Softball Plays Host to Connecticut Wednesday at Noon
April 12, 2011 | Softball
April 12, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
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The University of Louisville softball team will play host to Connecticut in a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader Wednesday at noon at Ulmer Stadium.
The Cards (30-10) are currently on a season-high 11 game win streak and are third in BIG EAST Conference standings with an 8-1conference record. The Huskies enter Wednesday's twinbill at 3-2 in the conference and fifth in league standings.
About Louisville
The Cardinals (30-10, 8-1) are currently on a season-high 11-game win streak and have won 12 of their past 13 games. Louisville is led offensively by freshman rightfielder Hannah Kiyohara, who is batting .397 with 14 runs and 16 RBI. Sophomore first baseman Alicja Wolny follows at .378 with a team-best 35 RBI. Senior third baseman Chelsea Bemis rounds out the top three hitters with a .370 average, 15 doubles and seven home runs. Sophomore left fielder Jennifer Esteban carries a.369 batting average with 34 runs, four triples and 16 stolen bases.
Freshman Caralisa Connell (17-4) carries a 2.25 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 146.0 innings of work. She has won the past 11 games for the Cardinals. Junior LHP Tori Collins (12-5) carries a 2.30 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 112.2 innings and is holding opponents to a .204 batting average.
Cards Against the Field
Record: Louisville leads 8-4
Last Meeting: The Cardinals swept the Huskies in a three-game series May 8-9, 2010 in Storrs, Conn.
Scouting the Huskies: Connecticut is coming off of an 8-5 victory over in-state rival Hartford. The Huskies have compiled a 15-16 season record an a 3-2 BIG EAST record. They currently sit in fifth place in the conference standings.
Connecticut is led by senior Julianne Towers who leads the team in almost every statistical category. She is batting .366 with 37 hits, 13 doubles, seven homeruns, 27 RBIs, 24 runs and a .743 slugging percentage.
On the mound, the Huskies are led by sophomore Kiki Saveriano who has recorded a 3.38 ERA in 21 games. In the team's last outing vs. Hartford, Saveriano struck out six to improve to 8-11 on the season.
Card Notes
• The Cards' 11 game winning streak is the fourth longest inschool history. The 2006 team holds the record of 17 games (April 22-May 13, 2006).
• Six of Louisville's 10 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 16-for-16 in stolen bases this season and is currently on a streak of 29 perfect attempts dating back to the Feb. 28, 2010 win over Northern Illinois.
• Senior Chelsea Bemis is second on the career RBI list with 173. She needs one more to tie Courtney Moore's mark of 174.
Cards receiving votes coaches polls
For the second week in a row, the Cardinals are receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches polls. The Cards sit at No. 27 in both polls and are at No. 25 in the Ultimate College Softball rankings.
Up Last for Louisville
The Cards are coming off of a three-game sweep of BIG EAST opponent Pittsburgh. The Cards needed eight innings and a solo home run by Chelsea Bemis to win the first game 3-2, but rolled to a 7-2 win the the second game of the doubleheader. They used a season-high 16 hits in a 10-3 win on Sunday.
Up Next...
U of L will go on the road to take on BIG EAST Conference opponent Notre Dame in a three-game series April 16-17.
Connell Selected to BIG EAST honor roll
Caralisa Connell was named to the BIG EAST honor roll on April. The rookied helped the Cardinals to a 4-0 on the week by pitching every inning and earning all four wins. She posted a 1.69 ERA with 24 strikeouts. Connell scattered 27 hits in 29 innings and notched a complete game shutout in the 1-0 win over Indiana. She has now won 11 consecutive games dating back to March 26.
On a hot streak
The Cardinals are in the midst of a season-high 11-game winning steak dating back to the March 26 5-3 win over Villanova - they have also won 12 of their last 13 games. The team has hit .346 and outscored opponents 79-25 in the past 11games.
During that time, right fielder Hannah Kiyohara has led the Cardinals at the plate with a .545 average (18-for-33), eight runs and eight RBIs. Left fielder Jennifer Esteban is hitting 405 (14-for-30)with 12 runs, and five stolen bases. Third baseman Chelsea Bemis is hitting .387 with three home runs and six RBI. Second baseman Katie Keller is right behind her, batting .382 with 13 runs, three home runs and 16 RBIs.
Freshman Caralisa Connell has posted an 11-0 record with a 1.42 ERA, 57 strikeouts and a .242 opponent batting average while pitching every inning during that stretch.
Walk this way
Senior Chelsea Bemis now holds the record for career walks with 104. She drew a walk in the April 3, 9-3 win over Seton Hall to give her 103, surpassing Courtney Moore's previous mark of 102 which has stood since the 2007 season.
Wherry joins the 200 Hits Club
On April 10, Colby Wherry had a pair of hits in the 10-3 win over Pittsburgh to earn her 200th career hit. She becomes the seventh player in program history to record 200 hits. She currently has 200 and is seventh on the all-time hits list - 10 behind teammate Chelsea Bemis.
Ruckenbrod throwing down
Freshman catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod picked off two runners in the first game of the Pitt doubleheader. She now has 10 on the season and owns the single game, season and career records for runners picked off.
Hitting for average - underclassmen stepping up to the plate
Louisville is batting .323 as a team with seven active players batting at, or above .300. Hannah Kiyohara leads the way at .410. Alicja Wolny follows at .378 and Chelsea Bemis is batting .370. Jennifer Esteban (.369), Colby Wherry (.359), Katie Keller (.321) and Maggie Ruckenbrod (.315) complete the .300 lineup.
Five of the Cards' top seven hitters are underclassmen Kiyohara, Keller and Ruckenbrod, are freshmen while Wolny and Esteban are sophomores. Sophomore Jordan Trimble was also batting .410 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
Senior leadership
Senior captains Chelsea Bemis and Colby Wherry comprise the left side of the infield at third base and shortstop respectively. Both are four-year starters and have turned in solid performance both offensively and defensively this season. Bemis is currently batting .370with a team-best seven home runs and 15 doubles. Wherry carries a .359 average with 19 RBIs, three homers and 19 runs.
Both Bemis and Wherry will leave their marks in the Cardinal record books. They are currently tied for 10th in career games started at 213 each. They are also in the top 10 in several offensive categories including hits, doubles, RBIs and walks.
Bemis a Member of the 200 Hits Club
On March 30, Chelsea Bemis blasted solo home run in the 13-2 win over DePaul to notch her 200th career hit, becoming the sixth player in program history to record 200 hits. She currently has 210 and is sixth on the all-time hits list. She needs 13 more to tie Lacy Wood for fifth (223). Audrey Rendon holds the school record with 283.
