Paula Silva / Staff Writer
The 2022 FIU Softball season is set to begin in the month of February. The team will face 15 rivals, including 4 teams who qualified for NCAA postseason play last season, and will host 24 games in their own field, hosting three games this month.
Looking back at their 2021 season, the Softball team had 14-26 overall record, a conference record of 6-13 record with a home record of 8-7 and a road record of 5-9.
The team had to let go of infielder Jessica Rivera, who had eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
Infielder Venessa Gallegos, was named to the NFCA All South-Region second team after performing her best records as a Panther, hitting .328 with two home runs and 17 RBIs. Gallegos and first baseman Kayla Whitehead were honored by the Softball All-Conference USA Awards.
The Panthers will have a new head coach in Mike Larabee who has worked as an assistant coach in the University of Maryland, and prior, Larabee served as a coach for four seasons at the University of Central Washington and six seasons at the University of Arkansas.
FIU will welcome six new players, including Brooke McNichols, a pitcher/duo, Hannah Jansen, a Missouri-based catcher, Brooke McAnn, infielder Jianna Simonet, catcher Kayla Alexandre, outfielder Hanna Johanning, and outfielder Lindsey Burroughs.
The Blue and Gold will debut their season in a home game against Felsberg Invitational from February 11 through the 13. The second game will include a road trip to Deland, Florida, where they will face off against Stetson on February 15.
The FIU Softball team will host four consecutive games against Panther Invitational from February 18-20, followed by a game against the UCF Knights on February 23, then FIU Invitational on the weekend of 25-27 of February, and finally a game against St. John’s University on March 2.
The season will continue when the Panthers return to Stetson’s ground in Deland, facing the Stetson hatters on the weekend of March 4-6.
The Panthers will begin the C-USA games on the weekend of March 11-13 when they play against the Auburn University’s Tigers in a home game. The following weekend, the softball team will visit Rustin, Louisiana, to play against the LA Techsters on the weekend of March 18-20.
Returning home, the FIU softball team will host a non C-USA game against another Florida rival, the Seminoles of FSU on March 26.
The Panthers will have four consecutive weekends playing C-USA games on the month of April, starting off with WKU’s Big Red on the first weekend of April, followed by a home game against the Blue Raiders from MTSU on April 8-10, hitting the road again to play against Marshall on the weekend of April 14 through 16, continuing the streak with FAU’s Owls in another home game on the weekend of April 22-24.
The final home series will conclude on the weekend of April 29 through May 1, when the Panthers face Charlotte at the Felsberg Field.
The final game of the season will be held in San Antonio, Texas, when the Blue and Gold play against the Roadrunners of UTSA on the weekend of May 6-8.
The 2022 Conference USA Softball Championship has been set for May 11-14 in Denton, Texas.
About Post Author
