Return of ailing coach sparks FIU softball team heading into 2026 season
The best “addition” to FIU’s softball team – at least emotionally – doesn’t pitch, hit or field.
It’s coach Mike Larabee, who missed most of last season after being diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare form of cancer that affects a person’s blood and bone marrow.
Larabee, 64, is back running the team, and he plans to be in the dugout on Feb. 5 when the Panthers open the 2026 season against visiting Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
To be clear: Larabee has not been cured of cancer. That can only happen with a stem-cell transplant, which he hopes to get in June.
But he is on medication, and he gets a blood test every two weeks so that doctors monitor his condition.
“My bloodwork has been good,” said Larabee, who has been FIU’s coach since the 2022 season. “I’ve lost some weight and some strength, and there are things I have to modify.”
Larabee, who is 5-foot-8, once weighed 185 pounds. Now he is holding steady at 165.
But due to his loss of strength, he’s no longer pitching batting practice. And he no longer hits ground balls to his infielders.
Mike Meyers, FIU’s associate head coach, and pitching coach, Danielle Cassara, handle those duties now. But Larabee sees that as a positive.
“It gives me a better chance to sit and watch our hitters,” Larabee said. “I can do a better job evaluating.”
That should be a good thing because the Panthers (29-22-1) are coming off their first winning season since 2019. And their 11 Conference USA wins last year were the most by FIU since 2018.
This season, the Panthers return their top pitcher, senior Kennedy Byrd, who went 11-13 with a 4.20 ERA. She led FIU pitchers in wins, appearances (31), starts (23) and complete games (11). Byrd also pitched a no-hitter against conference opponent Kennesaw State.
In addition to Byrd, FIU’s other top pitchers on a deep staff include J’dah Girigorie, a member of the Netherlands’ national team who led Indian River to the 2024 national junior-college championship; Meagan Villazon, a freshman from Doral Academy who had FIU’s best statistics in the fall; and Brooke McNichols, who went 7-4 and had FIU’s best ERA last season (2.85).
By the way, Villazon’s last game of her prep career was a one-hit shutout in the 2025 Class 6A state final. Overall last year, she went 26-1 with a 0.63 ERA.
As for FIU’s offense, the Panthers have great speed with center fielder Kally Meredith; third baseman Paige Miller; left fielder Kendall Catherwood; second baseman Leah Clark; and shortstop Zamya McBurrows.
Last year, Meredith broke FIU’s single-season steals record (40-for-43). Her 40 steals ranked seventh in the nation.
“Growing up, I had aggressive coaches,” Meredith said. “They would tell me, ‘I’m sending you on the first pitch, and you better make it.’
“So, (at FIU), if they haven’t sent me on the first couple of pitches, I’m like, ‘What are we doing? Let’s go!’”
Aside from Meredith, the Panthers have Miller, who went 18-for-19 on steals; and Catherwood, who went 12-for-15.
Clark may be the best athlete on the team. Last season, she hit .390 with 10 homers and 30 steals in the junior-college ranks.
McBurrows played just one game last year for FIU due to a knee injury, but she’s healthy now.
“You can expect a lot of athleticism from our team,” Meredith said.
FIU also returns its top-two power hitters from last season: Byrd (eight homers, .504 slugging percentage) and catcher Janelle Martinez (four homers, 401 slugging).
Defensively, Meredith is a key in center as she gets great jumps and covers from gap to gap.
Meredith’s range is so great that last year she got a black eye when she ran into her right fielder in pursuit of a fly ball.
“I dove into her knee,” Meredith said. “The black eye lingered for a while. It was funny after the fact.”
With Larabee back in the dugout, the Panthers are hoping 2026 provides fewer proverbial black eyes and more laughs.