FIU Softball 2026 Season Preview

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MIAMI, FL – Following a surprising 29-22-1 record in 2025 for fourth-year head coach Mike Larabee, FIU Softball will seek to build off its first winning season since 2019. Here’s the 2026 Paws Up Softball season preview.

Offseason Breakdown

Players Lost: Lindsey Burroughs, Brooke McCannm Jianna Simonet, Collier Peaden, Ciera Diaz, Bailey Grossenbacher and Natalie Burns

Players Added: Chloe Bedwell, Cayce Kavakich, J’dah Girigorie, Mckenna Robbins, Daley Alsobrook, Victoria Scott, Riley Silvers, Jordyn Kinn, Charli Pages, Leah Clark and Meagan Villazon

Returning Players: Jensen Luke, Kally Meredith, Kendall Catherwood, Janelle Martinez, Grace Helbling, Zamya McBurrows, Megan Kruger, Brooke McNichols, Paige Miller, Kennedy Byrd, Kaleena Downing, Caity Patterson, Isabella Perez and Sammy Zelenka

Outfield

Janelle Martinez enters her fifth year of eligibility and her third season as a Panther. She started 46 of her 48 games last year, hitting .255 with 22 runs, 35 hits, four home runs, 23 RBI, eight stolen bases, and a .335 on-base percentage.

Chloe Bedwell was named First Team All-State and First Team All Non-Conference outfielder in her senior year of high school. She led her team in batting average and posted over 80 stolen bases. Bedwell has been recognized as the MVP and has received her school’s Outstanding Athlete Award.

Mckenna Robbins is a freshman with some impressive high school accolades. She was her school’s Overall MVP (2024) and Offensive MVP (2023, 2024). Robbins was the 3A Player of the Year in 2024 and earned First Team All-State honors from 2023 to 2025.

Kally Meredith is coming off a season where she was a Second Team All-CUSA outfielder, setting the All-Time program record for stolen bases in a season with 40. Meredith started in 51 of 52 games, hitting .352 with 38 runs, 63 hits, and 15 RBI.

queen Kally talkin’ ball 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/y7PJ5MTEra

— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) January 23, 2026

Kendall Catherwood is the only returning player in the outfield. Last season, she was mostly used as a utility player and got the most reps at second base. Catherwood started in 48 of 50 games, hitting .281 with 28 runs, 39 hits, 20 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a .429 on-base percentage.

Victoria Scott enters FIU as a local athlete hailing from Palm Beach Gardens High School. She can play third base but will likely see more playing time in the outfield. Scott has earned Female Athlete of the Year honors for her work in the outfield.

Jordyn Kinn started in all four seasons while playing for Barron Collier High School in Naples, Florida. Her team posted a 53-40 record during her time there and won a pair of district titles (2023 & 2024).

Charli Pages was a four-year starter on her high school varsity team in El Segundo, California. She was named Defensive Player of the Year three times and led her program to the 2025 League Championship.

Projected Starting Outfield

LF- Kendall Catherwood

CF – Kally Meredith

RF – Janelle Martinez

Infield

Jensen Luke made 18 starts in 23 appearances as a freshman. Her batting average was .143 with seven hits, five RBI, and a .311 on-base percentage.

Daley Alsobrook was named to the All-Area Softball Team from 2023 to 2025. She averaged .420 with a 1.260 OPS, six home runs, and 20 doubles in her high school career. Alsobrook was team MVP in both 2023 and 2024 while on the club softball circuit in Alabama.

Grace Helbling saw limited action on the field last season. She started in three of five appearances and posted an RBI in eight plate appearances.

Zamya McBurrows only made one appearance last season due to injury and will look to bounce back to her 2024 form. She made 36 starts in 40 appearances, mostly playing at second base and shortstop. McBurrows scored 14 runs, recorded 30 hits, 15 RBI, and swiped seven bases that season.

Paige Miller was a Second Team All-CUSA member last season. Making 47 starts in 48 games, she averaged .344 at the plate, adding 25 runs, 45 hits, 17 runs batted in, 17 stolen bases, and a .428 on-base percentage.

Paige providing the entertainment🎤

what was she even saying tho!? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/sxtOHrz7gR

— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) January 28, 2026

Kaleena Downing has mostly been used at third base in her time as a Panther. In 20 games last season, she had a batting average of .194 with seven runs, six hits, four RBI, a couple of stolen bases, and a .432 on-base percentage.

Leah Clark is coming off JUCO play at the College of Central Florida. She slashed .390/.437/.678 with 52 runs scored, 69 hits, 10 home runs, 54 runs driven in, and 30 bases swiped last season. Clark was named to FCSAA First Team All-Conference and All-State honors, along with a Second Team All-State selection.

Sammy Zelenka made 33 starts in 42 games last season. She hit .287 with 25 hits, 14 RBI, and a .326 on-base percentage in her freshman season at FIU.

Projected Starting Infield

1B – Sammy Zelenka

2B – Leah Clark

3B – Paige Miller

SS – Zamya McBurrows

Catcher

Isabella Perez is now in her fourth season at FIU. She’s coming off a season where she made 40 starts in 43 games, posting a .237 average with one home run, eight RBI, 23 hits, a pair of stolen bases and a .302 on-base percentage.

Riley Silvers comes from Naperville Central High School in Illinois, where she’s a two-time First Team All-Conference, All-Area, and All-State selection. She finished second in DVC Player of the Year voting in 2024.

Projected Starting Catcher

Isabella Perez

Pitcher

Cayce Kavakich is a right-hander who has been named 4x First Team All-Conference, 4x First Team All-Group, 3x First Team All-State, and 3x Group 1 State Champion. She also posted 1,000 strikeouts at Cedar Grove High School in New Jersey.

J’dah Girigorie hails from JUCO softball at Indian River State. The righty is coming off a season where she was named FCSAA D1 Pitcher of the Year, NJCAA D1 Softball First-Team All-American, NFCA D1 First-Team All-American, and Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Jewelie Vanderkous is looking to bounce back from a 2025 campaign that saw her make one start in nine appearances. She had a 9.13 ERA with a 0-1 record, six strikeouts, and two saves in 15.1 innings.

Megan Kruger started in 16 of her 26 appearances in 2025. She posted a 4.08 ERA with a 9-4 record, seven complete games, a shutout, and 27 punchouts in 92.2 innings of workload. The red-shirted junior has spent her entire career at FIU.

Brooke McNichols made nine starts in 17 appearances last season. Entering her senior season at FIU, McNichols held a 2.85 ERA with a 7-4 record, tossing two complete games, a shutout, and recording 23 strikeouts in 61.1 innings.

Kennedy Byrd returns to campus as the two-way standout player that she’s known to be. On the mound, she made 22 starts in 30 games, holding a 3.94 ERA with an 11-13 record, 11 complete games, three shutouts, 63 strikeouts in 158 innings tossed. Byrd tossed a no-hitter against Kennesaw State.

At the plate, she started in all her 42 games, posting a .271 batting average with 18 runs, 32 hits, eight home runs, 32 RBI, and a .517 slugging percentage. Byrd had a 25-game on-base streak during the season.

Caity Patterson is coming off a season where she made three starts in seven games, going 2-0 with an 8.78 ERA and 18.1 innings tossed.

Megan Villazon is known for being a versatile pitcher/first baseman. Coming out of Doral Academy Preparatory, she led her program to the 2021 State Championship game and was awarded the 2024 Heart of a Champion Award.

Projected Rotation

Kennedy Byrd

J’dah Girigorie

Megan Kruger

First Game

FIU begins the season at home in the yearly Felsburg Invitational. Opening Night is on Thursday, February 5 at 6:00 pm against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They will also face Louisville, Stony Brook and Leigh in the tournament. All games can be streamed on ESPN+.

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