Softball Set for Red & Black Classic
March 06, 2014 | Softball
March 6, 2014
Complete Red & Black Classic Game Notes 
After sitting idle due to rain in Southern California last weekend, the University of Louisville softball team will return to Ulmer Stadium for the 2014 Red & Black Classic March 7-9. The Cardinals will open play against Massachusetts Friday at 3 p.m. On Saturday, UofL will face Ohio University and Illinois State at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively. Louisville will wrap up the weekend Sunday against Ohio State at 3 p.m. and Ohio University at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free.
NOTE: Due to team travel issues, Saturday's schedule has been altered. The Cardinals will now play Ohio University at 5 p.m. (originally 3 p.m.) and Illinois State at 7:30 p.m. (originally 5:30 p.m.). See the complete revised schedule below.
Red & Black Classic Schedule
Friday, March 7
12:30pm Ohio State vs. Ohio University
3:00pm Louisville vs. UMass
5:30pm Ohio University vs. Illinois State
Saturday, March 8
10:00am UMass vs. Ohio University
12:30pm UMass vs. Ohio State
2:30 p.m. Ohio State vs. Illinois State
5:00 p.m. Louisville vs. Ohio University
7:30 p.m. Louisville vs. Illinois State
Sunday, March 9
10:00 a.m. UMass vs. Ohio State
12:30 p.m. UMass vs. Illinois State
3:00 p.m. Louisville vs. Ohio State
5:30 p.m. Louisville vs. Ohio University
Red & Black Classic Tournament Central
Louisville Softball Quick Hits
• Junior transfer Brittany Duncan, a transfer from Valparaiso, has been walked 14 times in 14 games. The designated player has a .394 batting average and reached base in every game via a hit or a walk.
• Fellow junior centerfielder Kelsi Jones transferred to Louisville from Missouri and has had an immediate impact this season. She carries a .378 batting average with two home runs, nine RBIs and is 4 for 4 in stolen bases.
• Senior Rachel LeCoq (2-3) carries a 3.41 ERA and has 34 Ks in 37.0 innings of work. Fellow senior Caralisa Connell (3-3) holds a 3.43 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. Freshman Maryssa Becker is adjusting to the college game with a 3-0 record and 23 Ks in 170 innings of work.
• 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 561-280 record.
Last Up
The Cardinals traveled to Fullerton, Calif. for the Louisville Slugger Invitational where they were scheduled to play Cal State Fullerton, Northwestern, No. 5 UCLA, UC Santa Barbara and Oregon State. All five games were cancelled due to excessive rain in the region.
When last in action, UofL posted a 4-1 record in the Cardinal Classic Feb. 21-23. Louisville defeated Northern Kentucky 11-2 in its home opener, but fell 4-0 to Eastern Kentucky in the second game of the day. On Saturday, the Cardinals rebounded to defeated IUPUI 12-1 and then scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to overome a 2-0 deficit and beat Central Michigan 3-2. UofL wrapped up the weekend with an 8-0 win over Northern Kentucky.
Cards Against the Red & Black Classic Field
Massachusetts
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 12, 2012 - Louisville won 2-0 in the FIU Combat Classic Scouting the Minutewomen: UMass enters the weekend with a 1-4 overall record. After having their first weekend in Boca Raton, Fla. cancelled due to weather related travel conditions, the Minutewomen posted a 1-4 record at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. UMass began the season with a 4-2 loss to DePaul, a 13-3 loss to Charleston, and a 3-0 loss to Rutgers. They posted an 8-7 win versus Connecticut before dropping their final game of the weekend 8-0 to Hofstra.
Quianna Diaz-Patterson who is hitting .375 with one RBI and three runs scored leads the Minutewomen offensively. Cote Clark is also hitting .375 and has two RBIs and one run scored. Caroline Raymond (1-3) has pitched three complete games and carries a 4.30 ERA with nine strikeouts.
Illinois State
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-3
Last Meeting: March 10, 2013 - Louisville won 9-3
Scouting the Redbirds: Illinois State enters the weekend with a 6-13 overall record. Last weekend the Redbirds went 1-4 at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic in Kissimmee, Fla., playing four Top 25 teams. Illinois State opened the weekend with a 3-2 loss versus No. 25 Auburn and a 4-2 loss versus No. 23 Notre Dame. On Saturday, the Redbirds lost 11-10 to No. 17 Missouri followed by a 3-2 win against Nebraska-Omaha. The Redbirds dropped a 2-0 decision to No.4 Oregon on the final day of the weekend.
Jordan de los Reyes is hitting .261 and leads the offense with 12 RBIs and four home runs. Laura Canopy adds seven RBIs with a .300 batting average and 10 runs scored. Pitcher Regan Romshek is 5-6 with 34 strikeouts and a 2.76 ERA. Romshek has eight complete games in 71.0 innings pitched.
Ohio University
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-2
Last Meeting: March 19, 2011 - Ohio won 7-5 in the San Deigo Classic II
Scouting the Bobcats: Ohio enters the weekend with a 12-8 overall record after being swept by Lipscomb in a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Bobcats finished 0-5 last weekend at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Softball Classic in Gulfport, Miss. Ohio began with a 3-0 loss to South Alabama and a 5-2 loss to Chattanooga. On Saturday the Bobcats fell 3-1 to Texas State in eight innings and 3-1 to Louisiana-Lafayette. On the final day, Ohio dropped a 2-1 decision to Mississippi State. This week a game versus Tennessee State was cancelled and the Bobcats played a doubleheader versus Lipscomb on March 5.
Adrienne Gebele leads the offense with a .418 batting average with 10 RBIs, two home runs and five runs scored. Amanda Dalton is hitting .333 and leads the team with 11 runs scored and Alexandria leads the team with 12 RBIs and a .288 batting average. In the circle, Savannah Jo Dorsey is 9-4 overall with 93 strikeouts and seven complete games in 83.0 innings pitched.
Ohio State
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-3
Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2014 - Louisville won 5-4 in eight innings at the FAU Kick-Off Classic. Then- No. 18/19 Louisville overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat Ohio State 5-4 in eight innings. A two-run homer by Kelsi Jones in the sixth broke up Melanie Nichols no-hitter and pulled the Cards within two runs. Brittany Sims' two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh sent the game into extra innings. Katie Keller's RBI double plated Hannah Kiyohara to give Louisville the 5-4 victory.
Scouting the Buckeyes: Ohio State enters the weekend with a 6-9 overall record after finishing 2-3 last weekend at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic in Kissimmee, Fla. The Buckeyes began with a 5-3 win over Bradley and a 1-0 win versus Fordham. Ohio State followed with a 3-1 loss versus No. 23 Notre Dame, a 9-1 loss to No. 1 Florida, and a 7-0 loss to No. 17 Missouri.
The Buckeyes are led by Caitlin Conrad, who carries a .357 batting average with nine RBIs and two home runs. Evelyn Carrillo is hitting .356 with nine RBIs and Erika Leonard is hitting .333 with 10 RBIs and one home run. The Buckeyes have split the time in the circle between Alex DiDomenico, Melanie Nichols and Shelby Hursh. DiDomenico (3-2) leads the team with 29.2 innings pitched and carries a 3.54 ERA with 21 strikeouts. Nichols (1-3) has 21 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched and a 3.66 ERA. Hursh (2-3) leads Ohio State with 24 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched and a 4.13 ERA.
Up Next
The Cardinals will continue their 11-game home stand on March 11 when they play host to Illinois State at 1 p.m. Next weekend (March 14-17) UofL will host Kent State, Michigan, and Wisconsin in the Louisville Classic.
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 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.
Arion Named to American Athletic Conference honor roll
Whitney Arion was named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll on Feb. 24. Arion helped the Cardinals to a 4-1 record on the weekend. The junior batted .400 (6 for 15) with six RBIs and four runs. She registered a double, a triple and a home run to help account for a .800 slugging percentage. Arion had at least one hit and one RBI in all four of the Cardinals' wins. With Louisville down 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh, her two-run double tied the game against Central Michigan and she came around to score the winning run in that game.
She also played perfect defense in all five games - she did not commit an error while splitting time between shortstop and third base.
Becker Shines in Cardinal Classic
Freshman Maryssa Becker registered some career `firsts' in the circle and at the plate while helping the Cards to a 4-1 record in the Cardinal Classic. The rookie notched her first collegiate win against Northern Kentucky and went on to post a 3-0 record in five appearances on the weekend, striking out 13 and allowing one earned run in 9.1 innings for a 0.75 ERA and held opponents to a .216 batting average. Becker also helped her cause offensively, posting an .833 average (5 for 6) with two RBIs and three runs.
Jones Named Inaugural American Athletic Conference Player of the Week - Connell selected to honor roll
Following the opening weekend of the 2014 season, Louisville's Kelsi Jones was named the American Athletic Conference's inaugural Player of the Week and senior Caralisa Connell was named to the weekly honor roll.
Jones (Carmel, Ind.) batted .438 in a 3-2 weekend for the Cardinals at the FAU Kick-Off Classic, with two home runs and a double for four runs and four RBIs. On Feb. 7 she went 3-for-3 with a home run in Louisville's 7-1 rout of Northern Illinois. The junior centerfielder also highlighted the Cards' extra-innings victory over Ohio State on Feb. 8, breaking up a no-hitter in the sixth inning with a two-run homer.
Senior pitcher Caralisa Connell went 2-1 for Louisville on the weekend, posting a 0.93 ERA and earned 14 strikeouts in 15 innings of work.
Keller Named to Top 50 "Watch List" for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
Katie Keller was named to the Top 50 "Watch List" for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year as announced by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball on Jan. 29.
• The pre-season "Watch List" includes 24 seniors, 20 juniors and six sophomores, with freshman ineligible for consideration. (Freshman can be considered for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award once they have competed at the collegiate level.) Athletes named to the "Watch List" represent 36 NCAA Division I universities and 12 athletic conferences.
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 9. While an athlete does not have to be on the "Watch List" to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be announced May 7 and the Top 3 Finalists will be announced May 21. On May 27 prior to the start of the 2014 NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) in Oklahoma City, the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed.
Cardinals earn College Sports Madness Preseason Honors
Senior second baseman Katie Keller was named to the College Sports Madness preseason All-America second team. The website also named Keller the preseason American Athletic Conference Field Player of the Year and freshman pitcher/first baseman Maryssa Becker was tabbed Rookie of the Year. UofL's Sandy Pearsall was named the preseason conference Coach of the Year by College Sports madness.
Keller joins fellow senior Rachel LeCoq on the CSM preseason All-AAC first team. Seniors Caralisa Connell and Hannah Kiyohara were named to the second team.
Cards Tabbed 2014 American Athletic Conference Preseason Favorites
UofL was chosen as the preseason favorite in 2014 American Athletic Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, as selected by the conference's eight head coaches. Louisville received six of seven possible first place votes for 48 total points to take the honor.
The conference's teams all begin play in March, with the eight teams looking toward the inaugural American Athletic Conference Softball Championship. Held at the Cougar Softball Field on the campus of the University of Houston May 8-10, the Championship will take the form of a single-elimination bracket. The quarterfinal and semifinal matchups will all be broadcast live on The American Digital Network, with the final featured live on ESPNEWS.
2014 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (First Place Votes)
1. Louisville (6)
2. USF (2)
3. Houston
4. UCF
5. Rutgers
6. UConn
Memphis
8. Temple
For the latest information on Louisville softball, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLSoftball or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LouisvilleSoftball.
