Softball Concludes Regular Season Home Schedule This Weekend
April 23, 2010 | Softball
April 23, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
The University of Louisville softball team will wrap up its home schedule this weekend with a three-game series against St. John's. The Cards and the Red Storm will play a doubleheader Saturday. U of L will also honor the 2010 senior class: Vanessa James, Melissa Roth, Kristen Wadwell and Brittany York prior to Sunday's noon game.
The Cardinals (29-15) stand at third in BIG EAST Conference play with an 8-5 league record. St. John's (16-24) is currently ninth with a 5-8 mark.
U of L is led offensively by All-American senior catcher Melissa Roth who is batting .442 with 14 home runs, 46 runs and 41 RBI. Freshman Jordan Trimble follows with a .320 average, 30 RBI and 19 runs. Senior Vanessa is third with a .310 average, 29 runs, 15 stolen bases and 16 RBI. Freshman Alicja Wolny rounds out the .300 hitters at .308, with 15 doubles and 21 RBI.
Senior Kristen Wadwell leads the Cards with a 15-9 record and a 3.10 ERA. The All-American has 122 strikeouts in 151.1 innings of work. Sophomore Tori Collins (10-4) carries a 3.02 ERA with 109 K's in 109 innings. Freshman Chelsea Leonard (4-2) has a 4.76 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.
U of L Against St. John's
Series Record: Louisville leads 7-3
Last meeting: Feb. 19, 2010 -Then-15th ranked Louisville posted a 16-2 win at the Charleston Southern Tournament.
Scouting the Red Storm: St. John's brings a 16-24 overall record into the weekend. The Red Storm is currently ninth in league standings with a 5-8 mark in conference play.
Kacee Cox paces the team with a .422 average, seven home runs nine doubles and 40 RBI. Chelsea Durning follows at .331 with 29 runs. Amber Curry rounds out the top three with a .311 average, a team-best 30 runs and is a perfect 19-for-19 on the basepaths.
Linzee Sumrall (5-13) carries a 4.78 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 111.1 innings of work.
Up Next
The Cards will travel to South Florida for a three-game series May 1-2. Following that, Louisville will close out the regular season at Connecticut.
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.
• 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 only 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.
Up Last...
The Cards are coming off of an ESPNU televised doubleheader sweep of Syracuse. With the two victories, Louisville moved from fifth place to third in league standings. Junior Chelsea Bemis went 5-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI, while Tori Collins got the win in the 6-2 opener and Kristen Wadwell struck out 11 to get the 7-4 win in the nightcap.
Cards Celebrate Senior Day Sunday
U of L will honor the 2010 senior class (Vanessa James, Melissa Roth, Kristen Wadwell and Brittany York) prior to Sunday's noon game against St. John's. As a class, they have been in integral part of three-consecutive NCAA appearances, tallied 145 wins, spent 24 consecutive weeks ranked in the top 25 in the nation. They have won a BIG EAST conference championship, produced seven all-conference nods, two all-region selections and two all-Americans.
Roth Earns Louisville's Top Senior Award
Softball catcher Melissa Roth earned the University of Louisville esteemed Ed Kallay Award for the top senior athlete. The Long Beach, Calif., native is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year and is one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She became the first U of L player to be selected as an alternate on the USA Softball team and has led the Cardinals to three NCAA regional appearances. She was also the third overall pick in the National Pro Fastpitch draft.
Pearsall, Louisville Reach 400 Win Milestone
The April 21 6-2 win over Syracuse marked head coach Sandy Pearsall's 400th victory at U of L. 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 one 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 654. 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 five strikeouts in 127 at bats.
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. This 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 191 and is third with 138 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).
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 and Wadwell Selected in NPF Draft
Catcher Melissa Roth and pitcher Kristen Wadwell were selected as the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and its four-affiliate teams held the 2010 NPF Senior Draft Presented by Miken. The USSSA Pride selected Roth as the third overall pick and the Tennessee Diamonds chose Wadwell in the fourth round as the 18th overall pick. They become the second and third players in Louisville program history to be drafted. Audrey Rendon was drafted by the Rockford Thunder in the third round of the 2007 draft.
Roth, a senior catcher from Long Beach, Calif, was the 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year and led the Cardinals in virtually every offensive category last season including team highs in batting average (.438), hits (67), home runs (16), RBI (48), runs scored (61), slugging percentage (.889) and on-base percentage (.566). The catcher was a second team all-American in 2009.
Wadwell, a senior pitcher from Sydney, Australia, finished second in the nation in wins with 41 victories. The two-time All-BIG EAST selection and third team all-America selection registered a 1.69 ERA with 257 strikeouts and 11 shutouts on the season.
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.
