Bautista Samperi | Sports director
The FIU softball team has started the season with a historic 9-2 record as they get ready to welcome Florida A&M, Eastern Illinois and Incarnate Word to the Felsberg Field at Baptist Health Stadium for the Panther Invitational.
The 9-2 start is the program’s best 11-game open since 2001. They also ranked 11th in D1Softball’s most recent Top 25 mid-major poll.
The Panther Invitational will be the second of three tournaments that FIU will host in February. During the first one, the Felsberg Invitational, the team coached by fifth year Head Coach Mike Larabee finished with a 6-0 record.
The third tournament will be the FIU Classic, between Feb. 20 and Mar. 1, in which the Panthers will face Harvard, Fordham and South Dakota.
Senior Kennedy Byrd has had a solid start for the Panthers with six doubles, second-most in CUSA. 2025 Second Team All-CUSA and 2026 All-CUSA Preseason selection junior Kally Meredith, is leading Conference USA with 18 hits and 15 runs scored, second-most in CUSA, so far this season.
Senior Brooke McNichols leads FIU with her 1.08 ERA in two starts, giving up just two earned runs in eight hits.
With a perfect home record the Panthers will look to continue to defend their home field as they prepare to start facing conference opponents in early March.
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