03/26/2025

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team (11-20, 5-1 ASUN) hosts Atlantic Sun Conference opponent University of North Florida (26-11, 1-5 ASUN) for a three-game series beginning with a Saturday doubleheader scheduled for an updated 11 a.m. first pitch at the FGCU Softball Complex.

The Eagles are coming off a 3-2 extra-inning loss to nonconference opponent No. 22 University of Central Florida on Wednesday. Kiki Daniels homered in the sixth inning to give FGCU a 2-1 lead, but UCF rallied due to a series of errors in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2 before taking the win in the eighth on an RBI double by Ashleigh Griffin.

Despite the loss, FGCU has opened conference play well, sweeping a three-game road series against Queens and taking two of three games against Stetson—including the all-important game three by a final score of 4-3 in extra innings on March 22. The Eagles are currently in first place in the ASUN Conference Graphite Division.

Parris Wiggs leads FGCU with a .351 batting average, while Olivia Black follows closely at .320. Mackenzie Leiti paces the team with 18 RBIs. Kiki Daniels has a team-high six home runs and a slugging percentage of .609. Presley Smith holds a team-leading on-base percentage of .472 in five starts, followed by Wiggs with an OBP of .439.

Grace Taylor (4-6) leads the Eagles’ pitching staff with an ERA of 4.81 and a WHIP of 1.48 in 18 appearances. Julia Bacoulis (5-9) leads the team with 48 strikeouts and has an ERA of 5.08 in 21 appearances.

North Florida enters the series after an 8-0 loss in five innings to No. 8 Florida State on Tuesday. Bella Cimino and Hannah Davila each had a hit for the Ospreys, with Cimino hitting a single in the first inning and Davila a double in the second.

Despite having a winning nonconference record, the Ospreys have struggled in conference play. They were swept in a three-game series against Stetson and lost a three-game series against Jacksonville, taking one game against the Dolphins by a final score of 12-4 on March 19. UNF is currently last among six teams in the Graphite Division.

Addie Keef leads the Ospreys with a .394 batting average and an OBP of .448. Cimino has a team-high seven home runs, 35 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .573.

Cameron Ponich (11-4) leads the UNF pitching staff with an ERA of 1.59, a WHIP of 0.96 and a team-high 59 strikeouts in 17 appearances. Kate Peters (6-2) has 39 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.10.

This weekend’s series features a matchup between an FGCU lineup that has produced a 5-1 conference start and a North Florida pitching staff that maintains a collective ERA under 2.50.

While the Eagles have relied on the power of Daniels and the consistency of Wiggs and Black to hold the top spot in the Graphite Division, they will face a UNF rotation led by Ponich, who has 11 wins on the season. The outcome will likely depend on whether FGCU’s run production can overcome the Ospreys’ statistical advantage in the circle.

Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Olivia Black as the team leader in batting average. The story has been updated to reflect that Parris Wiggs leads the team with a .351 average, followed by Black at .320.

(March 27): This story has been updated to reflect a schedule change for the weekend series. Due to the threat of inclement weather, Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s finale have been moved to earlier start times.