DeLAND, Fla. – Sietske Drijvers has eliminated runners from the basepaths all season, and Friday night was no different, as she set the FGCU single-season record for runners caught stealing with her 17th of 2026.
Drijvers threw out Jahnnie Patterson attempting to steal second base in the fourth inning to pass Lindsay Ijjas, who caught 16 runners stealing in 2003. Drijvers whipped a laser from her knees, placed perfectly for
Sophie Wylie, who applied the tag to complete the 2-6 putout.
"I didn't even know it was going on, but it's just amazing to be here," Drijvers said. "I worked every day for four years, so hard to get to this point. I've had so much support from my teammates, my coaches, for every school that I played for. I'm just grateful to be in this moment right now and to keep on building momentum with the team. "
"Siets(ke) is the definition of what it means to anchor a defense behind the plate," head coach
Lindsay Fico said. "Breaking the program record for runners caught stealing isn't just about arm strength; it's about preparation, toughness, and an elite understanding of the game. She's taken pride in controlling the run game every single day, and this record is a direct reflection of her work ethic and competitive edge. Our team plays with confidence because of her back there."
Drijvers' 17th runner caught stealing moves her into a tie for third in the country with East Texas A&M's Gracie Alejo. The only players ahead of Drijvers & Alejo are Buffalo's Isabella Smithson, who leads the NCAA with 20 runners thrown out, and Lafayette's Macie Klug, who has 18 runners caught stealing.
Florida Gulf Coast (19-31, 13-10 ASUN) was unable to ride the momentum from Drijvers' milestone to a win, though, falling 5-4 in the second game of the doubleheader against Stetson (33-19, 18-5).
After dropping the opening half of the doubleheader, the Eagles bats came out swinging on Friday evening.
K'Mari Williams was hit by a pitch to reach base with one out. She stole second and advanced to third base on a groundout to move to third base for
Presley Smith, who hit a ground ball to the shortstop that took a late, abrupt hop up, allowing Smith to reach base and Williams to score.
In the second,
Parris Wiggs led off with a walk and moved into scoring position off a sacrifice bunt from
Ally Thompson.
Nikki Gibson laced a single off the glove of a jumping third baseman that kept Wiggs from scoring, before Gibson advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Olivia Black hit a sharp ground ball that deflected off the glove of Stetson's first baseman, who was playing in with respect for Black's speed. The ball trickled onto the outfield grass, which gave Gibson & Wiggs plenty of time to score. Meanwhile, Black bolted to second to record a rare double to an infielder.
Drijvers flied out to move Black to third, and she promptly advanced home on a passed ball to give FGCU a 4-0 lead.
Stetson battled back, though. Logan Forman hit a two-run double in the third inning that scored Nicole Edmiaston and Irianis Garcia. In the fourth, Edmiaston hit an RBI single and Gia Napoli scored on an error to tie the game at 4-4.
The Hatters added the winning run in the fifth on a solo home run from Forman. The Eagles were unable to rally, and fell, 5-4.
Next, FGCU will end the regular season with the series finale against Stetson at noon on Sunday.
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Postgame Notes
– Drijvers set the FGCU single-season record for runners caught stealing with her 17th of 2026, passing Lindsey Ijjas, who had 16 in 2003
– Black hit a double and triple for her second game with multiple extra-base hits in 2026
– Black also had a multi-RBI game
– Williams stole her 10th base of the season and had a multi-hit game
– Ash threw a scoreless inning in relief
– Bacoulis allowed two runs over four innings pitched
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