FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast softball (5-5) will host The Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic, featuring Louisville, Wisconsin, UConn and Buffalo, beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Friday against the Cardinals.

The last time out, the Eagles scored all three of its runs in the seventh inning to stun cross-state rival FAU, 3-2, on Tuesday.Olivia Black lined a two-strike, one out pitch up the middle to score Emily Chiarella and Parris Wiggs for the Eagles' third walk-off win of the season.

Moments before Black's walk-off, assistant coach Devyn Flaherty called a timeout after the count went to 0-2 to settle her down, and told her to hit the ball back up the middle. Black did exactly that to deliver the win.

One play earlier, Wiggs bounced a grounder to third base. Tiffany Meek was caught in a rundown in between third and home, but forced four back-and-forth throws, staying away from the Owls infielders. The fifth throw to the plate was late, and Meek slid in headfirst to score FGCU's first run as the ball ended up on the infield dirt just feet away. Both Wiggs and Chiarella used the rundown to advance into scoring position, and the energy from the play carried into the walk-off.

With the two-RBI walk-off single, Black extended her hitting & on-base streak to eight games. Mackenzie Leiti went 2-for-3 for FGCU, including a seventh inning single before Chiarella entered as a pinch runner.

Louisville enters at 7-3 with losses to South Carolina and FIU. The Cardinals have beaten Boston University twice, Kennesaw State and Bellarmine, among others.

Bri Despines leads the Cardinals at the plate, hitting .480 with a .606 OBP/1.366 OPS, 13 RBI and five walks. Chelsea Mack has 15 singles and ten runs scored; Madison Pickens is slugging .778 and Riley Janda has homered twice. In the circle, Brooke Gray has a 1.35 ERA. She and Alyssa Zabala are both 2-0; Zabala leads Louisville with 11 strikeouts. Anna Wise has logged the most innings with 15.1

Louisville leads the all-time series with FGCU 2-0 after winning both matchups in 2024. The Eagles are 14-31 against ACC schools, with 60% of the meetings coming against Florida State (14) and Boston College (13).

The Badgers are 7-2 heading into the Gulf Coast Classic. Wisconsin has wins over Iowa State and Army, but fell to its lone common opponent with FGCU in a 4-3 loss to FAU. Ohio State marks the only other blemish on the Badgers' record.

Kendra Lewis is hitting .481 with a .576 OBP to lead Wisconsin at the plate; she also has a team-high 13 hits and six walks. Emily Bojan is slugging .759 with a 1.259 OPS and 13 runs scored, and Hilary Blomberg has three homers and 13 RBI. In the circle, Shelby Jacobsen is 3-0 with 18 strikeouts and a 1.56 ERA. Berritt Herr has thrown 23.2 innings for the Badgers.

The all-time series between FGCU and Wisconsin is tied 3-3. The Eagles have won two games in a row after sweeping the Badgers, 3-1 and 2-1, in February 2025 when Wisconsin made the trip to Fort Myers. In the 3-1 Valentine's Day win, Maddox Thomas hit an RBI double and Black went 1-for-2 with a run scored. The next day, Victoria Ash allowed just one run in five innings pitched. Sophie Wylie drove in Nikki Gibson, and Emily Chiarella scored the second run in the 2-1 victory. The Eagles are 14-29 all-time against Big 10 schools.

After making the NCAA Tournament Baton Rouge Regional as the Big East champion in 2025, the Huskies are 2-7 to start 2026 with wins over Akron and Charleston Southern. Florida State, Iowa and Marshall have wins over UConn, among others.

Savannah Ring is hitting .407 with a .452 OBP and 11 hits for the Huskies. Catt Petteys is slugging .500 with a .938 OPS and seven RBI. Kaitlyn Breslin has UConn's only homer and Kaiea Higa has five walks. Caprice Bohmer has 30 strikeouts through 26.1 innings pitched for UConn, Jessica Walter has a 3.00 ERA.

FGCU has dominated the all-time series with the Big East's Huskies, as the Eagles lead 9-1. All but two games have been played in Fort Myers; the series will renew for the first time since 2021 on Saturday. FGCU is an impressive 28-10 all-time against Big East schools.

Buffalo is 2-8 entering The Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic with wins over Boston U and CSU Bakersfield. The Bulls have played a difficult schedule, with seven power conference losses to then-No. 19 Duke, Maryland, Notre Dame and UCF.

Emily Gorman leads Buffalo in most offensive categories, as she is hitting .371 and slugging .486 with a .936 OPS. She has 13 hits and one of the Bulls' three homers. Lily Lauck has walked eight times, scored eight runs and has a .467 OBP; Bri Delaney has ten RBI. In the circle, Olivia Russ (1-3) has a 4.89 ERA with seven strikeouts across 24.1 innings pitched. 

FGCU won its lone matchup with the Bulls 4-0 in 2011.

The Eagles will also host eight neutral site games, beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, between Louisville, Wisconsin, Buffalo and UConn. The full tournament schedule can be viewed here. 

2026 softball season tickets, mini plans and single game tickets are on sale now at https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/SB. 

For more information on FGCU Softball, follow @FGCUSoftball on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.