The Florida Atlantic University softball team is set to play at home against Florida Gulf Coast University on Wednesday at Joan Joyce Field. The game, which starts at 6 p.m., will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is sponsored by Flagler Credit Union.
This matchup marks the final non-conference game for the Owls before they begin American Conference play. The Owls currently hold a 16-6 record, while the Eagles are 5-13. This will be their second midweek meeting of the season.
Florida Atlantic recently went undefeated in four games at the Beach Chicken Brawl tournament in Conway, South Carolina. Over their last 13 games, they have won 11 times and outscored opponents by a combined margin of 85-14. Sophomore Lily Holtje was recognized with her second consecutive honorable mention from the American after recording a hit in each tournament game.
Head Coach Jordan Clark leads FAU in her fourth season with a career record of 137-54. She and her staff were named American Conference Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. The team enters conference play as back-to-back regular season champions and was ranked No. 1 in the American Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Senior pitcher Autumn Courtney earned All-American honors last May after being named unanimous American Conference Pitcher of the Year. She began this season as American Pitcher of the Week and currently leads FAU with 46 strikeouts.
Lily Holtje has received an American Player of the Week award along with two Honorable Mentions this year. She leads FAU in several offensive categories including batting average (.444), hits (24), OPS (1.334), doubles (nine), RBI (21), walks (16), and on-base percentage (.556). Holtje has reached base safely in each of her last 14 games.
Redshirt junior outfielder Kylie Hammonds leads FAU with four home runs and has scored a team-high 21 runs this season. Last weekend, she set a new program record for career hit-by-pitches with 20.
Senior third baseman Jesiana Mora has recorded hits in all but two of her appearances this year, including tying an FAU single-game record for walks on February 28 against Coastal Carolina.
Freshman pitchers Makenna Lee, Ashlynn Durkin, and Madilyn Byrd have allowed only 11 earned runs over a combined total of 35 innings pitched so far this season. On February 20 against Southern Indiana, they combined for a five-inning no-hitter with nine strikeouts.
FGCU’s head coach Lindsay Fico is leading the Eagles for her first season after previously coaching at Mercer for four years. Graduate outfielder Olivia Black tops FGCU’s lineup with a .377 batting average and leads the team with 23 hits. Freshman Mackenzie Leiti has contributed three home runs and twelve RBIs so far this year, while junior pitcher Victoria Ash holds a 3.77 ERA alongside fifteen strikeouts.
The all-time series between Florida Atlantic and FGCU stands even at ten wins each; however, FGCU has claimed victory in their last two meetings by identical scores of 3-2, most recently on February 17 in Fort Myers.
After Wednesday’s contest, Florida Atlantic will start its third year competing in the American Conference with an away series against Charlotte from March 6 to March 8; all games will be available on ESPN+.
