Softball Set for BIG EAST Championship
May 10, 2011 | Softball
May 10, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The University of Louisville softball team has earned a No. 5 seed in the BIG EAST Conference Championship and will face fourth-seeded South Florida in the quarterfinals Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The 2011 Softball Championship is an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. This year's championship will be held at Ulmer Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville. The Championship runs from May 12-14. The first round and semifinals will be streamed live on the BIG EAST's Championship Central site, while the championship game on May 14 at 5 p.m. will be televised live on ESPN2. Fans may follow the championship action at BIG EAST Championship Central
About Louisville
The Cardinals (34-17, 12-7) are led by sophomore first baseman Alicja Wolny who is batting .386 with 37 RBI and 23 runs. Freshman Hannah Kiyohara follows at .380 with 22 RBI and 18 runs. Senior third baseman Chelsea Bemis is hitting .368 with a team-best nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Junior Tori Collins (14-9) carries a 2.55 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 145.2 innings of work. Freshman Caralisa Connell (18-7) brings a 2.44 ERA into the tournament with 145 Ks in 177.2 innings.
Cards Against No. 4 USF
Series Record: Louisville leads 20-16
In 2011: The teams did not meet
Last Meeting: The Cardinals took two of three games May 1-2 in Tampa. The Cards won the first game 4-0 while the Bulls took the second 2-1. U of L picked up a 5-0 shutout in the rubber game. NOTE: The Cards and the Bulls' rivalry dates back to their days in Conference USA (2000-05)
Card Notes
• Freshman Katie Keller recently snapped a 16-game hitting streak in the 9-5 loss to Syracuse on May 7, but not before tying the school record held by Coleen Coughlin set in 2001. Earlier this season, Alicja Wolny came up just shy with a 15-game hitting streak.
• The Cards' 12 game winning streak (spanning March 26-April 13) was the fourth longest in school history. The 2006 team holds the record of 17 games (April 22-May 13, 2006).
• Sophomore Jennifer Esteban is a perfect 17-for-17 in stolen bases this season and is currently on a streak of30 perfect attempts dating back to the Feb. 28, 2010 win over Northern Illinois.
Up last for Louisvillebr> The Cardinals are coming off of a 1-3 performance in the final week of the regular season. After nearly two weeks off, Louisville opened a four-game road swing with an 8-1 win over Georgetown. After a two hour rain delay in the first game, the Cards were up 3-1 after three innings before the second game was called due to travel time constraints.
Louisville then traveled to Syracuse where they were swept for the first time this season, falling 3-0, 9-5 and 5-2 to the host Orange.
Wolny Selected to BIG EAST Honor Roll
First baseman was selected to the final BIG EAST honor roll of the season. The sophomore led the Cardinals offensively on the week, batting .583 (7-for-12) with at least one hit in each of their four games, including a 3-for-4 performance against Georgetown and a 2-for-3 showing at Syracuse. She had one double and a home run for a .917 slugging percentage and carried a team-best .643 on-base percentage.
Connell sets new freshman record
Caralisa Connell got her 18th win of the season in the 2-1 victory over Connecticut on April 13. She surpassed Jessica Rak's mark of 17 set in 2000 - Louisville's inaugural season. Connell currently has 142 strikeouts, Rak holds the freshman record at 152.
Bemis owns career RBI record
On April 16, senior Chelsea Bemis delivered a sacrifice fly in the 8-5 loss to No. 24 Notre Dame to become the school's sole career RBI leader at 175 - she surpassed Courtney Moore's (2004-07) mark of 174. She now has 184 career RBIs.
Walk this way
Senior Chelsea Bemis now holds the record for career walks with 107. 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 214 and is seventh on the all-time hits list - nine 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. Alicja Wolny leads the way at .386 with Hannah Kiyohara right behind her at .380. Chelsea Bemis .368, Colby Wherry (.264), Katie Keller (.336), Jennifer Esteban (.333) and Maggie Ruckenbrod (.304) round out the players hitting over .300.
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...
This year's senior class, Chelsea Bemis, Christina Roesel and Colby Wherry were honored during the Providence series. As a class, they have compiled 155 wins, been to three-straight NCAA tournaments, and were ranked in the top 25 the past two seasons.
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 third on the team batting .368 with a team-best nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Wherry is behind her at .364 with 20runs and 24 RBIs.
Both Bemis and Wherry will leave their marks in the Cardinal record books. They are currently tied for sixth in career games started at 224 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 223 and is tied for fifth with All-American Lacy Wood (2003-06). Audrey Rendon holds the school record with 283.
Cards in NCAA Standings
The Louisville softball team is among the top performers in the nation in doubles per game and batting average. Senior Chelsea Bemis, freshman Katie Keller and junior Tori Collins are also ranked in the top 30 in the latest NCAA stats released on May 10.
As team the Cardinals are 13th with 1.57 doubles per game and 19th in team batting average (.323). Bemis stands in at ninth with 0.37 doubles per game (19/51). Keller is 13th with four sacrifice flies. Collins is ranked 28th in the nation with three saves and 29th with eight shutouts.
