FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast softball (11-19, 5-1 ASUN) will continue its slate against in-state nonconference opponents at (RV) UCF (24-10, 3-6 Big 12) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.

The last time out, Sietske Drijvers delivered a walk-off for the Eagles with a bases-loaded single back up the middle in the bottom of the eighth to earn the series win over Stetson. Nikki Gibson scored the winning run after leading off the inning with a perfectly placed bunt single. Sophie Wylie added another bunt single to move Gibson into scoring position, and Ally Thompson worked FGCU's eighth walk of the game to load the bases with no outs for Drijvers.

FGCU, which is now 3-0 in extra-inning games in 2026, was in position to come back thanks to a stellar outing from Julia Bacoulis (5-8) in the circle. After allowing three runs between the first and second innings, the freshman buckled down and spun six scoreless frames, holding the high-powered Stetson offense to its lowest run total in ASUN play.

Grace Taylor has led FGCU in the circle with a 4.81 ERA over 68.1 innings pitched. Julia Bacoulis adds a team-high 47 strikeouts in 59 innings. At the plate, Olivia Black is hitting .333 with nine stolen bases, 16 runs scored and a pair of triples; Kiki Daniels and Mackenzie Leiti each have five homers. Leiti also has a team-best 18 RBI and a .393 OBP.

UCF enters at 24-10, including an 18-7 mark at the UCF Softball Complex. The Knights have wins over all three common opponents with FGCU in FAU, FIU and Buffalo, and a 5-1 win over then-No. 10 LSU in Clearwater highlights their slate.

UCF is led at the plate by Beth Damon, who is hitting .393 with ten home runs and 34 RBI. Damon is one of five qualified Knights hitting over .300 and with an OBP over .400. Izzy Martes has 34 RBI and seven home runs, Kendall Yarnell has three triples, six homers and 27 RBI, and Aubrey Evans has scored 30 runs. In the circle, nine Knights have tallied innings in 2026, but only four pitchers have thrown over 10 innings, led by Isabella Vega's 72.0 innings pitched, 1.94 ERA and .199 opponent batting average. Hildie Dempsey has a 1.88 ERA through 41.0 innings and Ava Stuewe has a .197 opponent average and 2.76 ERA across 50.2 innings pitched. 

The Knights have excelled at wiping runners off the basepaths in 2026. Their 20 double plays turned rank fourth nationally. UCF also hits doubles at a high rate, ranking 23rd nationally with 55 on the season. Meanwhile, the Knights allow just 5.56 hits per seven innings (13th nationally) and their 2.60 team ERA is 19th in the country.

UCF leads the all-time series with FGCU 14-1. The Eagles only win was a 3-2 victory over then-No. 21 UCF on February 14, 2021. FGCU is 0-9 against the Knights in Orlando, including a pair of losses (2-1 and 4-2) in 2025. Wednesday will be the eighth matchup between the two squads in the month of March and the second-latest matchup by date (the two teams played on April 5, 2023) in the series history.

2026 softball mini plans and single game tickets are on sale 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.

FGCU GIVE DAY 2026 LAUNCHES MARCH 25 AT NOON 

FGCU's annual Give Day – a 24-hour fundraising effort designed to support student-athletes, the 15 Division I sport programs and key priorities across FGCU athletics – launches at Noon on March 25.

Help support Your Hometown Team by making your gift during the 24-hour campaign (or anytime leading up to that 24-hour span) by visiting the FGCU Athletics 2026 Give Day webpage here.