Cards Open Up 2026 Season at Felsberg Invitational

Friday, February 6

Miami, Fla.

4:30 PM

University of Louisville

Stony Brook University

Team huddle before the game against Notre Dame at Ulmer Stadium on March 7, 2025.

Photo by: Rachel Klotz | Louisville Athletics

February 05, 2026 | Softball

Game Notes - Felsberg Invitational

Louisville is 11-0 all-time against the four teams featured in FIU's home tournament.

By: Kennedy Knisley

MIAMI, Fla. – The University of Louisville softball team opens the 2026 season on the road this weekend, traveling to Miami, Fla., to compete in the Felsberg Invitational, hosted by FIU, from February 6-8 at Felsberg Field at Baptist Health Stadium.

The Cardinals will face a four-team field that includes FIU, Lehigh, Stony Brook, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, playing five games across three days to begin the eighth season under head coach Holly Aprile.

Louisville enters the season returning 15 of 21 players from last year's roster, including seven starters, and welcomes four newcomers to the program. The Cardinals finished the 2025 season at 26-25 overall and ranked among the ACC's most aggressive offensive teams, leading the conference in sacrifice bunts while posting 24 triples and 90 stolen bases during the regular season.

The Cardinals' senior class anchors the roster, with Easton Lotus, Chelsea Mack, Bri Despines, and Alyssa Zabala all returning for their final seasons. Lotus, Mack, and Despines started all 51 games last season and Zabala returns as the staff ace after leading the team in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts a season ago. Louisville also welcomes Mikayla Milby back into the lineup after missing the 2025 season due to injury, adding depth and flexibility to the offense.

The Cardinals' pitching staff features a blend of experience and youth. Zabala leads the group, joined by transfers Madi Reeves (Miami Ohio) and Anna Wise (Ohio), both of whom bring multiple complete games and all-conference credentials from the MAC. Freshman Jayden Gohs adds immediate impact potential after being named to the Softball America Freshman Watchlist, while Brooke Gray and Ryann Sanders provide additional depth.

Louisville's freshman class includes Addy O'Dell and Jayden Gohs, both recognized on the Softball America Freshman Watchlist. O'Dell brings speed and versatility after setting a high school record with 39 stolen bases in a single season, while Gohs posted a 0.454 ERA with 339 strikeouts as a junior in high school. Transfers Reeves and Wise bolster the pitching staff with proven collegiate experience.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Louisville opens tournament play Friday, Feb. 6, against Stony Brook at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup with host FIU at 7 p.m. ET. The Cardinals return to action Saturday with games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (11:30 a.m. ET) and Lehigh (4:30 p.m. ET), before closing the weekend Sunday against FIU at 11:30 a.m. ET.

All games will feature live stats via StatBroadcast and all except for Saturday's game against TAMU-CC will be streamed on ESPN+.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
FIU finished the 2025 season with a 29-22-1 record and returns key contributors, including preseason All-CUSA selections Kally Meredith and Paige Miller. Lehigh posted a 28-24 mark and brings back a veteran pitching staff led by Chloe Hess. Stony Brook went 25-25 last season and was picked to finish first in the CAA North Division, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters the season under new leadership with first-year head coach Mark Montgomery.

Louisville is 5-0 all-time against FIU with the most recent contest coming as an 11-2 (5 inn.) win in Miami in 2024. The Cards are 1-0 in the series against Lehigh, 2-0 against Stony Brook, and 3-0 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

UP NEXT
Following the Felsberg Invitational, Louisville continues its season-opening road stretch at the Carolina Classic, hosted by South Carolina, from February 13-15 in Columbia, S.C.