2016 Softball Outlook

February 10, 2016 | Softball

Cards ready to take the field this weekend

With the 2016 season opener just two days away, the University of Louisville softball team and coaches are eager to put months of preparation to the test.

As head coach Sandy Pearsall enters her 17^th season at the helm of the Louisville softball program, she looks to continue to take the Cardinals to new heights. After building the program from scratch in 2000, Pearsall has guided the Cardinals to six conference championships. Under her watch, Louisville has made 12 consecutive NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The Cardinals finished the 2015 season with a 30-19 overall record after making their 12th consecutive NCAA regional appearance. Louisville returns 12 letterwinners and six starters from last year's squad including seniors Hailey Smith and Brittany Sims and All-Region and All-ACC first team selection junior Maryssa Becker. The Cards also welcome 10 newcomers - five freshmen and five transfers - to the 2016 team.

Pearsall is impressed with the team's progress as they enter the season-opener. "What I really like right now is that they're all working hard and they're learning a lot. They're getting it and that's the important part. We're seeing the improvement every day."

Pitchers
The Cardinals enter the 2016 with four pitchers on the roster and will be led by two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association selection and 2015 All-ACC first team member junior Maryssa Becker. The 2016 team co-captain led Louisville in every pitching category, posting a 14-9 record and a 2.12 ERA with 147 strikeouts in 171.1 innings of work last year. She also helped her cause at the plate, pacing the Cards with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.

Sophomore Madi Norman also returns to the circle after a promising freshman campaign was cut short by injury. She appeared in 18 games and posted six wins before being sidelined the rest of the season, but after rehabbing in the summer and fall, Norman will look to work her way back into the rotation.

Louisville will also look to a pair of freshmen to provide support in the circle. Megan Hensley (Ashland, Ky.) is a two-time Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year while Kaylea Horn (Richland, Ind.) is a two-time all-state selection.

Catchers
Sophomore Alison Szydlowski (Imperial, Mo.) stepped into a starting role her freshman season, playing in 29 games with 25 starts and scoring eight runs with nine RBIs. Senior Morgan Hart (Louisville, Ky.) also saw time at catcher last season and will continue to bring added depth to the position.

Louisville will also add two newcomers to the platoon of catchers. Jenna Jordan (Ft. Collins, Colo.), a sophomore transfer from Northern Colorado joins the Cardinals after batting .270 with two home runs and 16 RBIs for the Bears. Freshman Michala Riggle (Louisville, Ky.) had an impressive fall season and will compete for time at catcher.

Infielders
The infielders feature a veteran crew with two seniors and three co-captains leading the way. After working her way to a starting role as the Cards' second baseman senior Brittany Sims (Lexington, Ky.) had a breakout season last year, posting a .325 batting average and finishing third on the team with five home runs and 27 runs scored. Fellow senior Hailey Smith (Bristow Va.) transferred from LSU as a junior and went on to become Louisville's starting third baseman while registering a .288 batting average and standing second on team with six home runs.

Junior Tiarra Sanabria (Williamstown, N.J.) rounds out the infield leadership group. After starting 49 games at first base, she has become one of Louisville's most reliable defensive players, however, an off-season injury may limit her time early on.

Sophomore utility player Ashley Nikolao (Flaherty, Ky.) saw time at third base last season and showed some impressive offensive skills, batting .346 with five doubles.

Louisville will look for several newcomers to compete in the infield including junior college transfers Jordan Lane (Dade City, Fla.) and Sarah Lopesilvero (Simpsonville, Ky.). Both are coming off of impressive JC careers with Lane leading her team to a runner-up finish in the 2014 NJCAA National Championship as their starting shortstop and Lopesilvero earning 2015 NJCAA All-America honors after leading her team in home runs (19) and batting average (.474).

Jamie Soles (New Egypt, N.J.) is a sophomore transfer from the University of Hartford where she started every game and was named to the America East All-Rookie team after leading the Hawks in hits (32), RBIs (16), runs (14) and doubles (8).

Freshman Lillie Goetz (Owensboro, Ky.) brings a solid resume as the two-time Kentucky Class 'A' Player of the Year and a four-time all-state selection and could vie for a starting role. Michala Riggle (Louisville, Ky.) saw time at first base in the fall and could resume that role in the spring as well while Jordan Vorbrink (Louisville, Ky.) has also practiced at first base in the spring. When she is not pitching Megan Hensley (Ashland, Ky.) may also see time in the infield.

Outfielders
The Cardinals return a bevy of outfielders including two juniors and a redshirt sophomore. Junior Jordan McNary (Madisonville, Ky.) has started 62 games since her freshman season. The speedy slap-hitter was second on the team with a .352 batting average and had six stole bases last season. Fellow junior Morgan Meyer (Louisville, Ky.) is also a threat on the basepaths and brings experience to the outfield.

Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pufahl (Moorpark, Calif.) started 23 games in centerfield last season and registered a .282 batting average and scored 17 runs. Sophomore Sidney Melton (Columbus, Ohio) also gained valuable experience her freshman season, batting .276 and scoring 10 runs.

Sophomore Jessica Adell (Louisville, Ky.) returns to her hometown school after spending her freshman season at the University of Tennessee. She brings quickness to the outfield and on the basepaths.

Freshman Jordan Vorbrink (Louisville, Ky.) rounds out the platoon of outfielders. She helped lead her high school team to the 2015 state playoffs and was a Gatorade Player of the Year nominee after posting a .453 batting average.

The Road Ahead
The Cardinals will open the 2016 season Feb. 12-14 at the Islanders Invitational hosted by Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Louisville's 2016 slate features five teams ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA Division I preseason coaches' polls including No. 2/2 Michigan and No. 10/10 Florida State. The other ranked opponents include: No. 18/18 Kentucky, No. 23/25 North Carolina State and No. 24 Notre Dame. Additionally, the Cards will face six teams receiving votes in the preseason polls: North Dakota State, North Carolina, Nebraska, Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.
The 2016 ACC Softball Championship will take place May 12-14 in Raleigh, N.C. with North Carolina State serving as the host school. The ACC Championship quarterfinals and semifinals will be shown on ESPN3 and the Regional Sports Network with the championship game airing on ESPN.

Fans can follow Louisville Softball on Twitter (@UofLsoftball) at https://twitter.com/UofLSoftball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleSoftball