Softball Set for Season Opener
February 03, 2005 | Softball
Feb. 3, 2005
LOUISVILLE, KY - The University of Louisville softball team will open the 2005 campaign Friday, Feb. 4 at the Clearwater Invitational. The tournament runs Feb. 4-6 and is hosted by the University of Florida. Other teams in the field include Appalachian State, Florida, Florida Atlantic and Oklahoma, Central Florida, DePaul, Gardner-Webb, Florida A&M and Tennessee.
The Cardinals will open the season against Florida at 2:30 p.m. Friday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams. Following the Florida game, the Cards will play Florida Atlantic at 5:00 p.m. FAU owns a 1-0 series lead over the Cardinals, having picked up a 4-0 win on Feb. 10, 2002 at the Florida State Seminole Challenge.
On Saturdsay, Feb. 5, the Cards will take on the fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. In 2004, Louisville and Oklahoma split a doubleheader at the Oklahoma Nike Classic. The Cardinals defeated the then-fourth-ranked Sooners 3-1 in the first game. OU won the nightcap 8-0. Louisville will wrap up bracket play against Appalachian State at 5:00 p.m. The game marks the first meeting between the two teams.
The Cardinals will close the tournament Sunday when they play a team from Pool B which includes Central Florida, DePaul, Gardner-Webb, Florida A&M and Tennessee.
Louisville is led by four preseason All-C-USA picks: seniors Aja Sherman and Sara Bausher, junior Lacy Wood and sophomore Audrey Rendon. Sherman, the C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Yearfinished her junior campaign with a 16-7 record and a 1.40 ERA, while holding opponents to a league-low .160 batting average. She posted three no-hitters including the school's first perfect game. After being named to the 2004 All-C-USA Preseason team as a first baseman, she ended the 2004 season with All-C-USA honors as a pitcher.
Bausher, is a three-year starter and a two-time All-C-USA team member as an outfielder. She holds the school record for home runs with 19 and finished the 2004 season with eight home runs and 37 RBI.
Wood earned first team all-conference honors as a catcher. The two-year starter led the team with 12 doubles and a .553 slugging percentage. She posted a .352 batting average and drove in 38 runs on the season. Wood and Bausher tied for the team lead with eight home runs apiece in 2004.
Rendon was 2004 C-USA Freshman of the Year and earned first team and all freshman team league honors as well. The third baseman led the Cards with a .401 batting average and six triples. She also had a team-high 18 stolen bases.
The Cardinals are coming off of a record-breaking 2004 season in which they set the school record for most overall wins with 41 and earned their first at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Cards also posted a program-best 19 conference wins and finished just a half-game behind Southern Miss in the C-USA regular season standings.
Clearwater Invitational SchedulePool A - Appalachian State, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Louisville, OklahomaPool B - Central Florida, DePaul, Gardner-Webb, Florida A&M, Tennessee
Friday, Feb. 3Louisville vs. Florida 2:30 p.m. Field 8Louisville vs. Florida Atlantic 5:00 p.m. Field 8Saturday, Feb. 4Louisville vs. #4 Oklahoma 2:30 p.m. Field 6Louisville vs. Appalachian State 5:00 p.m. Field 6Sunday, Feb. 5Winner A vs. Winner B 11:00 a.m. Field 8Second Place A vs. Second Place B 11:00 a.m. Field 9Third Place A vs. Third Place B 11:00 a.m. Field 5Fourth Place A vs. Fourth Place B 11:00 a.m. Field 6Fifth Place A vs. Fifth Place B 11:00 a.m. Field 7
