Softball Travels to Western Kentucky
March 18, 2014 | Softball
March 18, 2014
The University of Louisville softball team will travel to Bowling Green, Ky. for a doubleheader against Western Kentucky Wednesday at 4 p.m. (EDT).
Louisville Softball Quick Hits
• The Cardinals are led offensively by senior second baseman Katie Keller who is batting .389 with 23 runs and 10 RBI. Senior catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod follows wih a .380 average and 12 RBIs. Junior Kelsi Jones has belted out a team-best six home runs and has 19 RBIs on the season.
• Freshman Maryssa Becker (4-1) has a 1.94 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 47.0 innings while holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Senior Rachel LeCoq (5-5) holds a 3.50 ERA and has 56Ks in 58.0 innings of work. Fellow senior Caralisa Connell (5-4) carries a 4.50 ERA and is holding opponents to a .217 batting average. She has 42 Ks in 46.2 innings.
• Louisville will be competing in the American Athletic Conference this season after spending the last eight years in the BIG EAST. The Cardinals are the coaches' preseason favorite to win the conference.
• Head coach Sandy Pearsall is in her 15th season at UofL. She started the program in 2000 and is the only head coach in UofL Softball history, guiding the program to a 567-283 record.
Last Up
The Cardinals posted a 1-3 record in the Class Act Federal Credit Union Louisville Softball Classic. UofL opened the tournament on Friday with a 2-1 win over Kent State, but went on to lose the next three games, matching their longest losing streak of the season.
In Friday's second game Louisville fell 2-0 to Iowa State. On Saturday, they suffered their first run-rule loss of the season, a 9-1, six inning contest against No. 7/8 Michigan. After being `weathered' out on Sunday, the Cards faced Wisconsin in a single game and fell 4-1 on Monday.
Cards Against Western Kentucky
Series Record: Louisville leads 12-3
Last Meeting: March 12, 2013 - Louisville won 7-2 at Ulmer Stadium.
Maggie Ruckenbrod and Hannah Kiyohara each had three hits and drove in two runs to help lead then-No. 11 Louisville to a 7-2 win over visiting Western Kentucky at Ulmer Stadium. Caralisa Connell got her 13th win, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits and striking out five in a complete game effort.
Scouting the Hilltoppers: Western Kentucky enters the game with a 16-8-1 overall record. The Hilltoppers are coming off of a 6-1 win over Tennessee Tech on March 12. Prior to that, they fell 3-0 to UAB - the winner of the 2013 Louisville NCAA regional.
WKU has notched some impressive wins, including a 3-2 victory over then-No. 2 Tennessee in Knoxville on March 8. Olivia Watkins leads the team with a .471 batting average, 22 runs and 23 stolen bases while Amanda Thomas has a team-best 23 RBIs on the season. Emily Rousseau (8-6) carries a 2.61 ERA and has 77 strikeouts in 94.0 innings of work. Hannah Miniard (8-2) has a 1.96 ERA with three shutouts and 62 strikeouts in 57.0 innings. She is holding opponents to a stingy .155 batting average.
Up Next
UofL will return to Ulmer Stadium for its American Athletic Conference opener against Rutgers. The Cards and the Scarlet Knights will open league play with a doubleheader Saturday at
Cards Set School Record for Runs in a Game
On March 9, the Cardinals defeated Ohio University 22-4 at Ulmer Stadium, setting a program record for runs in a game.The previous record was 18 set against Saint Louis on April 24, 2005. Highlight from the game included:
• Every starter in the lineup had at least one hit as the Cards pounded out a season-high 18 hits
• Senior Taner Fowler and junior Brittany Duncan each tied a school record for runs in a game with four.
• Senior Hannah Kiyohara had a career-high five RBIs to combine with a season-best 3 for 4 performance at the plate.
Jones and Duncan Powerful Additions
Junior transfers Kelsi Jones (Missouri) and Brittany Duncan (Valparaiso) have been welcome additions to a team which set a program record for home runs with 63 in 2013. Jones leads the team with six and Duncan follows closely with four to account for 10 of the Cardinals' 16 bombs on the season.
Keller Selected as Candidate for the 2014 Softball Senior CLASS Award®
The University of Louisville's Katie Keller was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
She becomes the second UofL softball player to be named to the Senior CLASS Award list, joining Kristi Cunningham who earned the honor in 2009. About the Senior CLASS Award
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Women's College World Series® in Oklahoma City May 29 through June 4.
