No. 24 Owls 1-0 in AAC Play

Friday, March 7

Boca Raton, Fla.

6 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

22-4, 1-0

Wichita State

10-10, 0-1

Wichita St.

Florida Atlantic

Photo by: JC Ridley

3/7/2025 10:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Ben Paul

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 24 Florida Atlantic softball team opened American Athletic Conference play with a win on Friday evening at FAU Softball Stadium, beating Wichita State 5-1.

In a matchup between the top two teams in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, hits and runs did not come easy, but the Owls (22-4, 1-0) capitalized on errors from the Shockers (10-10, 0-1) and effective baserunning before a double from junior Chloe Yeatts broke the game open.

Junior pitcher Autumn Courtney dished out six strikeouts in her fifth complete game of the season. She improved to 11-1, tied for second most wins nationwide.

THE BEGINNING

Redshirt sophomore outfielder Kylie Hammonds was a leadoff base runner with a hit by pitch and then advanced to second on a stolen base but was left on with three straight outs. The two teams traded scoreless innings until the bottom of the third when Hammonds recorded the leadoff double and later scored on a wild pitch.

In the top of the fifth, a leadoff triple followed by a single brought home the Shockers' only run of the night to tie the game.

THE TURNING POINT

Florida Atlantic responded in the bottom of the fifth inning with two straight walks followed by a single from sophomore Ciara Gibson that loaded the bases. Freshman Destiny Johns came home during the next at-bat with another wild pitch.

Yeatts' double to center field cleared the remaining two runners on base. She later scored herself on a fielding error from Wichita State before the inning ended with four more Florida Atlantic runs on the board.

THE FINISH

The Owls recorded their only three up, three down inning in the top of the sixth before adding their fifth hit on offense in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff single from sophomore shortstop Kiley Channell.

A hit and a walk put a pair of Shockers on base to test FAU's defense in the top of the seventh. A strikeout from Courtney, followed by two athletic plays in foul territory from Channell and junior third baseman Jesiana Mora, quickly put the game to rest.

QUOTABLE

1-0 in conference play, thoughts from Head Coach Jordan Clark on tonight's win 🎙️#WIP🏝️ pic.twitter.com/lBrjUJWrPR
— Florida Atlantic Softball (@FAUSoftball) March 8, 2025

NOTES/NOTABLE

The Owls have allowed one run or less in 10 games on the year.
Hammonds has reached base in 23 out of 26 games this season. She leads both the team and AAC in runs (25), doubles (nine), walks (16), and hit by pitches (seven).
With two during the night, the Owls are at 46 doubles on the season, tied for third-most in the nation.
Courtney's ERA drops to 1.99, the lowest among all starting pitchers in the AAC.
From the outfield, freshman Bella Foran recorded a career-high six putouts.

UP NEXT

Saturday's first pitch is set for 2:05 p.m. on ESPN+. Fans entering FAU Softball Stadium can receive free pit viper sunglasses as part of an exclusive giveaway.

FOLLOW THE OWLS

For the Owls' complete schedule, click HERE. To follow the team socially, visit @fausoftball, or for the most up-to-date information, go to www.fausports.com.