Softball to Host NCAA Regional
May 16, 2011 | Softball
May 16, 2011
Complete NCAA Softball Bracket in PDF Format 
The University of Louisville softball team will host the NCAA softball regional May 20-22 at Ulmer Stadium. The Cards (36-18) will face Illinois-Chicago (25-22) Friday at 7:30 p.m., while California (39-10), the tournament's overall seventh seed, and Jacksonville State (39-19) will kick off Friday's action at 5 p.m. This marks Louisville's eighth consecutive NCAA tournament bid and the second time it has hosted an NCAA regional. The Cards also hosted in 2009.
"We are very excited to be hosting again," said Sandy Pearsall. "This has been a year of ups and downs, but this team continues to find ways to get the job done. With three tremendous opponents coming in, this will be a very exciting regional. We had such great fan support for the BIG EAST Championship, we hope that they will be back to cheer us on this weekend."
The winner of the Louisville regional meet up with the winner from the Ann Arbor Region which features the tournament's tenth overall seed, Michigan, who will face Western Michigan in its first round game with Notre Dame and Kentucky also in that bracket.
Louisville Regional - May 20-22 at Louisville, Kentucky
No. 7 seed California (39-10) vs. Jacksonville St. (39-19)
Ill.-Chicago (25-22) vs. Louisville* (36-18)
NCAA Regional Schedule
Friday, May 20
Game 1 - California vs. Jacksonville State - 5 p.m.
Game 2 - Louisville vs. Illinois-Chicago - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Game 3 - Winners Game 1/Game 2 - 2 p.m.
Game 4 - Losers Game 1/Game 2 - 4:30
Game 5 - Loser Game 3/Winner Game 4 - 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 22
Game 6 - Winners Game 3/Game 5 - 2 p.m.
Game 7 - If necessary - Rematch of Game 6 - 4:30 p.m.
Ticket Information
Berm (General admission)
$7 - Single Session
$20 - All Tournament
Reserved
$10 - single session
$25 All-Tournament Pass
Students with ID
$5 single session
$15 - All-Tournament Pass
Please call 502-852-5151 for tickets.
About Louisville
Louisville received an at-large bid after posting a 36-18 overall record and a runner-up finish in the BIG EAST Conference tournament. The Cards are led by sophomore Alicja Wolny who is batting .368 with 37 RBIs and 24 runs. Seniors Colby Wherry and Chelsea Bemis are tied for second on the team with a .358 average. Wherry has six home runs with 25 RBIs and 21 runs, while Bemis has a team-best 10 homers and 45 RBIs.
Junior Tori Collins (16-10) carries a 2.27 ERA and is holding opponents to a .198 batting average with 168 strikeouts in 166.2 innings.
Cards in the NCAA
Louisville has made eight straight NCAA appearances and has a 9-14 overall record in the tournament - advancing to the finals in 2008 and 2010 - both times at the Knoxville Regional.
Cards Against the Field
Illinois-Chicago (25-22)
Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: March 15, 2009 Louisville won 6-3 at Ulmer Stadium
About the Flames: UIC (25-22) is making its ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament and holds a 12-15 record in regional play. The Flames defeated Butler 5-3 to win the Horizon League title Sunday.
Note: UIC pitching coach, Amanda Scott, is the older sister of Louisville pitching coach Courtney Scott. Amanda Scott led Fresno State to an NCAA title and was the World Series MVP in 1998 as a pitcher, while Courtney, a former catcher for California, helped lead the Bears to the 2002 title and a runner-up finish in 2003.
No. 5/6 California (39-10)
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: March 24, 2007 - Louisville won 12-2 at Ulmer Stadium
About the Bears: No. 5/6 California (39-10) earned the tournament's No. 7 overall seed. The Bears (39-10) are playing in their 26th consecutive NCAA tournament, the second-longest streak in the nation. Cal has played in 10 NCAA Women's College World Series, making it last appearance in 2005. The Bears won the National Championship in 2002 and made three consecutive title game appearances from 2002-04.
Cal finished second in the Pac-10 Conference, behind the No. 1 national seed Arizona State. The Bears defeated No. 10 Arizona 6-3 in the final game of conference play to finish with 15-6 mark in league play.
Note:Louisville pitching coach Courtney Scott was an NFCA All-American catcher at California where she was a captain and four-year starter. During her time there, Scott helped lead the Golden Bears to four Women's College World Series appearances including the 2002 national title and a runner-up showing in 2003.
Jacksonville State (39-19)
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 21, 2009 - Tampa, Fla. (USF Tournament)
About the Gamecocks:Jacksonville State claimed the Ohio Valley Conference title with a 9-5 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday. The Gamecocks make their fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Regionals and their fifth overall. They won the 2009 Knoxville Regional and advanced to the title game of the 2008 Tuscaloosa Regional.
