Softball Set for North Carolina Series
March 20, 2015 | Softball
The University of Louisville softball team will play host North Carolina in a battle of unbeaten teams in ACC play this weekend at Ulmer Stadium. The Cardinals (16-7, 6-0 ACC) and the Tar Heels (20-5, 5-0) will meet in a doubleheader Saturday starting at 12 p.m. and will wrap up the series Sunday at 12 p.m. Admission is free.
All three games will be shown on ESPN3. Don Russell will carry play-by-play duties while Patty Norton will provide color analysis.
Game Day Info: North Carolina at Louisville
Date: March 21-22, 2015
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Don Russell and Patty Norton
Gametracker: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball
Promotions:
Saturday, March 21: Girl Scout Day, the first 150 Girl Scouts will receive a patch. The first 125 fans will receive a mouse pad and the first of five sets of trading cards.
Sunday, March 22: The first 200 fans will receive sunglasses. Gates open at 11 a.m.
Cardinal Quick Hits
? The University of Louisville softball team brings a 16-7 overall record into the weekend after a 3-0 midweek road swing through the state of Ohio. The Cardinals swept Ohio State in a doubleheader 9-7 and 14-4 and defeated Miami (Ohio) 8-1 on Thursday.
? In their most recent ACC matchup, the Cards posted a three-game sweep of ACC opponent Virginia at Ulmer Stadium March 14-15. Louisville remains undefeated (6-0) in league play.
? Sophomore Maryssa Becker (6-1) carries a team-best 2.33 ERA with 59 strikeouts and two saves in 54.0 innings.
? Jordan McNary leads the team with a .423 batting average and has 15 runs. Maryssa Becker follows with a .406 batting average and has a team-high five home runs and 22 RBIs. Kelsi Jones rounds out the top three hitters with a .400 average, 19 runs and 10 stolen bases.
? Sandy Pearsall is in her 16th season as UofL's head coach. After building the program from scratch in 2000, Pearsall has guided the Cardinals to six conference championships. Under her watch, Louisville has made 11 consecutive NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. On March 14, Pearsall recorded her 600th win at UofL (also the 600th victory in program history). She is now 605-303 as the Cardinals' head coach.
Cards against the field
North Carolina - March 21, 12 p.m. (DH); March 22, 12 p.m. Series record: UL leads 3-2
Last meeting: North Carolina beat Louisville 4-2 in the Jacksonville Tournament. The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead behind Kayla Soles' two-run homer in the fourth, but the Tar Heels tied it up on Kati Causey's two-run shot in the sixth. A pair of fielder's choice RBIs in the seventh gave UNC a 4-2 win.
Scouting the Tar Heels: North Carolina enters the weekend with a 20-5 overall record and a 5-0 mark in ACC play - one of three undefeated teams along with the Cardinals and NC State who are tied atop league standings. ? The Tar Heels have won five straight entering the weekend - most recently, they defeated UNC Greensboro 15-0 in a midweek game. Prior to that UNC swept Boston College in a three-game ACC series.
? Taylor Wike leads the team with a .408 batting average and 30 runs. Kristen Brown had a team-best 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. Kaylee Carlson (10-2) carries a 2.72 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 67.0 innings of work. Sydney Matzko (6-2) holds a 2.76 ERA with 35 Ks in 45.2 innings.
Up Next: Louisville will play host to Indiana in a midweek game Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. The Cardinals will resume ACC play with a three-game series at Syracuse March 28-29.
Louisville/Sandy Pearsall Reach 600 wins
The 5-0 win over Virginia on March 14 marked the 600th win in Louisville softball program history. It was also head coach Sandy Pearsall's 600th victory since starting the program in 2000. Under her watch, Louisville has won six conference championships, made 11 consecutive NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Power surge
The Cardinals entered their first conference weekend with six home runs through their first 10 games. Since that time, in its last 13 games, Louisville has connected on 14 more home runs for a total of 23 round-trippers through 23 games. Maryssa Becker leads the team with five homers while five other Cardinals have totaled two or more home runs on the season.
Consistency is key
Maryssa Becker has batted in 22 of Louisville's 23 games and has reached safely via a hit or a walk in every game in which she has played. Kelsi Jones currently holds a 13 game on-base streak while Alison Szydlowski has reached safely in the last 10 games.
Hitting for average
The Cardinals are batting .336 as a team with 10 players registering an average of .300 or above. Jordan McNary leads the team with a .423 average. Maryssa Becker (.406) and Kelsi Jones (.400) round out the top three hitters. Nicole Pufahl (.370), Hailey Smith (.365), Alison Szydlowski who has started the last seven games at catcher, is hitting .357 while Kayla Soles (.333), Tiarra Sanabria (.333) and Brittany Sims (.317) complete the list of above .300 hitters.
Fountain of youth
The graduation of six senior multi-year starters from last year's team has left the Cardinals with some big shoes to fill. The Cardinals' most recent starting lineup featured six underclassmen on the field with two of the three active pitchers being freshmen - the other is a sophomore.
Arion climbing record books
Senior shortstop Whitney Arion is currently 10th on the school's career list with 24 home runs. She needs one more to tie Sara Bausher (2002-05) for ninth place. Courtney Moore (2004-07) holds the record with 42 home runs
. ? Arion also recently moved to ninth on UofL's career RBI list with 121. She needs seven more to tie Lacy Wood (2003-06) for eighth place. Chelsea Bemis (2008-11) holds the career RBI record with 191.
Becker registers 200th career strikeout - moves into career top 10
Sophomore Maryssa Becker registered her 200th career strikeout in the 7-5 win over Virginia on March 15. She is currrently ranked 10th on Louisville's list of career strikeout leaders with 206 and needs eight more to tie Rachel LeCoq (2013-14) for ninth place. Kristen Wadwell (2007-10) holds the school record with 696.
Arion Reaches Century Mark in Runs
Senior Whitney Arion's solo home run in the 7-5 win over Virginia marked her 100th career run. She is currently tied for the team lead with 19 runs on the season and needs 17 more to move into a three-way tie with Sara Bausher (2002-05) and Alicja Wolny (2010-13) for 10th on UofL's career list.
Cards on a roll
Louisville has won its last six games dating back to March 14. During that time the Cards have outscored their opponents 48-21 and have hit eight home runs.
? Freshman Nicole Pufahl has been on a hot streak at the plate batting .875 (7 for 8) with a home run, a double and six RBI.
?Senior Kelsi Jones has hit .476 (10 for 21) with a team-high nine runs.
? Sophomore Maryssa Becker has driven in nine RBIs during that stretch. She has also posted a 3-0 record in the circle with one save and 17 strikeouts in 15.0 innings.
Cards solid in classroom
The University of Louisville softball team worked hard off the field in the 2014-15 fall semester. As a team, the Cards posted a 3.34 GPA in the fall semester. Additionally, 17 players were named to the Athletic Director's honor roll after posting a 3.0 GPA or higher.
The following players were named to the 2014-15 Athletic Director's honor roll for the fall semester: Whitney Arion, Maryssa Becker, Sydney Benz, Kristina Dillard, Brittany Duncan, Bridgette Flaherty, Kelsi Jones, Autumn McDuffie, Sidney Melton, Morgan Meyer, Madi Norman, Nicole Pufahl, Brittany Sims, Hailey Smith, Kayla Soles, Alison Szydlowski and Hannah Tow.
