The Florida Atlantic University (FAU) softball team will start its 2026 season by hosting the Paradise Classic at Joan Joyce Field, FAU Softball Stadium, in Boca Raton. The tournament will take place from Thursday, February 5, to Sunday, February 8. Teams joining the Owls include Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Stonehill, and Delaware. Army will also participate in neutral-site games.
FAU’s opening game is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. against Indiana. On Friday, they will play Ohio State at the same time. The team will then compete against Wisconsin on Saturday and finish the event with games versus Stonehill and Delaware on Sunday. All FAU games will be streamed live on FAUSports.com; neutral matchups can be viewed on FloSports.
Head Coach Jordan Clark is entering her fourth season with the program and holds a record of 121-48. According to FAU, this gives her the 14th best winning percentage among active coaches with multiple years of experience. Clark and her staff have been recognized as American Conference Coaching Staff of the Year for both 2024 and 2025.
“Florida Atlantic was ranked No. 1 in the American Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll,” according to information released by the university.
Senior pitcher Autumn Courtney was named a unanimous American Conference Pitcher of the Year and became the fifth All-American in program history. Senior catcher Chloe Yeatts returns after setting a new single-season record for RBIs with 54 and earning first-team All-Conference honors last year.
Redshirt junior outfielder Kylie Hammonds ended last season reaching base in 26 consecutive games and did so in 53 out of her 57 appearances during the year as an All-Conference first team selection. Senior third baseman Jesiana Mora received both American Defensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Conference second team.
Pitcher Ainsley Lambert comes back as the program’s all-time saves leader after leading NCAA Division I softball nationally with 11 saves in 2025. Sophomore outfielder Bella Foran was selected as a Freshman All-American by D1Softball and made second-team All-Conference while leading The American with a .419 batting average.
As a group, Florida Atlantic finished last season ranked second nationally in fielding percentage at .983.
Tournament passes are available for $30 for all games or $10 per day. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or by contacting FAU’s ticket office by phone or email.
To follow updates about FAU softball throughout the season, fans are encouraged to follow @FAUSoftball on social media.
