Softball Set for Syracuse Doubleheader
April 20, 2010 | Softball
April 20, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
The University of Louisville softball team will continue its eight-game homestand Wednesday when the Cards play host to Syracuse in a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. Both games of the twinbill will be televised live on ESPNU. Justin Kutcher will handle play-by-play duties while Cheri Kempf will provide color commentary. The Orange (23-17) stand at third in the BIG EAST Conference with a 7-4, mark while the Cardinals (27-15) are fifth at 6-5 in league play.
U of L is led offensively by All-American senior catcher Melissa Roth who is batting .455 with 14 home runs, 44 runs and 39 RBI. Senior Vanessa James follows with a .312 average, 28 runs, 15 stolen bases and 16 RBI.Freshman Jordan Trimble is a close third with a .311 average, 30 RBI and 18 runs. Freshman Alicja Wolny rounds out the .300 hitters at .308, with 15 doubles and 21 RBI.
Senior Kristen Wadwell leads the Cards with a 14-9 record and a 3.09 ERA. The All-American has 107 strikeouts in 142.2 innings of work. Sophomore Tori Collins (9-4) carries a 3.03 ERA with 107 K's in 104.2 innings. Freshman Chelsea Leonard (4-2) has a 4.81 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
Cards Against Syracuse
Series Record: Louisville leads 8-1
Last meeting: April 19, 2009 - The teams split a double header at Syracuse, with the Orange winning the opener 10-5 and Louisville picking up an 8-2 victory in the nightcap.
Scouting the Orange: Syracuse enters the game with a 23-17 overall record and a 7-4 mark in BIG EAST Conference play. The Orange are coming off of Sunday's 11-1 win over Villanova to clinch the three-game series between the teams. Syracuse won the first game 3-1 and fell 5-1 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Lisaira Daniels leads the Orange offensively with a .373 average, has scored 32 runs, driven in 23 runs and swiped 20 bases. Veronica Grant follows at .328 with 38 runs and 20 stolen bases. Hallie Gibbs rounds out the top three hitters with a .311 average and a team-best 32 RBI.
Jenna Caira (12-8) carries a 2.44 ERA with 172 strikeouts in 123.1 innings of work. She is holding opponents to a .215 batting average.
Up Next
The Cards will wrap up the home season with a three-game series against St. John's April 24-25 at Ulmer Stadium. This weekend will be the final regular season home games for the senior class of 2010: Vanessa James, Melissa Roth, Kristen Wadwell and Brittany York.
Card Notes
• Head coach Sandy Pearsall is one-win away from her 400th victory at the University of Louisville. Pearsall started the program in 2000 and has led the Cards to six consecutive NCAA regional appearances and three conference championships.
• 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.
• Senior Kristen Wadwell now owns the career strikeouts record at 637 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 189 - she passed Courtney Moore's previous high of 162 set in 2007. She also needs 11 more to become the first player in U of L history to reach the 200 run mark.
• Vanessa James' three stolen bases against Houston tied a school record for stolen bases in a game.
• Roth put together a career-high 12 game hitting streak this season. 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.
Looking back...
The Cards recently handed league-leader Notre Dame its first conference loss of the season, a 4-1 decision on Saturday, April 17, but the Irish came away with two wins in the best of three series. Notre Dame opened the weekend with a 5-0 win and used Christine Lux's three-game homer to notch a 3-1 victory in Sunday's deciding game. Prior to the weekend, the Cards split a double header at Rutgers, falling 3-1 in the first game and prevailing 6-4 in 11 innings in the nightcap. Melissa Roth connected on two home runs in the win - including a two-run shot in the top of the ninth.
• (Obligatory Roth note)... On the week, Roth was held well below her average at .222 (2-for-9) but both of her hits counted - homering twice and driving in three runs. She also scored three runs and was walked five times and hit by a pitch five times for a team-best .632 on-base percentage.
Pearsall, Louisville looking for 400
Head coach Sandy Pearsall is one-win away from her 400th victory at the University of Louisville. Pearsall started the program in 2000 and has led the Cards to six consecutive NCAA regional appearances and three conference championships.
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.
Roth Continues Record-Setting Pace
Senior Melissa Roth currently has 14 home runs on the season and needs two 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 34 career homers and needs eight more to match Moore's all-time record of 42.
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.
Wherry Putting the Ball in Play
In 2009, junior Colby Wherry was the toughest player to strike out in the nation fanning only three times in 172 at bats. This season she stands at 15th in the nation in that category with four strikeouts in 121 at bats. She has gone 20 games since registering her last strikeout in the March 13, 9-5 loss to Michigan
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, Texas and Notre Dame and are 4-9 against them - which translates into nine of their 15 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.
Roth a Member of the 200 Club
Melissa Roth entered her senior season with 202 career hits and is one ofonly five players in the 11 year history of the program to reach over 200 hits. Audrey Rendon (2004-07) holds the all-time record at 283. Courtney Moore follows at 263 and Roth stands at third with 246. Keola Calderon (240) and Lacy Wood (223) round out the 200 club.
Roth Hits Century Mark in RBI and Runs
Melissa Roth is one of only five players to register over 100 career runs and RBI. She owns the all-time runs record with 189 and is third with 136 career RBI. The other players include Courtney Moore (162 runs/174 RBI); Sara Bausher (117 runs/107 RBI); Kristi Cunningham (112 runs/107 RBI); and Keola Calderon (106 runs/140 RBI).
Roth Round Trippin'
Melissa Roth becomes one of two players in program history to register 10 or more home runs in multiple seasons. Courtney Moore set school record 17 in 2005 and had 13 in 2007; Roth had 16 in 2009 and is at 14 in 2010
Leonard Fans 16 - Ties School Record
In the February 2, 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 Receiving Votes in NFCA poll
U of L is receiving votes in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Coaches poll released on April 20, dropping out of the top 25 for the first time since Feb. 17, 2009. The Cards spent a total of 24 straight weeks among the top 25 in the nation.
This season, the Cardinals have been ranked as high as No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches' poll released on March 1.
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.
Roth Selected as 2010 USA Softball Alternate
Melissa Roth was selected as an alternate on the 2010 USA Women's Softball National Team. Roth became the first U of L player to participate in the USA Softball Women's National Team Selection Camp January 4-8 in Chula Vista, Calif.
The senior catcher from Long Beach, Calif., helped the USA Softball Pan American Qualifier team to a Gold Medal in Maracay, Venezuela. She played in 13 games with nine starts and batted .476 (10 for 21) with 11 runs, 11 RBI. Team USA went 13-1 in the qualifier and earned a spot in the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2010 International Softball Federation Women's World Softball Championship.
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.
