Cards Hit the Road to Play in Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic

Friday, February 20

Fort Myers, Florida

2:30 PM

University of Louisville

University at Buffalo

Bri Despines advances around the bases during the game against Bellarmine at Ulmer Stadium on February 17, 2026.

Photo by: Paige Kuwata | Louisville Athletics

Cards Hit the Road to Play in Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic

February 19, 2026 | Softball

Louisville Game Notes

Louisville will face FGCU, Buffalo, WIsconsin, and UConn this weekend.

By: Kennedy Knisley

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The University of Louisville softball team hits the road again, heading to the Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast from February 20-22.

The Cardinals will face four teams this weekend including host FGCU, Buffalo, Wisconsin and UConn. Louisville is 27-10 all time against this weekend's field.

Louisville is coming off a 10-2 win in five innings over Bellarmine on Tuesday night, totaling 11 hits with a career-high four RBIs from Bri Despines. Louisville's Jayden Gohs earned her first win of the season, while Ryann Sanders closed the game out strong, allowing just one hit and one run through two innings pitched.

QUICK HITS

Bri Despines leads the team with a .480 batting average and 13 RBIs while tallying 12 hits and four doubles.
Madison Pickens has a team-high three triples and ten RBIs, paving her way to a team-high 21 total bases and a .778 slugging percentage.
Camryn Lookadoo is second on the team with a .478 batting average, tallying 11 hits and a team-high four doubles.
Chelsea Mack leads the Cards with 15 hits and nine stolen bases in 32 at-bats.
Freshman Jayden Gohs leads the pitching staff with a 0.84 ERA and a win in 8.1 innings pitched, allowing just one earned run this season.
Seven Cards have at least three RBIs and four Cards have double-digit hits through the first ten games. Six Cards have tallied multiple stolen bases this season.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Louisville opens tournament play Friday, Feb. 20, against Buffalo at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup with host FGCU at 4:45 p.m. ET. The Cardinals return to action Saturday with games against Wisconsin (12:15 p.m. ET) and UConn (2:30 p.m. ET), before closing the weekend Sunday against Buffalo at 9 a.m. ET.

All games will feature live stats via StatBroadcast. Friday's contest against FGCU will be streaming on ESPN+.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
Buffalo Bulls

Series Record: Louisville leads 2-0
Last Meeting: February 9, 2019 - Louisville won 10-0 at the Titan Classic
Scouting the Bulls: Buffalo tabbed a 17-33 record last season, going 10-17 in MAC League play. The Bulls saw three of its players named to the 2025 All-MAC teams: then sophomore outfielder Raegan, then junior first baseman Abbey Nagel, and then freshman outfielder Emily Gorman. Terwilliger earned first-team, Nagel to the second team, and Gorman to the All-Freshman team. Buffalo elevated Chelsea Plimpton to head coach in the offseason after the retirement of Mike Ruechel. Plimpton spent the 2025 season as the team's pitching coach. This is her first season as a head coach after being assistant at six schools over 14 years.

FGCU Eagles

Series Record: Louisville leads 2-0
Last Meeting: February 11, 2024 - Louisville won 7-0 at the FGCU Kickoff Classic
Scouting the Eagles: FGCU tabbed a 29-30 record last season, going 14-10 in ASUN play. The Eagles' season ended following losses to Eastern Kentucky University and Austin Peay State University in the ASUN Tournament.
Lehigh saw two of its players named to the 2026 Preseason All-ASUN Team: graduate outfielder Olivia Black and senior catcher Maddox Thomas. FGCU named Lindsay Fico as the school's second head softball coach, replacing David Derrios who had been the coach for 23 years. Fico leads the Eagles after a four-year stint with the Mercer Bears. Last year, Mercer finished their season 40-26, losing in the region final against Florida. The Bears finished their season on a 21-5 hot streak in their final 26 games.

Wisconsin Badgers

Series Record: Louisville leads 7-5
Last Meeting: February 23, 2025 - Louisville won 5-1 at the USF Tournament
Scouting the Badgers: Wisconsin tabbed a 33-21 record last season, going 11-11 in Big Ten play. The Badgers' season with a loss against the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin saw three of its players named to the 2026 Preseason Big Ten Watch List: junior C/INF Hilary Blomberg, sophomore P/OF Kendra Lewis, and redshirt freshman INF Jackie Showalter. Wisconsin is led by head coach Yvette Healy, who is in her 16th season at the helm of the Badgers and has a 451-311-1 record.

UConn Huskies

Series Record: Louisville leads 16-5
Last Meeting: April 13, 2014 - Louisville won 9-1
Scouting the Huskies: UConn tabbed a 35-19 record last season, going 18-6 in Big East play. The Hawks' season ended following losses to University of Nebraska and Louisiana State in the NCAA Regionals. Connecticut is coached by Laura Valentino, who is in her seventh season at the helm of the Huskies and has a 178-108 record. This past season, Valentino led the Huskies to their most successful season in decades, leading them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years. She had seven players named to the All-Big East teams, five of which were First Team selections, and has had back-to-back Big East Freshmen of the Year.