FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast softball (9-17, 3-0 ASUN) is back in action with a midweek tilt against USF (23-8, 6-0 American) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18.

The last time out, the Eagles mashed three home runs for the second game in a row in a 10-8 win over Queens on Sunday to complete the series sweep of the Royals. Sietske Drijvers, Mackenzie Leiti and Kiki Daniels all went yard; the six homers throughout the series from the trio surpassed the five home runs FGCU had on the season entering the weekend. 

FGCU recorded nine hits on Sunday and 41 on the weekend for the most hits as a team in a three-game series since at least 2015. Sietske Drijvers and Olivia Black each had two hits on Sunday.

South Florida enters on a seven game win streak and 23-8 on the season. The Bulls swept Memphis on the road and Charlotte at home to open conference play. USF swept Stetson in a two-game series and split its games against Kansas.

Alex Wilkes is one of six Bulls hitting over .300 on the year. She leads the team with 34 hits, seven homers, 38 RBI, nine doubles, a .736 SLG and 1.190 OPS. Toryn Fulton has four home runs, three triples and 18 RBI, and Karhys Pierce has a .476 OBP. In the circle, Anne Long is 7-3 with a 1.62 ERA through 56.1 innings, and Carley Ersnt is 3-3 with a 2.33 ERA over 45.0 innings. 

Small ball is the name of the game for the Bulls, who lead the NCAA in sacrifice bunts with 31 on the season. USF also moves runners with sacrifice flies; its 15 rank 11th nationally and lead the American. They're able to play small ball in part due to their 11 triples on the season, which is the seventh most in the country.

South Florida has also had a good season in the circle and on defense. The Bulls' .982 fielding percentage ranks ninth in the country and their 2.71 ERA ranks 23rd, bolstered by six shutouts, which ranks 16th. Additionally, USF has turned 18 double plays, the fifth best mark in the NCAA.

The Eagles are searching for their first win over the Bulls since 2021, when FGCU won 5-2 in Tampa. USF swept the 2025 doubleheader, 12-4 and 5-2 on February 12, and leads the all-time series 18-5. Nikki Gibson went 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run scored in the two contests.

The first 250 fans at the FGCU Softball Complex will receive a "Horns Down, Wings Up" rally towel.

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.