MIAMI — Fresh off its highest win total since 2018, FIU's softball program rolled out its 2026 schedule on Friday afternoon. 

FIU formally announced its full slate, of which features its traditional three home tournaments, a tournament in Gainesville at the University of Florida and 27 Conference USA (CUSA) games. The Panthers will also take on in-state foes, UCF, FGCU and Fla. Atlantic in non-conference midweek matchups. 

FIU won 29 games in 2025, which included defeats of Power-Four Indiana and Iowa State along with a win over rival and 21st-ranked Fla. Atlantic. The Panthers return All-Conference USA performers, Kally Meredith and Paige Miller, along with star two-way player Kennedy Byrd, who threw a no-hitter against Kennesaw State last season. 

The 2026 season begins at home on Felsberg Field at Baptist Health Stadium with the annual Felsberg Invitational. FIU's first and second games will be against the same opponent, as the Panthers take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Feb. 5 & 6). The Panthers will then face Louisville (Feb. 6), Stony Brook / Lehigh (Feb. 7) and close out their first weekend with a second matchup against Louisville (Feb. 8), an ACC opponent. 

FIU then travels north to Gainesville for the Gators Invitational for its first road action of the 2026 season. The Panthers will be taking on Marshall (Feb. 13 & 15) and another ACC foe, Georgia Tech (Feb. 13 & 14), twice during their weekend in The Swamp. FIU also has a singular matchup with 2025 College World Series participant and host-Florida, out of the SEC on Feb. 14. 

Returning back to 'the 305' following their time in Gainesville, the Panthers' host their second tournament at home, the Panther Invitational, from Feb. 20-22. FIU welcomes Florida A&M (Feb. 20), Eastern Illinois (Feb. 20) and Incarnate Word (Feb. 21) to South Florida for the weekend. Each team will play each other in round robin format before the semifinals (Feb. 21) and finals / third place game determines a champion (Feb. 22).

Following the Panther Invitational, the FIU Classic (Feb. 27-29) will run with the same format the following weekend.  Harvard (Feb. 27), Fordham (Feb. 27) and South Dakota (Feb. 28) will take on FIU in the Miami sunshine. The semifinals will wrap up on Day Two (Feb. 28) before a third place game and championship on Day Three (March 1). 

The Panthers then host FGCU (March 3) in their final non-conference action before the CUSA slate begins that weekend. All matchups in CUSA play are three-game, weekend series. FIU will first travel to CUSA-newcomer and CUSA Tournament-host Delaware to open its CUSA action (March 6-8) and then head back home for its first CUSA homestand, hosting UTEP (March 13-15). 

UCF, out of the Big 12, will then make its way to Miami for a midweek matchup (March 18) for a non-conference matchup. The Panthers head west for a CUSA series at New Mexico State (March 20-22) before a return home for their final non-conference home game, taking on rival-Fla. Atlantic (March 25). 

The Fla. Atlantic matchup begins a seven-game stretch of home games for FIU, welcoming Jax State (March 27-29) and Kennesaw State (April 2-4) for back-to-back home CUSA series. The Panthers will then get back on the road to head to Louisiana Tech (April 10-12) for more CUSA action.

Upon return, FIU's final non-conference game will be in Boca Raton to close out its home-and-home series with Fla. Atlantic (April 15). The Panthers then hit the home stretch with back-to-back home series against Liberty (April 17-19) and Sam Houston (April 24-26). FIU will end the regular season on the road in Murfreesboro, matching up with Middle Tennessee (April 30-May 2).

If qualified, the Panthers then begin the postseason by heading to the CUSA Championships in Newark, Del., May 6-9. 

In total, FIU will take on six teams that qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament (Florida, Fla. Atlantic, Liberty, UCF, Eastern Illinois, Georgia Tech). 

All games, unless otherwise indicated on FIU's schedule page, will be stream on ESPN+.

Tickets for all FIU home tournaments will be on sale soon. All other home games, outside of the tournaments, are free for all fans to attend. 

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