No. 25 Softball Visits Rutgers
April 13, 2010 | Softball
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
April 13, 2010
The No. 25 University of Louisville softball team will return to BIG EAST Conference play with a doubleheader at Rutgers Wednesday, April 14 and a three-game series against league-leader Notre Dame April 17-18 at Ulmer Stadium.
In their only game last week and their last non-conference matchup of the season, the Cardinals defeated in-state rival Kentucky 6-0 Wednesday, April 10 at Ulmer Stadium. Melissa Roth was 2-for-2 with an RBI while Tori Collins and Kristen Wadwell shared the shutout.
U of L is led offensively by All-American senior catcher Melissa Roth who is batting .473 with 12 home runs, 41 runs and 36 RBI. Freshman Jordan Trimble follows with a .337 average, 29 RBI and 16 runs. Senior Vanessa James is third on the team with a .331 average, 27 runs, 15 stolen bases and 14 RBI. Freshman Alicja Wolny rounds out the .300 hitters at .330, with 15 doubles and 21 RBI.
Senior Kristen Wadwell leads the Cards with a 13-7 record and a 3.07 ERA. The All-American has 98 strikeouts in 127.2 innings of work. Sophomore Tori Collins (8-3) carries a 3.28 ERA with 82 K's in 81.0 innings. Freshman Chelsea Leonard (4-2) has a 4.81 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
Cards Against the Scarlet Knights
Series Record: Louisville leads 6-2
Last meeting: March 22, 2009 - The teams split a doubleheader with Louisville winning the first 6-1 and Rutgers taking the second 6-5. Scouting Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights enter the game with a 13-21 overall record and a 1-4 mark in conference play after notching their first league win with a 3-0 victory over Connecticut. The Huskies swept a doubleheader 8-6 and 4-2 to win the series.
Brittney Lindley leads Rutgers with a .326 batting average, seven home runs. Mikelyn Messina has also belted out seven homers and a team-best 26 RBI and 20 runs. Lindley also leads the team in the circle with a 3.73 ERA and a 6-1 record and has 82 strikeouts in 92.0 innings.
Up Next
The Cards will play host to BIG EAST Conference leader Notre Dame April 17-18 at Ulmer Stadium.
Card Notes
• Freshman Alicja Wolny recently snapped a 15 game hitting streak which stretched from the March 10 win over Kentucky to the April 1, 9-2 win over Providence. In the second game of the double header, Wolny walked three times and struck out in her final at bat to end the streak which was one shy of a school record 16 set in the 2001 season by Coleen Coughlin. Wolny has now tat a hit in 17 of the last 18 games.
• Senior Kristen Wadwell now owns the career strikeouts record at 630 She surpassed former Cardinal great Catherine Bishop's previous mark of 616 which has stood since the 2007 season.
• Melissa Roth owns the career doubles record with 64, she surpassed Keola Calderon's mark of 53 which has stood since the 2003 season
• Roth also holds the all-time record for runs with 186 - she passed Courtney Moore's previous high of 162 set in 2007.
• Vanessa James' three stolen bases against Houston tied a school record for stolen bases in a game.
• Roth recently snapped a career-high 12 game hitting streak. She has still found a way to reach via walk or being hit by a pitch in all but two of Louisville's games, the 2-0 loss to No. 14 Ohio State and the 3-1 win over No. 15 Texas.
Roth One of 25 Player of the Year Finalists
Senior catcher Melissa Roth was named to the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America's Top 25 Finalists for the 2010 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
The list of 25 will be narrowed down to 10 finalists on May 12 and the Player of the Year be announced at the opening of the NCAA 2010 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. This award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
Wadwell Owns Strikeout Record
Senior Kristen Wadwell grabbed yet another Louisville career record in the DePaul series. The senior delivered three strikeouts in the March 28 5-4 win over DePaul and moved to the top of the school's career strikeouts where she now has 627. She surpassed former Cardinal great Catherine Bishop's previous mark of 616 which has stood since the 2007 season.
Roth Continues Record-Setting Pace
Senior Melissa Roth currently has 12 home runs on the season and needs four more to match last year's career high 16 roundtrippers. Courtney Moore holds the school record for single season homers at 17 (2005 season). Additionally, Roth has 32 career homers and needs 10 more to match Moore's all-time record of 42.
You've Gotta Play the Best...
Louisville's non-conference schedule is one of the strongest in the history of the program. the Cards have already met ranked teams such as Arizona, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas and are 3-7 against them - which translates into seven of their 12 losses coming against top 25 teams - and five of those losses were against teams in the top 10 (Arizona, Michigan -twice, and Oklahoma - twice.
Roth Sets School Record for Career Runs
Melissa Roth's run in the Feb. 27 5-3 win over Saint Louis gave her 163 in her career to set a new school record for runs scored. Roth surpassed Courtney Moore's previous mark of 162 which has stood since 2007.
Leonard Fans 16 - Ties School Record
In the February 20 7-4 win over Youngstown State, freshman Chelsea Leonard struck out 16 batters, and tied a school record. She matched senior Kristen Wadwell's mark set on March 13, 2009 against Eastern Michigan.
Cards No. 25 in NFCA poll
U of L is now No.25 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Coaches poll released on April 6. This season, the Cardinals have been ranked as high as No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches' poll released on March 1.
Louisville is in its 24th consecutive week in the national rankings. The Cards rejoined the top 25 on Feb. 17, 2009 after a two-year absence and reached as high as No. 14 - a program-best in 2009 and 2010.
Louisville to Host 2010 BIG EAST Championship
The BIG EAST Championship returns to Louisville, Ky., for the third straight season. The three- day tournament begins on May 13 with four quarterfinal games. The semifinals on May 14 and the championship game on May 15 will be aired live on CBS College Sports.
