Softball Set to Host No. 23/24 Kentucky
March 22, 2011 | Softball
March 22, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The University of Louisville softball team will play host to in-state rival No. 23/24 Kentucky (19-6) Wednesday at 6 p.m. Fan are encouraged to wear black and the first 300 fans will receive a free t-shirt.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 502-852-5151 and will be sold at the game. Reserved seating is $5.00 while berm seating is free.
About Louisville
The Cardinals (18-9) are led by senior third baseman Chelsea Bemis who is batting .394 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 25 RBI. Sophomore first baseman Alicja Wolny at .394 average, with nine doubles, 11 runs and 27 RBI. Senior ColbyWherry rounds out the top three at .382 with 11 runs and 12 RBI.
Junior LHP Tori Collins (11-5) carries a 2.45 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 105.2 innings and is holding opponents to a .203 batting average. Freshman Caralisa Connell (6-3) has a 3.12 ERA with 51 Ks in 65.0 innings of work.
Cards Against the Field
Kentucky
Series: Louisville leads 13-12
Last Meeting: April 7, 2010 - UL won 6-0 at Ulmer Stadium
Scouting the Wildcats: Kentucky enters the week with a 19-6 overall record and ranked 24th in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll and The Wildcats are coming off a road trip to Southeastern Conference foe LSU where the Tigers won two out of the three game series. UK took the first game 6-1 and LSU won the next two 2-1 and 4-1.
Kentucky is led offensively by Meagan Aull, who is batting .402 on the season with 13 runs and 10 stolen bases. Brittany Cervantes is hitting .351 with a team-best eight home runs, 24 runs and 26 RBI. Chanda Bell (7-3) carries a 1.60 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 74.1 innings of work.
Up Last for Louisville - Cards Win San Diego Classic II
Louisville is coming off of a 4-1 performance on the weekend to claim the San Diego Classic II title. The Cards opened the tournament with wins over Cal State Northridge, San Diego State and Wisconsin before suffering their only loss, a 7-5 decision to Ohio University. Louisville closed the weekend with a 9-1 win over Ohio State.
Senior Colby Wherry led the Cardinals to a 4-1 performance on the weekend. She batted .625 (10-for-16) with a home run, three doubles, six RBIs and four runs. She posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage. Wherry had at least one hit in each game and an extra-base hit in four of the five game. Wherry had three-hit performances against Northridge and Ohio. She also went 2-for-2 with a home run.
Junior LHP Tori Collins posted a 3-0 record, one save and a 0.59 ERA on the week, allowing two earned runs on 12 hits and striking out 24 in 23.2 innings of work. She limited opponents to a .150 batting average.
Up Next...
U of L will open BIG EAST Conference play March 25-26 against Villanova at Ulmer Stadium.
Card Notes
• Six of Louisville's nine losses have come to teams ranked in the top 15: twice to (then) No. 5/6 Michigan, twice to No. 15 Texas and twice to No. 3/7 Alabama. Each of those teams has since risen in the rankings, with Alabama sitting at No. 1 in this week's ESPN.com USA Softball poll.
• Sophomore Jennifer Esteban is a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases this season and is currently on a streak of 23 perfect attempts dating back to the Feb. 28, 2010 win over Northern Illinois.
• Senior Chelsea Bemis is second on the career RBI list with 167. She needs seven more to tie Courtney Moore's mark of 174.
Tori Collins Named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week (Again); Colby Wherry Selected to Honor Roll
Junior Tori Collins was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week and senior Colby Wherry was selected to the honor roll for the period ending March 20. This marks the second Pitcher of the Week nod for Collins this season.
Collins posted a 3-0 record with one save and a 0.59 ERA for the Cardinals in five appearances on the week. The lefty allowed just two earned runs on 12 hits, striking out 24 in 23.2 innings of work. Collins limited opponents to a .150 batting average.
Wherry led the Cardinals to a 4-1 performance on the weekend. She batted .625 (10-for-16) with a home run, three doubles, six RBIs and four runs. She posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage.
Hitting for average - youngsters stepping up to the plate
Louisville is batting .318 as a team with six active players batting at, or above .300. Senior Chelsea Bemis leads the way at .397. Alicja Wolny is right behind her a .390. Colby Wherry carries a .382 average. Maggie Ruckenbrod (.341), Jennifer Esteban (.330) and Katie Keller (.319) round out the top hitters.
Four of the Cards' top six hitters are underclassmen Ruckenbrod and Keller are freshmen while Wolny and Esteban are sophomores. Sophomore Jordan Trimble was also batting .410 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
