UCF outfielder Taylor Kittleman did not record a single at-bat during the college softball regional and did not play in the field. She still managed to be responsible for the biggest moment of the game while standing inside the dugout.
The redshirt sophomore urged for a challenge that had a direct impact on the final score.
There may not be a more crucial call during the entire college softball postseason. The Knights would not be two wins away from the Women’s College World Series without Kittleman.
UCF defeated Florida State.
The University of Central Florida founded its college softball program in 2002. The Knights have made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances over the last 24 years.
They punched their ticket to the Super Regional round for the second time in program history on Sunday.
UCF was the beneficiary of a massive upset in Tallahassee. Florida State, the No. 9 overall seed, lost to Stetson during the first round. It had to play its way back into the Regional Final through the losers bracket. UCF, which barely escaped Jacksonville State in the first round, defeated Stetson in only five innings during the second round to reach the Regional Final at 2-0. Florida State eventually reached the Regional Final at 2-1.
With how the regionals are formatted, as a double elimination bracket, the Seminoles needed to beat the Knights twice on Sunday to advance to the next round. The Knights only needed to win once.
Florida State won the first game by a score of 2-1. UCF won the second game by a score of 4-2.
However, the score would’ve flipped in the other direction if not for a savvy coaches decision that stemmed from the dugout. It changed the entire game.
Taylor Kittleman called for a college softball challenge.
UCF was up 2-1 in the top of the third inning. Florida State had the bases loaded with two outs.
The Seminoles knocked a ground ball right up the middle. Three runs scored for the home team in part because of an errant throw to home from the outfield. The home team took a 4-2 lead. But not for long!
The Knights asked the umpiring crew to review the play for a baserunning goof. All three runs were ultimately wiped off of the board.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Kittleman noticed that Florida State’s baserunner left early. She told head coach Cindy Ball-Malone to call for a challenge. The challenge was deemed successful.
We got you, Greg!
— SpaceKnights (@TheSpaceKnights) May 18, 2026
WATCH: The most important replay review in UCF Softball history.
Video credit: @espn https://t.co/z1Mk74VW38 pic.twitter.com/gXA2arghYL
Because it was ruled that the baserunner left early, all three runs were vacated. The score was changed from 4-2 back to 2-1. The Knights went on to win 4-2. They would’ve lost by one without the challenge.
Kittleman, who did not record a single at-bat in the game, made the biggest play of the entire Regional to lead her team to victory over an in-state rival and to keep her team’s season alive. All from the bench.