No. 23 Softball Set to Host Kentucky
April 06, 2010 | Softball
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
April 6, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville softball team will play to host in-state rival Kentucky Wednesday, April 7 at Ulmer Stadium at 6 p.m.. Admission is $5 for stadium seating with group rates of $2. Please call 502-852-5863 or 502-852-5151 for ticket information.
Fans are encouraged to wear red with "Red-Out" t-shirts being handed out to the first 300 fans along with other giveaways that include Louisville Softball t-shirts, notebooks, and hats. The Afternoon Underdogs will also be broadcasting atop the Ulmer Stadium press box from 3-5 p.m - their weekly sports-talk show can be heard on WKRD 790 AM.
No. 23 U of L (24-12) is led offensively by All-American senior catcher - and current BIG EAST Player of the Week - Melissa Roth who is batting .464 with 12 home runs, 41 runs and 35 RBI. Senior Vanessa James follows with a .342 average, 26 runs, 15 stolen bases and 14 RBI. Freshman Jordan Trimble carries a.330 average, 15 runs and 29 RBI. Freshman Alicja Wolny rounds out the .300 hitters with a .323 average, 13 doubles and 20 RBI.
Senior Kristen Wadwell leads the Cards with a 13-7 record and a 3.12 ERA. The All-American has 95 strikeouts in 125.2 innings of work. Sophomore Tori Collins (7-3) holds a 3.50 ERA with 79 K's in 76.0 innings. Freshman Chelsea Leonard (4-2) has a 4.81 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
Cards Against the Wildcats
Series Record: Tied at 12-12
Last meeting: March 10, 2010, in Lexington, Ky. - The teams played through seven scoreless innings before Melissa Roth's solo home run in the top of the eighth. Alicja Wolny followed with a two-run shot. Kristen Wadwell got the win, allowing one hit in three innings of relief. Starter Tori Collins combined in the shutout, also giving up one hit in five innings.
Chanda Bell took the loss, giving up three earned runs on six hits and striking out seven in eight innings. Megan Yocke and Samantha DeMartine accounted for the Wildcats' hits.
Scouting Kentucky: UK enters the game with a 22-15 overall record and is receiving votes in both coaches' polls. The Wildcats recently took two of three games agaist Mississippi State to move to 7-9 in SEC play, sweeping a doubleheader 5-4 and 2-0 and falling 1-0 in the third game.
Kentucky is led by shortstop Molly Johnson's .375 batting average, 28 runs, 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases. Brittany Cervantes has used eight home runs to help drive in a team-best 27 RBI. Chanda Bell (12-8) carries a 2.35 ERA with 204 strikeouts in 140.0 innings.
Recapping Last Weekend
The Cardinals improved to 4-2 in BIG EAST Conference play with a three-game sweep of host Providence. The Cards took the first game 9-2 and won the second 10-1. After sitting idle on Good Friday, the Cards completed the sweep with a 3-0 victory Saturday. Senior catcher Melissa Roth led the Cardinals to a three-game series sweep over Providence with a .545 (6 for 11) batting average, two home run, a double, six runs and six RBI.
Up Next
After a weekend off, Louisville will return to conference play with a doubleheader at Rutgers April 14.
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 doubleheader, 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 627 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 Tabbed BIG EAST Player of the Week
Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Melissa Roth helped Louisville to a perfect record this past week and has been named the BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Roth led the Cardinals to a three-game sweep at Providence with a .545 (6-for-11) batting average. The senior slammed two home runs and drove in six RBI. She also chipped in two doubles and six runs while boasting a 1.182 slugging percentage and a .615 on-base mark. The catcher had at least one hit and scored at least one run in every game, highlighted by a 3-for-3, three-run, four-RBI performance in a 10-1 win versus the Friars. She currently leads the team - and the league with a .464 average, 12 home runs and 41 runs.
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. 23 in NFCA poll
U of L is now No.23 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 23rd 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.
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. Wadwell owns several school records including career (75) and single season (41) wins and strikeouts in a game (16).
Roth and Wadwell Among Top 50 Players to Watch
Melissa Roth and Kristen Wadwell have been selected among the top 50 players in the nation as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, released its initial "Watch List" for the Ninth Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award.
This award, which is considered to be one of the most prestigious honors in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. The 2010 Pre-Season Watch List is comprised of 50 players representing 35 schools and 14 different NCAA Division I Conferences. The list includes 27 seniors, 17 juniors and six sophomores.
The ASA will announce the 25 finalists on April 7. A player does not have to appear on this initial watch list to be considered as a top 25 finalist. However, once the top 25 finalists are named the winner of the award will come from that list. Freshmen can qualify for the top 25 list once they have competed at the collegiate level. Just days before the start of post-season play, a list of 10 finalists will be named and released on May 12. The final three finalists will be announced May 26 while the winner of the 2010 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced prior to the start of the 2010 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
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.
