Softball Set to Host BIG EAST Conference Championship
May 11, 2010 | Softball
May 11, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
The University of Louisville softball team earned the No. 3 seed in the 2010 BIG EAST Conference Tournament and will face sixth-seeded Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals Thursday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
BIG EAST Softball Championship Returns to Ulmer Stadium
For the third season in a row, Louisville's Ulmer Stadium will be the host site for the BIG EAST Softball Championship. The league's top eight teams will compete for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The tournament will take place May 13-15.
BIG EAST Softball Tournament Information
Schedule
Thursday, May 7
Game 1: 10 a.m. #4 Villanova vs #5 Syracuse
Game 2: 12:30 p.m. #1 DePaul vs. #8 Rutgers
Game 3: 4 p.m. #2 Notre Dame vs. #7 Providence
Game 4: 6:30 p.m. #3 Louisville vs #6 Pittsburgh
Friday, May 8
Game 5*: 2:30 p.m. - Winners of Game 1 and Game 2
Game 6*: 5: p.m. - Winners of Game 3 and Game 4
Saturday, May 9 (Championship Game)
Game 7*: 5 p.m. - Winners of Game 5 and Game 6
Sunday, May 10
Rain date - Game played as necessary;
* Semifinal and final games televised live on CBS College Sports
Ticket Information
Adults- $15 (All Session); $5 (Single Session)
Seniors/Children - $9 (All Session); $3 (Single Session)
BIG EAST Students w/ID - Free
Children Under 2 - Free
Berm Seating - $3 (Single Session only)
Please call 502-852-5151 for tickets
About Louisville
The Cardinals enter the tournament with a 37-16 overall record and a 16-6 mark in league play. U of L is led offensively by All-American senior catcher Melissa Roth who is batting .405 with 15 home runs, 54 runs and 44 RBI. Freshman Alicja Wolny follows at .320 with 20 doubles and 26 RBI.Junior Chelsea Bemis stands at third on the team with a .316 average, 12 home runs and 44 RBI.
Sophomore Tori Collins (16-4) leads the Card with a 2.42 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 142.0 innings pitched. Senior Kristen Wadwell carries a 17-10 record and a 2.86 ERA. The All-American has 142 strikeouts in 176.1 innings of work.
All four quarterfinal games will be streamed live on BIGEAST.tv. Subscriptions for the day are $7.95 or $9.95 for the month, which will include baseball streaming. Friday and Saturday's games will be televised live on CBS College Sports. Friday and Saturday's games will be carried live on CBS College Sports. Dave Ryan will handle play by play duties, while Ann Schatz will provide analysis.
Cards Against Pittsburgh
Series Record: Louisville leads 5-1
Last meeting: The Cards swept a doubleheader in 2009, winning 5-2 and 6-5 at Pittsburgh. In game one, catcher Melissa Roth drove in all five of Louisville's runs with a solo home run and a grand slam to lift then-No. 15/18 Louisville to a 5-2 win. The Cards defeated Pittsburgh 6-5 to complete the sweep. Kristi Cunningham was 3 for 3 with two runs and an RBI. Roth was 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI. Wherry and James also had two hits in the game.
2010: The teams did not play in 2010
Scouting the Panthers: Pittsburgh enters the tournament with a 27-24 overall record and a 10-11 mark in league play. Ashley Amistade leads the team with a .320 average and 31 runs. Holly Stevens is hitting at a .285 clip with a team-high 10 home runs and 30 RBI. Cory Berliner (13-9) holds a 2.04 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 164.1 innings. Alyssa O'Connell (12-12) also has a 2.04 ERA with 112 Ks in 161.2 innings.
Card Notes
• Freshman Alicja Wolny has tied a school record with 20 doubles this season. She is tied with teammate Melissa Roth's 2008 mark and former Cardinal great Melissa Jacobo's original record set in the 2001 season.
• Senior Melissa Roth has 199 career runs and needs one more to become the first Cardinal softball player to score 200 runs in her career.
• 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 674. 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 66, she surpassed Keola Calderon's mark of 53 which has stood since the 2003 season
• 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 Cardinals closed the 2010 regular season on the road with a three-game sweep of Connecticut. Louisville won the first game 5-0 and took the second 10-1 in six innings. The Cards completed the sweep with a 7-3 win Sunday. Bemis led the team, going 5-for-8 with two home runs while Kristen Wadwell picked up two victories and Tori notched one win on the weekend. Both pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout in the 5-0 win.
Bemis Named BIG EAST Player of the Week (Again)
Third baseman Chelsea Bemis earned her second BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week honor on May 10 following the league's final week of regular season play.
Bemis posted a .625 batting average on the week (5-for-8) with four runs, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and a stolen base. The junior had two multi-hit games and three multi-RBI performances in a three-game series at Connecticut. She had a double, home run and RBI in each of the first two games against the Huskies. Bemis slugged 1.625 for the week. She finished the regular-season atop the BIG EAST with a conference 1.032 slugging percentage and 11 home runs against league opponents.
Cards Receiving Votes in Coaches' Polls
U of L is receiving votes in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches' polls released on May 11. The Cards spent a total of 24 straight weeks among the top 25 in the nation from Feb. 17, 2009 through April 20, 2010. This season, the Cardinals were ranked as high as No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches' poll released on March 1.
Wadwell Earns CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic Honors
Senior pitcher Kristen Wadwell was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District IV second team. The Sydney, Australia native carries a 3.84 GPA while majoring in Psychology and Exercise Science. This marks the second consecutive year she has earned All-District honors.
Roth Earns Louisville's Top Senior Award
Softball catcher Melissa Roth earned the University of Louisville's 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 15 home runs on the season and needs one 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 35 career homers and stands at second on the all-time list, seven behind Moore's career record of 42.
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 663. 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 8th in the nation in that category with seven strikeouts in 155 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 16 losses coming against top 25 teams - and five of those losses were against teams in the top 10 (Arizona, Michigan -twice, and Oklahoma - twice.
