Saturday Softball Games Cancelled
March 06, 2015 | Softball
Complete Game Notes for Louisville Softball Classic 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Softball Classic games slated for Saturday, March 7 have been cancelled due to the recent winter storm in the Louisville area. The tournament is now slated for Sunday and Monday.
Ball State and Northwestern will open the tournament Sunday at 11 a.m. and Louisville will take on Northwestern at 1 p.m. Sunday's final game will feature Louisville and Ball State at 3 p.m. The tournament will conclude with a doubleheader between Louisville and Illinois State starting at 1 p.m. Monday.
Louisville Softball Classic
Updated Schedule
Sunday, March 8
11 a.m. Ball State vs. Northwestern
1 p.m. Louisville vs. Northwestern
3 p.m. Louisville vs. Ball State
Monday, March 9
1 p.m. Louisville vs. Illinois State
3 p.m. Louisville vs. Illinois State
Quick Hits
? The University of Louisville softball team brings an 8-5 overall record into the weekend. The Cardinals are coming off of a three-game sweep of Georgia Tech in both teams' ACC opening series.
? Sophomore pitcher/first baseman Maryssa Becker leads the Cardinals offensively with a .474 batting average, four home runs and 12 RBIs. Senior Whitney Arion has scored a team-best 13 runs on the season.
? Becker (2-0) also leads the team in the circle with a 2.25 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 28.0 innings of work. Freshman Shelby McCombs (3-1) follows with a 2.80 ERA. Freshman Madi Norman (3-4) has made nine appearances in the circle and has registered 14 strikeouts in 29.0 innings of work.
? 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.
Fan information:
Parking: Fans are encouraged to park in the Floyd Street Parking Garage (Floyd Street entrance).
Live scoring: Fans can follow the action through Gametracker provided on GoCards.com.
Click here for the Louisville Softball Classic Tournament Central page
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.
Cards against the field
Illinois State
Series Record: Louisville leads 5-4
Last Meeting: March 11, 2014 - Louisville won 7-3 at Ulmer Stadium behind Brittany Duncan's two home runs and four RBIs.
Scouting the Redbirds: Illinois State comes into the weekend with an 8-12 overall record after going 2-3 last weekend at the Texas A&M Tournament. The Redbirds are led offensively by 2014 All-MVC first team selections Jordan de los Reyes and Regan Romsek, Sophomore catcher de los Reyes leads the Redbirds with a team-high six home runs and 16 RBIs. Romshek adds a .322 batting average along with four home runs and 13 runs driven in. Romshek also leads the Redbirds in the circle with a 7-6 record, compiling a 4.41 ERA while tossing seven complete games.
Ball State
Series Record: Louisville leads 3-1
Last Meeting: May. 22, 2010 - Louisville defeated Ball State 5-1 in Knoxville Regional.
Scouting the Cardinals: After going 2-3 at the Purple & Gold Challenge last weekend, Ball State defeated Detroit 12-1 and Southeastern Louisiana 8-1 to improve to 10-11 on the season. Emily Dabkowski leads the Cardinals with five home runs and 22 RBIs along with a .356 batting average. Selena Reyna leads the squad with a .371 average adding three home runs, 12 runs, and 10 RBIs. Ball State shows speed on the bases as they lead the MAC with 34 stolen bases in 38 attempts. Junior righty Nicole Steinbach leads the Cardinals in the circle with a 4-5 record, two saves, and 63 strikeouts in 63 innings.
? This weekend marks the return of former standout Kassie Stanfill who played for Louisville from 2006-09. The former pitcher/outfielder/first baseman was a two-year captain and a two-time All-BIG EAST Conference selection during her career at UofL.
? Rachel Houck will also be returning to her old stomping grounds. The Ball State sophomore played for Louisville in 2014.
Northwestern
Series Record: Louisville leads 3-1
Last Meeting: March 23, 2007 - Louisville won 5-4 in the Women4Women Softball Invitational at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Wildcats: After posting a 3-1 weekend at the Louisville Slugger Invite in California, Northwestern stands at 7-10 on the season. Senior infielder Andrea DiPrima leads the team offensively with a .395 batting average and a team leading five doubles. DiPrima also adds two home runs, 11 RBIs, and has drawn a team-high 16 walks. Junior infielder Andrea Filler posts a .340 average along with three home runs and a team-high 16 RBIs. Juniors Brianna LeBeau and Amy Letourneau both add 10 runs and 10 RBIs apiece for the Wildcats.
Up Next: Following their home-opening weekend, the Cardinals will hit the road for a midweek matchup at Miami (Ohio) before returning to Ulmer Stadium for their home ACC opener - a three-game series against Virginia March 14-15.
Becker named College Sports Madness Player of the Week for ACC
Maryssa Becker was selected by College Sports Madness Player of the Week for the ACC after she helped lead the Cardinals to a three-game sweep of Georgia Tech in both teams' conference opening weekend. She posted a 0.00 ERA with one win, nine strikeouts and only gave up three hits, limiting the Yellow Jackets to a .094 batting average in 9.1 innings of work. The sophomore tossed a complete-game two-hitter, allowing one unearned run while striking out five in the series-opening 6-1 victory. She pitched 2.1 innings of relief with the Cards' leading 6-2 in the series finale - in that game, she held the Yellow Jackets scoreless and surrendered one hit while striking out four in 2.1 innings.
? Offensively, Becker posted a .400 average (4 for 10) on the weekend with two home runs, a double, six RBIs and two runs. She went 3 for 3 with five RBIs in the series finale and registered a run and an RBI in the Cards' 5-4 win.
? She currently leads the team in the circle with a 2-0 record, a 2.25 ERA and 29 strikeouts and also stands as the Cards' leader offensively with a .474 average, four home runs and 12 RBIs.
Smith shines in ACC-opening series
Hailey Smith helped lead the Cardinals to a three-game sweep of Georgia Tech in both teams' conference opening weekend. The junior posted a team-best .500 batting average (4 for 8), with four runs and five RBIs on the week. She had at least one hit and one RBI in each game including a two-run homer in the 6-1 win over the Yellow Jackets . Additionally, she earned four walks - at least one in each game - to help a register a .667 on-base percentage in the series. The third baseman also played flawless defense with a 1.000 fielding percentage on the weekend. She currently stands third on the team with a .387 batting average.
Recapping the Georgia Tech series
The Cardinals opened Atlantic Coast Conference play with a three-game series sweep of host Georgia Tech. UofL won itsl league opener 6-1. Whitney Arion's three-run homer in the sixth helped the Cards erase 4-2 deficit and defeat the Yellow Jackets 5-4 in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Louisville rolled to a 15-2 win in the series finale.
Louisville 6 - Georgia Tech 1
In game one, Maryssa Becker tossed a two-hitter and the Cards got home runs from Hailey Smith and Brittany Sims to help Louisville to a 6-1 win in its conference opener.
? Becker got the win, allowing one unearned run on two hits and struck out five in a complete-game effort. Offensively, Louisville outhit Georgia Tech 5-2 with Smith's 1 for 3, two-run, two RBI performance leading the way. Sims was 1 for 3 with two RBIs.
Louisville 5 - Georgia Tech 4
In game two, senior Whitney Arion's two-out, three-run homer in the top of the sixth erased a 4-2 deficit and lifted the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Yellow Jackets.
? Shelby McCombs (3-1) got the win, allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out two in 6.0 innings of relief. Offensively, Smith was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Jones was 2 for 4 with a double and a run. Arion was 1 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs.
Louisville 15 - Georgia Tech 2 (6 innings)
Sophomore Maryssa Becker went 3 for 3 with a home run and five RBIs to help lead the University of Louisville softball team to a 15-2 win over Georgia Tech completing a three-game ACC sweep.
? Madi Norman got the win, allowing two earned runs on two hits and striking out five in 3.2 innings of work. Becker held the Yellow Jackets scoreless and surrendered one hit while striking out four in 2.1 innings of relief. In the game, the Cards outhit the Yellow Jackets 10-3 with Becker's 3 for 3 performance leading the way. Arion was 1 for 3 with a home run, three runs and three RBIs.
Power surge
The Cardinals entered their first conference weekend with six home runs through their first 10 games. In the three-game series, Louisville more than doubled that total with seven homers. Whitney Arion, Maryssa Becker and Brittany Sims each belted out a pair of home runs while Hailey Smith also added one.
? The Cards now have 13 round-trippers through 13 games. Becker leads the team with four and Arion follows closely with three.
Getting on base
Whitney Arion has reached first base safely via a hit or a walk in each of Louisville's 13 games this season. Maryssa Becker recently snapped a nine-game hitting streak, but has reached safely in 12 straight games.
Hitting for average
The Cardinals are batting .322 as a team with nine players registering an average of .300 or above. Maryssa Becker leads the way at .474 while Jordan McNary follows at a .435 clip. Hailey Smith (.387), Kelsi Jones (.371), Sydney Benz (.348), Whitney Arion (.333), Tiarra Sanabria (.333), Nicole Pufahl (.325), and Sidney Melton (.300) round out the top nine hitters.
Pearsall nearing 600 wins at Louisville
Sandy Pearsall currently has 597 wins as the head coach at Louisville. Since starting the program in 2000, she 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.
Arion climbing record books
Senior shortstop Whitney Arion is currently 10th on the school's career list with 23 home runs. She needs two more to tie Sara Bausher (2002-05) for ninth place. Courtney Moore (2004-07) holds the record with 42 home runs.
? Arion also has 114 career RBI and needs to drive in one more run to move into a tie for 10th place on Louisville's career list. Former shortstop Colby Wherry (2008-11) currently stands at No. 10 with 115.
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 five underclassmen on the field with three of the five pitchers being freshmen - the other two are sophomores.
Pearsall nearing 600 wins at Louisville
Sandy Pearsall currently has 597 wins as the head coach at Louisville. Since starting the program in 2000, she 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.
Arion climbing record books
Senior shortstop Whitney Arion is currently 10th on the school's career list with 23 home runs. She needs two more to tie Sara Bausher (2002-05) for ninth place. Courtney Moore (2004-07) holds the record with 42 home runs.
? Arion also has 114 career RBI and needs to drive in one more run to move into a tie for 10th place on Louisville's career list. Former shortstop Colby Wherry (2008-11) currently stands at No. 10 with 115.
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 five underclassmen on the field with three of the five pitchers being freshmen - the other two are sophomores.
Eastern Kentucky Softball Invitational Cancelled
The Eastern Kentucky Softball Invitational scheduled for Feb. 21-22 has been cancelled due to inclement weather. A severe winter storm dumped around a foot of snow on Richmond and much of Kentucky. Temperatures are expected to reach single digits producing unfavorable playing conditions.
Jones, Becker Lead Cards at Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational
Senior Kelsi Jones and Maryssa Becker helped lead the Cardinals to a 3-2 record in the Dot Richardson National Collegiate Softball Invitational.
Jones batted .533 (8 for 15) with four doubles, seven RBIs and two stolen bases. Becker also posted a .533 batting average (8 for 15) with two doubles, a home run, five runs and five RBIs. She also registered a team-best .867 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage.
Cards open season at UNLV Sportco Kick-Off Classic
The Cardinal opened the 2015 season by posting a 2-3 record at the UNLV Sportco Kick-Off Classic. In their first game, the Cardinals posted a 6-4 win over UC Davis, but fell 4-0 to host UNLV in their second game. Louisville faced a tough No. 15 Minnesota and came up short in a 4-2 loss. The Cards rebounded to beat CS Bakersfield 10-2 in Saturday's nightcap. UofL closed the weekend against No. 11/13 Washington - the Cardinals overcame a 5-1 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the fifth, but could not recover when the Huskies scored six runs in the sixth for an 11-6 victory.
Cards picked to finish fifth in ACC preseason voting
The University of Louisville softball team has been picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season as voted by the league's 11 head coaches. Defending regular season and tournament champion Florida State was picked to win the title.
Team Pts (1st place votes) 2014 Record (Conference)1. Florida State 100 (10) 55-9 (24-3)2. Notre Dame 88 (1) 41-13 (16-5)3. NC State 82 36-18 (16-8)4. Virginia Tech 69 36-23 (19-9)5. Louisville 68 36-22 (14-7)6. North Carolina 56 24-26 (14-11)7. Syracuse 44 24-25 (12-12)8. Georgia Tech 33 23-24 (11-17)9. Boston College 32 30-23 (12-14)10. Pittsburgh 17 15-29 (6-18)11. Virginia 16 8-43 (1-25)
Louisville softball broadcast schedule
The University of Louisville softball team will have 11 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season games televised on the ESPN family of networks as announced by ESPN Tuesday.
ESPNU will carry two of the Cardinals' games against 2014 Women's College World Series participant Florida State when the Seminoles visit Ulmer Stadium April 12 at 7 p.m. and April 13 at 7 p.m.
Additionally, Louisville will appear on ESPN3 nine times during the regular season. The Cardinals will kick off their ESPN3 coverage March 21 and 22 when they host North Carolina in a three-game series. Louisville's ESPN3 slate continues on the road with all three games at Virginia Tech being shown on April 3 and 4. The Cardinals will conclude their regular season coverage April 25 and 26 when Boston College visits Ulmer Stadium in their final home weekend series.
The remainder of Louisville's home games will be streamed on CardsTV through GoCards.com.
Louisville Softball on ESPN Networks
March 21- 12 p.m. - North Carolina (ESPN3)
March 21 - 2:30 p.m. - North Carolina (ESPN3)
March 22 - 12 p.m. - North Carolina (ESPN3)
April 3 - 7 p.m. - @ Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
April 4 - 12 p.m. - @ Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
April 4 - 2 p.m. - @ Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
April 12 - 7 p.m. - Florida State (ESPNU)
April 13 - 7 p.m. - Florida State (ESPNU)
April 25 - 12 p.m. - Boston College (ESPN3)
April 25- 2:30 p.m. - Boston College (ESPN3)
April 26- 12 p.m. - Boston College (ESPN3)
Tough Slate
As the Cardinals enter their inaugural ACC season, they will face some tough test in both conference and non-conference play. On the 2015 conference schedule are five team ranked in the preseason top 25 including a home-and-home series with 2014 Women's College World Series participant No. 5/6 Kentucky No. 15/15 Washington, No. 12/13 Minnesota and No. 18/18 Missouri as well as No. 5/6 Florida State which also reached the 2014 Women's College World Series.
Duncan, Jones, Becker Earn College Sports Madness Preseason honors
College Sports Madness released its preseason honors and the publication's staff selected Brittany Duncan, Kelsi Jones and Marysssa Becker on its preseason All-ACC team. Duncan was named to the first team as a designated player while Jones (OF) and Becker (RHP) were selected to the second team.
New neighborhood, familiar faces
The 2015 season will mark Louisville softball's debut in the Atlantic Coast Conference. While the Cardinals will be facing some new opponents, they will also be encountering some familiar foes in Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse - all of whom played in the BIG EAST Conference prior to joining the ACC.
? Louisville was a member of the BIG EAST Conference from 2006-2013, and won two regular season titles and two conference tournaments during that time.
? Prior to moving to the BIG EAST, the Cardinals spent six seasons in Conference USA where they won 2005 regular season title. UofL was one of seven teams to play in the league's first season of softball.
? In 2014, the Cardinals competed in their lone season in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference.
? The following is a breakdown of the Cards' inaugural conference seasons.
Conference First season UofL Conference RecordAmerican* 2014 14-7 (Finished 3rd regular season, won tournament title)BIG EAST 2006 19-3 (Regular season Champion)Conference USA* 2000 8-8^ (Finished 4th- regular season)^UofL's first softball program;*First season in a newly-formed conference
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.
