The Florida Atlantic University softball team will travel to Wichita State for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 19. The games are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Saturday at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., with all matchups airing on ESPN+.
This series is important as both teams look to improve their positions in the American Conference standings. The Owls, currently holding a 20-9 overall record and a 3-3 mark in conference play, face a Shockers squad that stands at 16-10 overall and 4-2 in the conference, riding a five-game winning streak.
In their most recent outing, Florida Atlantic hosted East Carolina for three games. The Owls secured a decisive 10-1 win on Friday night with home runs from Lily Holtje and Chloe Yeatts but dropped two close contests during Saturday’s doubleheader.
Head Coach Jordan Clark leads the Owls in her fourth season with a record of 141-57. Clark and her staff were named American Conference Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. Florida Atlantic entered this season as back-to-back regular season champions and was ranked No. 1 in the American Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Senior pitcher Autumn Courtney became the program’s fifth All-American last May after being named unanimous American Conference Pitcher of the Year. She started this season by earning American Pitcher of the Week honors and currently leads the team with 59 strikeouts while ranking fourth nationally among active players with 69 career victories. Earlier this week, she was named Palm Beach County Amateur Athlete of the Year.
The Owls lead their conference in several categories including runs scored (177), doubles (49), RBI (156), walks (107), on-base percentage (.414), runs allowed (84), strikeouts thrown (190), opposing batting average (.238), and fielding percentage (.981). Nationally, they rank eighth in fielding percentage and twenty-eighth in doubles.
Key players include Lily Holtje, who leads FAU in batting average (.436) and has reached base in twenty-one consecutive games; Yani Guzman, who is off to a career-best start; Kylie Hammonds, who leads the conference in runs scored; Jesiana Mora, who tied an FAU single-game walk record; and Ainsley Lambert, who leads the nation with six saves.
Wichita State is led by Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner in her fifteenth season. The Shockers have made five NCAA Regional Appearances under Bredbenner’s leadership. Sophomore Ausha Moore ranks seventeenth nationally in on-base percentage (.584) while pitcher Ava Sliger holds a conference second-best ERA of 2.01 with an undefeated record so far this year. Wichita State also leads the conference with thirty-six home runs but trails FAU seven games to two all-time after being swept by FAU last year.
After this weekend’s series, Florida Atlantic will play FIU midweek before returning home for another conference matchup against UTSA.
