The FAU softball (15-13, 4-0 C-USA) team beat the University of North Texas (14-6, 3-1 C-USA) 1-0 Friday night in Denton, Texas, taking the first game of the three-game series. 

The win marked the 1,000th career victory for head coach Joan Joyce. This is her 28th season as a softball coach. Joyce started coaching in 1994, and has averaged about 36 wins per season.

Joyce is just the 42nd member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) to earn 1,000 wins. The last coach to win 1,000 games was the University of South Florida’s head coach Ken Eriksen in 2021.

While Joyce has been at FAU, they have played in and won 11 conference championships, 11 regular-season title games, and nine NCAA tournament appearances.

The Owls have been consistent at the plate this far into the season with junior outfielder Sara Berthiaume leading the charge with 31 hits in 28 games. Berthiaume also leads in runs scored with 16, an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.019 (OPS), and leads the conference in triples with four.

On the opposite side of the ball, freshman right-handed pitcher Gabby Sacco has posted the conference’s sixth-best ERA of 2.04.

Defensive prowess for the Owls has held up strong this year, led by sophomore catcher Raegan Conley who has been efficient behind the plate with an excellent fielding percentage of 1.000.

The Owls will continue the 2022 campaign on Saturday, March 19, against the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Zachary Watts is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories email [email protected] or tweet him at @ZachWatts1_.