took the ball for the winner-take-all regional final, Vega pulled Payne, Reagan Vokoun and Lena Elkins aside and shared what she had just seen from the Florida State lineup.
“I told them what I saw and what worked well and things that were really going to help them beat those hitters because they have a great offense,” Vega said. “Just being able to give them that information so they could take this team to the next step, I’m glad I was able to give them that and continue to help the team any way that I can.”
Payne then delivered the biggest outing of her young career, allowing one run over six innings as UCF beat No. 9 overall seed Florida State 4-2 to win the Tallahassee Regional and advance to the second Super Regional in program history.
A key moment came in the third inning when it appeared FSU scored three runs on a single, but two players in UCF’s dugout, Taylor Kittleman and Kayla Alexandre, urged Cindy Ball-Malone to challenge because they noticed the runner at second base left early. The challenge was won, and all three runs were wiped off the board.
For Vega, it was another example of what UCF has talked about all season: everyone has a role, and every role matters.
“I’m just so proud of every single person on this team,” Vega said. “Coach Bear said every role is different, but they all have equal value. I feel like that was a perfect example with getting that call.
“Yes, everything that happened on the field mattered, but the dugout is just as important. To see everyone play a part, it was just a great moment. I’m very proud of every single person on that team.”
Younger pitchers step up
UCF’s pitching staff has needed contributions from several arms throughout the season, and that continued in Tallahassee.
Vega has been one of the Knights’ most experienced and trusted options, but she said one of the most rewarding parts of the weekend was watching younger pitchers take advantage of their moment on the postseason stage.
“It’s so cool to see all the work they’ve put in throughout the year, from the fall all the way into the season, and seeing it pay off on the biggest stage in college softball,” Vega said. “I’m very proud of them, and I feel like they’ve done such a great job.
“They’re going to continue to take us even further this year.”
That belief now gets tested on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
UCF (41-17-1) travels to Los Angeles to face No. 8 seed UCLA (50-8) in a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional beginning Friday night at Easton Stadium. The Bruins are the winningest program in college softball history and bring a lineup that leads the nation with an NCAA single-season record 193 home runs. UCLA senior Megan Grant has hit an NCAA-record 40 home runs, while Jordan Woolery has added 34 more.
Vega knows the numbers. She also said UCF cannot change who it is because of the opponent.
“I don’t think anything changes,” Vega said. “I’ve worked so hard, and the team has worked so hard throughout the offseason and in-season to get to this moment. So it’s just executing our plan and being true to us and not changing just because of the name on the jersey.
“Just going out there and competing. Winning every pitch is going to be really important for us. And then, whatever happens, being able to flush it. One is one, and go win the next pitch. And then do the next after that.”
Staying in the moment
For Vega, the key this weekend is narrowing the stage.
UCF is two wins away from the first Women’s College World Series appearance in program history. UCLA has been there 33 times. The Bruins have the seed, the home field and one of the most powerful lineups college softball has seen.
Vega said the answer is not to make the moment smaller. It is to make the focus simpler.
“I just think it’s staying in the moment and feeding into my teammates,” Vega said. “That’s going to be the biggest thing. It’s not about me. It’s not about my performance.
“It’s about how am I going to get this team to the next step? How am I going to complete my assignment? Just not worrying about what happened before or what’s going to happen in the future, but just being in the moment and competing and winning each pitch.”
Against UCLA, that means discipline.
Vega said the Knights’ pitchers must avoid mistakes in the middle of the plate, mix speeds and trust the defense behind them.
“I just need to hit my spots and be disciplined with every single pitch,” Vega said. “Being able to use both sides of the plate, all quadrants of the plate and change speeds, I think that’s going to be huge.
“And completely trusting my defense. If the ball is put in play, I know my defense is going to have my back. They’re going to have every other pitcher’s back. No matter who’s out there, it’s staying disciplined to our plan, trusting what Coach Bear calls and being able to attack these hitters.”
Friday helped set the tone
Sunday produced the signature moment of the weekend, but Vega said UCF’s regional run began with another critical response.
The Knights opened the Tallahassee Regional with a 2-1, eight-inning win over Jacksonville State. It was not easy, but Vega said the way UCF handled that game helped set up everything that followed.
“I think that was a huge momentum shifter for the whole entire weekend,” Vega said. “Being able to come back from behind and then come out on top, that was huge for us.
“For me, going in there, I needed to do what the team needed right now, and that was to hold this offense. Just doing my job in that situation and feeding it to my team as much as possible because I know that if we continue to hold them, we have the big bats. We are the big dogs, and we are going to hit the ball and score some runs.”
That confidence carried through the weekend, even after the Knights were forced into a second game against Florida State on Sunday.
UCF responded by eliminating the Seminoles, snapping a 16-game losing streak against Florida State and earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament win over FSU.
‘We still have so much more to go’
Vega has credited Ball-Malone often for the way she has helped UCF’s pitchers develop, both physically and mentally.
“I’ve learned so much from her in my time here, both on the physical and mental side,” Vega said. “Without being coached like that, we don’t get our pitchers — and me specifically — we don’t go as far as we do.
“I’m just so grateful for everything she’s taught us. She’s going to continue to coach us up really hard, and we’re going to continue to go even further.”
Vega described Ball-Malone as calm enough to guide the moment, but intense enough to keep pushing the group forward.
“She’s intense, and we’re going to do it,” Vega said. “It’s positivity and pouring into each of us. We trust all the decisions she makes because it’s in the best interest of us.”
Now the Knights are two wins away from the stage every softball player dreams about. They have already made history by escaping Tallahassee and reaching Los Angeles. Vega made it clear they are not treating that as the finish line.
“I’m so excited,” Vega said. “Every softball player dreams of playing on the biggest stage and going to the World Series. To know that we made history by getting out of the Florida State Regional, that’s amazing for us.
“But we’re two wins away from being able to do what we set out to do. I’m very proud of us, but we still have so much more to go.”
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