The No. 23 Florida Atlantic University (FAU) softball team will travel to Fort Myers for a matchup against Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) on Tuesday, February 17. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Owls enter the contest with a 6-4 record after participating in the 2026 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, where they faced top-ranked teams such as Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Florida State. FAU finished the invitational with one win and four losses, concluding with a decisive 13-2 victory over James Madison. Senior third baseman Jesiana Mora matched her career high by recording four hits in that game.
Jordan Clark leads the Owls in her fourth season as head coach, holding a record of 127-52. Clark and her coaching staff were named American Conference Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. The team was ranked first in the American Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Senior pitcher Autumn Courtney became FAU’s fifth All-American following her unanimous selection as American Conference Pitcher of the Year last season. She began this year by earning American Pitcher of the Week honors after securing two wins and a save against three Big Ten opponents, totaling 16 strikeouts.
Sophomore Lily Holtje made an immediate impact during her debut weekend at FAU, tallying five hits, six walks, three doubles, a home run, and six runs batted in (RBI). She was named American Player of the Week for these performances and currently leads the team with ten RBI.
Mora holds recognition as last year’s American Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-Conference second team. She currently leads FAU offensively with a .500 batting average, fifteen hits, two home runs, and nine RBI.
Freshman pitcher Makenna Lee has started her collegiate career with a 2-0 record along with a 2.14 earned run average (ERA) and twelve strikeouts.
FGCU is coached by Lindsay Fico in her first season after previously leading Mercer for four years. Graduate outfielder Olivia Black tops FGCU’s offense with fourteen hits and a .467 batting average. Catcher Sietske Drijvers shares the team lead in RBI with six. Senior pitcher Grace Taylor has made three starts among four appearances this season and holds a 3.89 ERA.
Historically, FAU holds a narrow advantage over FGCU in their all-time series at ten wins to nine; their most recent meeting occurred during NCAA Regionals in 2024 when FGCU won by one run.
Following their trip to Fort Myers, FAU will host the Joan Joyce Classic at home from February 19 to February 22 against Kansas, UMass, Southern Indiana, and Villanova.
