FORT MYERS, Fla. - Florida Gulf Coast University softball will travel up to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the SpaceU Classic hosted by UCF. The Eagles will face UCF, Pitt, Quinnipiac and Columbia over the weekend.
The Eagles have started the 2025 campaign 5-8.
Nikki Gibson has continued to remain hot as she has now reached base in 23 consecutive games dating back to the Kennesaw State series to end the 2024 regular season. Gibson leads FGCU with a .417 on-base percentage.
Maddox Thomas leads the team with a .308 batting average and RBI at eight.
Allison Sparkman continues to lead the Eagle pitching effort with a 1.70 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 33.0 IP.
The host Knights are 7-5-1 on the season after a tie was declared in their game against Ohio State due to weather. UCF's pitching staff has gotten the most starts from Yessenia Lopez, a teammate of FGCU softball alum
Angelina Bonilla with the Cidra Bravas this past summer. At the plate, UCF has four batters hitting over .300; the Eagles only have one.
The Panthers and Eagles face each other for the second consecutive season. In 2024, FGCU won 3-2. Pitt has a good combination of hitting for average and power with five players hitting above .300, three of which also have two home runs. Those three batters all have an OPS that exceeds 1.000. In the circle, their lowest ERA this year is 3.11 while their lowest WHIP is 1.52. As a team, their ERA is 4.48 with a 1.81 WHIP.
FGCU is 4-1 all-time against Quinnipiac. In their last meeting in 2020, the Eagles set their Division I records for runs scored, home runs and triples in a single game. The Bobcats are 0-2 on the season, only getting in two games at their season opening tournament. Sydney Horan has pitched every inning this season for Quinnipiac, posting a 4.73 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.
The Lions have yet to play this season. In two matchups against FGCU, the Eagles have come out victorious in all games by a total score of 17-1. Last year the Eagles and Lions faced each other in Boca Raton, playing to an 11-1 run-rule win for FGCU. In that game,
Avery Viancos went 4-for-4 scoring three runs and driving in two more.
Following this weekend, the Eagles will travel to Gainesville for a midweek against Florida before competing at the Dugout Club Classic in Tallahassee, Fla.
