Softball Set for Season-Opening Weekend at Islanders Invitational

Friday, February 12

Corpus Christi, Texas

11:00 a.m.

University of Louisville

Sam Houston State

Softball Set for Season-Opening Weekend at Islanders Invitational

February 11, 2016 | Softball

Cards take on Iowa, Sam Houston State and Texas A&M Corpus Chrisit in season-opening tournament

The University of Louisville softball team will open the 2016 season this weekend when the Cardinals travel to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Islanders Invitational. Louisville will kick off the tournament on Friday against Iowa at 11 a.m. and Sam Houston State at 1:30 p.m. (EST). Tournament action will continue on Saturday as the Cards will face Iowa again at 11 a.m. and Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 1:30 p.m. Louisville will wrap up its opening weekend on Sunday at 10 a.m. against Sam Houston State.

About Louisville: The Cardinals open the 2016 season at the Islanders Invitational at Texas A&M Corpus Christi Feb. 12-14.
Louisville posted a 30-19 overall record in 2015 and went 16-7 in its inaugural ACC season, finishing fourth in the league. The Cardinals went on to earn their 12th consecutive NCAA regional bid.
The Cards return 12 letterwinners and five starters from last year's team including All-ACC first team and NFCA All-Southeast Region selection Maryssa Becker. Seniors Brittany Sims and Hailey Smith and juniors Jordan McNary and Tiarra Sanabria round out the returning starters.
UofL welcomes 10 newcomers to the 2016 team including five freshmen and five transfers.
Head coach Sandy Pearsall is in her 17th season at the helm. Since starting the program in 2000, she has led the Cardinals to six conference championships and 12 NCAA appearances. Pearsall has a 619-315 overall record at UofL and an 869-649 tally in her 30th season as a head coach.
Louisville is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches' poll.
The co-captains for the 2016 Louisville Softball team are: Maryssa Becker, (Jr., RHP/1B), Morgan Meyer, (Jr., OF) Tiarra Sanabria (Jr., 1B), Brittany Sims (Sr., INF) and Hailey Smith (Sr., 3B).
This weekend marks Louisville's first trip to Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Cardinals are 9-7 in opening games and 48-33 in opening weekends since the program started in 2000. Louisville is 7-3 when opening the season in the state of Texas

Up Next
Following this weekend, Louisville will travel to Raleigh, N.C. for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to face Wisconsin and Nebraska Feb. 19-21.

Cards against the field
Sam Houston State
Series Record: Louisville leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 21, 2004 - Louisville won a pair of neutral site matchups 10-7 and 3-2 as part of the Oklahoma/Nike Classic.
Scouting the Bearkats: Sam Houston State posted a 19-28 record in 2015 with a ninth place finish in the Southland Conference. The Bearkats were selected to finish 10th in the 2016 Southland Preseason Poll. Sam Houston returns 10 letterwinners including All-Southland Conference honorable mention Dani Allen who led the Bearkats last season with a .324 average while scoring 26 runs and driving in 13.
Head coach Bob Brock will be one of the four honorees to be inducted into the (NFCA) Hall of Honor at the end of the year. He is one of 27 head coaches to total more than 1,000 career victories as he has compiled 1,093 in 31 seasons as a head coach.

Iowa
Series Record: Iowa leads 5-3
Last Meeting: March 18-19, 2013 - Iowa defeated the Cardinals 6-2 before the Cardinals rebounded with a 6-4 victory on the next day in the Louisville Classic.
Scouting the Hawkeyes: Iowa recorded a 19-40 record in 2015 and finished ninth in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are returning 16 letterwinners, including eight starters. Sammi Gyerman highlights the returning starters as she posted a .326 average along with six home runs and scoring a team-leading 42 runs in 2015. She contributed 36 RBIs, which was second on the team, and added seven stolen bases.
The Hawkeyes also return the bulk of their pitching in pitchers Shayla Starkenburg and Ashley Yoways. Starkenburg appeared in 49 games, compiling a 17-23 record and a 4.96 ERA while Yoways saw action in 27 games, including 20 starts.

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Series Record: Louisville leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 7, 2009 - Louisville won 2-0 as part of the FIU Combat Classic.
Scouting the Islanders: The Islanders posted a 20-28-1 record and finished sixth in the Southland Conference during the 2015 campaign. The Islanders were selected to finish seventh in the 2016 Southland Preseason Poll. The team returns 13 players including 2015 All-Southland Conference second team selection Brittany Morse who led the team with a .348 average with a team-leading 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. All-Southland Conference honorable mention pitcher Liz Carter posted a 14-18 record and a 3.16 ERA and tossed 24 complete games in the circle last year.

Louisville Picked to Finish Third in ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll
The Louisville softball team was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in a as voted by the league's 11 head coaches.
Two-time defending conference champion Florida State was picked to win the league with nine first place votes after finishing the 2015 season with a 48-12 overall record and a 20-3 mark in ACC play. Notre Dame received 92 points and two first-place votes to stand at second in the preseason poll. The Irish are coming off of a 42-15 campaign and went 17-6 in the conference last season and finished third in the ACC.
Louisville and North Carolina State tied for third with 74 points each. The Cardinals finished the 2015 season with a 30-19 overall record and went 16-7 to finish fourth in the ACC. The Cardinals went on to make their 12th consecutive NCAA regional appearance.
North Carolina State posted a 38-20 (13-8) record in 2015 and finished fifth in the ACC regular season standings. North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Virginia rounded out the final seven spots in the preseason poll.

The ACC in the national polls
In the Preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, the ACC is represented by No. 10 Florida State, No. 23 NC State and No. 24 Notre Dame with North Carolina, Louisville and Pittsburgh are each receiving votes.
The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 also lists Florida State as No. 10 and NC State as No. 25 with Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and North Carolina receiving votes.

ACC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Florida State - 99 points (9 first-place votes)
2. Notre Dame - 92 (2)
T3. Louisville - 74
T3. NC State - 74
5. North Carolina - 69
6. Virginia Tech - 52
7. Pittsburgh - 51
8. Boston College - 30
9. Syracuse - 27
10. Georgia Tech - 24
11. Virginia - 13

Louisville/Sandy Pearsall Reach 600 wins in 2015
The 5-0 win over Virginia on March 14, 2015 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. She now has 619 victories at Louisville.

Louisville softball broadcast schedule
The University of Louisville softball team has announced its 2016 television schedule was released Monday and includes 14 games shown on ESPN3. All of Louisville's remaining home games not selected for ESPN coverage will be available for viewing through CardsTV at GoCards.com.
Louisville Softball on ESPN Networks
Louisville softball games on ESPN3 (as of February 1, 2016)
April 2 Louisville at North Carolina 1 p.m.
April 3 Louisville at North Carolina 3 p.m.
April 9 Louisville vs. Virginia Tech 12 p.m.
April 9 Louisville vs. Virginia Tech 3 p.m.
April 10 Louisville vs. Virginia Tech 12 p.m.
April 23 Louisville vs. Syracuse 12 p.m.
April 24 Louisville vs. Syracuse 12 p.m.
April 27 Louisville vs. Kentucky 6 p.m.
April 30 Louisville at Notre Dame 1 p.m.
April 30 Louisville at Notre Dame 3 p.m.
May 1 Louisville at Notre Dame 12 p.m.
May 7 Louisville at Florida State 4 p.m.
May 7 Louisville at Florida State 6 p.m.
May 8 Louisville at Florida State 12 p.m.

Becker Earns College Sports Madness Preseason ACC honors
Junior Maryssa Becker was named to the College Sports Madness 2016 Preseason All-ACC Team. The pitcher/first baseman was an All-ACC first team selection and was named to the 2015 NFCA All-Southeast Region team after leading Louisville at the plate with nine home runs and 39 RBI; and in the circle with a 14-9 record, 2.12 ERA and 147 strikeouts.

Cards solid in classroom
The University of Louisville softball team worked hard off the field in the 2015-16 fall semester. As a team, the Cards posted a 3.34 GPA in the fall semester. Additionally, 14 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 2015-16 Athletic Director's honor roll for the fall semester: Maryssa Becker, Lillie Goetz, Morgan Hart, Megan Hensley, Jenna Jordan, Sarah Lopesilvero, Jordan McNary, Sidney Melton, Madi Norman, Michala Riggle, Brittany Sims, Hailey Smith, Jamie Soles, Jordan Vorbrink.

Becker career record watch
Junior Maryssa Becker is ranked among the top 10 in several career categories at Louisville. The following is a list of milestones she will reach in the near future:
1 start to tie for 8th in career starts
1 appearance in the circle to move to 7th on the career list
2 wins to tie for 9th in career wins
3 saves to tie for 3rd in career saves
3 shutouts to move into a tie for 8th on the career list

Tough Road Ahead
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.