TAMPA - The 2023 American Athletic Conference Championship is set to return to Tampa, Florida as South Florida plays host for the second time in tournament history.
AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP BACK IN TAMPA
For the second time in tournament history, the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship returns to the USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Florida. No. 4 Tulsa and No. 5 Houston (10 a.m. ET), No. 2 UCF and No. 7 Memphis (12:30 p.m. ET) and No. 3 South Florida and No. 6 East Carolina (3 p.m. ET) open the first round of the tournament on May 11 on ESPN+. The game one winner will meet No. 1 Wichita State in the first semifinal on May 12 at 12 p.m. (ET), airing on ESPNU, while the winners of games two and three square off at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN +. The 2023 American Softball Championship game is scheduled for May 13 at 11 a.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
WICHITA STATE EARNS TOP SEED FOR SECOND TIME
For a second time in three seasons, the Shockers secured the top regular season record in The American and the number one overall seed in the 2023 American Softball Championship. The Shockers finished 16-2 in league play, tying the record for most wins in an 18-game league schedule by any American team since 2014. (UCF - 2015, 2022). Wichita State won the tournament in 2021 when they were the top seed, defeating UCF 7-4 at the Collins Family Softball Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Shockers await the winner of No. 4 Tulsa and No. 5 Houston in the semifinals, previously taking two of three over the Cougars (April 14-16) and sweeping the Golden Hurricane (April 28-30).
THE LAST TIME THE TOURNAMENT WAS IN TAMPA
During the first tournament that was hosted by South Florida in 2018, Tulsa won its third straight tournament title with a 4-1 win over No. 1 seed South Florida. The Golden Hurricane were the No. 6 seed in the tournament and defeated each of the top three seeds, marking the lowest seed to win the championship. Tulsa defeated No. 3 Wichita State 3-1 in the first round, before taking down No. 2 Houston in the semifinals, 7-2.
MCKINNEY WINS SECOND AMERICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD; WILLIS UNANIMOUS PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Wichita State’s Sydney McKinney claimed her second Player of the Year Award in three seasons, and marked the third straight year a Shocker has won the award. batting average (.477), hits (31) and runs scored (30), while ranking third in on-base percentage (.527). McKinney was also drafted with the top overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball Draft on Monday night (May 8)
UCF’s Sarah Willis led the Knights with an 8-0 record in conference play, finishing the season as the only pitcher in The American with a sub 1.00 ERA. Across 62.0 innings, she held a 0.79 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts), while holding opposing batters to a conference-low .143 batting average.
THE AMERICAN IN RPI RANKINGS
The American has four teams ranked in the Top 100 of the NCAA D-I Softball RPI. Wichita State has an adjusted RPI of 20, while UCF has an RPI of 41, South Florida holds an RPI of 68 and Tulsa rounds out the group at 95. The winner of the 2023 American Softball Championship will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.