Softball Set for Columbia Regional

The University of Louisville softball team will travel to Columbia, Mo. to face Nebraska in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Championship on Thursday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m. (EST) at the University of Missouri's University Field. The other first round game will feature Missouri and BYU at 8 p.m. (ET). Both games will be shown on ESPN2.

About Louisville:
• The Cardinals bring a 35-15 overall record into the tournament after finishing second in the ACC regular season standings with a 15-8 mark in league play.
• Louisville is making its 13th consecutive NCAA regional appearance dating back to 2004. The streak of 13 straight NCAA appearances ranks among the top 15 active streaks in the 64-team 2016 NCAA Tournament field.
• Louisville reached the semifinals of the 2016 ACC Championship after beating Syracuse 1-0 in the quarterfinals. The Cards fell 4-2 to No. 20/23 Notre in a semifinal matchup.
• The Cardinals are led by two-time All-ACC first team and 2016 All-ACC Tournament selection junior Maryssa Becker who carries a .397 batting average and holds the school single-season RBI record with 58. She has reached base in 48 of Louisville's 50 games.
• Fellow All-ACC Tournament team member sophomore Sidney Melton is hitting .359 and leads the team with 42 runs and 15 stolen bases.
•Freshman Megan Hensley was named to the All-ACC second team and leads Louisville with 13 home runs to go with 52 RBIs and stands third on the team with a .342 batting average. She was a top 25 Finalist for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Freshman of the Year.
• Junior outfielder Jordan McNary and senior third baseman Hailey Smith were also named to the 2016 All-ACC second team.
• The Cardinals are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
• 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 13 NCAA appearances. Pearsall has a 654-330 overall record at UofL and a 904-664 tally in her 30th season as a head coach.

Cards Against the Columbia Regional Field
BYU
Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 13, 2009 - Louisville won 3-2 in the UNLV Louisville Slugger Dessert Classic
Scouting the Cougars: BYU enters the regional with a 35-19 overall record and a 12-3 mark in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars recently captured their third straight WCC conference title and are making their 12th straight NCAA appearance with 13 overall in the program.
• Ashley Thompson leads the team with a .408 average 43 runs and 12 stolen bases. She stands second on the team with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs. Libby Sugg has belted out a team-high 17 home runs with 53 RBIs.
• McKenna Bull (26-11) carries a 2.36 ERA with 276 strikeouts in 252.1 innings of work.

Missouri
Series Record: Louisville leads 6-5
Last Meeting: February 13, 2015, Missouri won 5-1 in the Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational. Kelsi Jones led the Cardinals with two hits and a RBI. Madi Norman pitched four shutout innings in relief, allowing only two hits.
Note: The teams met in the UCLA Regional in 2004 and the Cardinals defeated the Tigers 1-0 in extra innings, marking the Cardinals' first win in postseason history.
Cardinal connections: Assistant (pitching) coach Jay Miller also returns to his old stomping grounds after serving as the Tigers' head coach for 15 seasons (1987-2002). During his tenure, he led Mizzou to a pair of WCWS appearances (1991 and 1994) and five NCAA appearances.
• Sophomores Madi Norman (Tipton) and Alison Szydlowski (Imperial) also hail from the state of Missouri.
Scouting the Tigers: Missouri brings a 39-14 overall record into the regional. The Tigers are ranked No. 15 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 17 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll. After posting a 14-10 record in SEC play, Missouri earned the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament and fell 7-4 in eight innings to South Carolina in the first round.
• Emily Crane was named to the First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive honors for her play in right field. Sami Fagan and Taylor Gadbois were named to the second team while Regan Nash earned Freshman All-SEC honors.
• Fagan leads the Tigers with a .425 batting average and has 11 home runs with 50 RBIs. Crane follows with a .401 average with a team-best 58 runs and 16 homers. Gadbois has a team-high 52 stolen bases and Chloe Rathburn leads the Tigers with 58 RBIs.
• Paige Lowary (22-6) carries a 3.40 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 169.0 innings.

Nebraska
Series Record: Nebraska leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Feb. 20-21, 2016 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge hosted by NC State.
Feb. 20 - Nebraska 4 - Louisville 3
Louisville senior Morgan Hart went 2-for-3 with a double and a game-tying home run in the seventh to help the Cards erase a 3-1 deficit, but Kiki Stokes' RBI single in the bottom of the seventh lifted Nebraska to a 4-3 win.
• Maryssa Becker took the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out three in 6.1 innings.
• Cassie McClure got the win, giving up two runs, one earned on three hits and striking out one in 3.0 innings of relief. Stokes was 2 for 4 with an RBI while Fowler went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Nebraska improves to 7-0 on the season.
Feb. 20 - Nebraska 3 - Louisville 0
Nebraska scored a run in the third and two more in the fifth en route to a 3-0 victory in the final game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Megan Hensley took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits and striking out two in 4.1 innings. Becker held the Huskers scoreless on one hit and struck out two in 2.2 innings of relief. Hensley paced the Cards offensively with a 2 for 3 performance at the plate. Becker and freshman Lillie Goetz had a hit apiece.
• Emily Lockman got the complete game shutout, scattering four hits and striking out one. McClure went 1 for 4 and drove in all three Husker runs.
Scouting the Huskers: Nebraska (33-19) is making its 24th overall NCAA regional appearance. The Huskers posted a 13-9 mark in Big Ten play and earned the No. 5 seed in conference tournament where they beat Purdue 8-0 in the first round and fell 8-7 to Penn State in the quarterfinals.
• Kiki Stokes and MJ Knighten were named to the All-Big Ten first team, while Mattie Fowler was a second-team selection and was the first baseman on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
• Stokes leads the Huskers with a .417 batting average, 57 runs and 20 stolen bases while Knighten has connected on a team-best 21 homers and 59 RBIs and stands second on the squad with a .379 batting average. Mattie Fowler rounds out Nebraska's top three hitters with a .346 average and has 43 RBIs.
• Cassie McClure (16-10) carries a 3.39 ERA and has 105 strikeouts in 148.2 innings of work.

Last Up
The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship last weekend in Raleigh, N.C.
Louisville 1 - Syracuse 0
The second-seeded University of Louisville softball team scored a run in the bottom of the fifth and held on to beat seventh-seeded Syracuse 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship on Thursday evening at NC State's Dail Field. Freshman Megan Hensley and junior Maryssa Becker combined for Louisville's 11th shutout of the season in a game that featured a pitchers' duel that saw each team with five hits.
• After four and a half scoreless innings, the Cardinals broke through with an unearned run in the fifth. Sophomores Jenna Jordan and Sidney Melton delivered back-to-back singles to start the home half of the inning. Melton was out at second on a fielder's choice by senior Brittany Sims, but an error on a double play attempt sent pinch-runner sophomore Jessica Adell home to give Louisville a 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame 4 - Louisville 2
Late inning rallies fell short as the Cards lost 4-2 to No. 20/23 Notre Dame in the semifinals of the ACC Championship on Friday evening at NC State's Dail Stadium.
• Notre Dame jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Becker's solo shot in the home half of the inning cut the lead to 3-1, but the Irish tacked on another run in the fourth. Jordan McNary's RBI single in the sixth made the score 4-2. Louisville left the bases loaded in the third and fouth innings and had two runners on in the seventh, but the Irish prevailed.
• Freshman Megan Hensley took the loss after giving up three earned runs on two hits in one inning. Becker surrendered one run on six hits and struck out five. She retired seven straight batters to end the game. McNary went 2 for 3 with an RBI while Melton was 2 for 4 with a double to pace the Cards offensively.

Cards Place Four on All-ACC Conference Teams
Four University of Louisville softball players earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as announced by the league office on Thursday. Junior Maryssa Becker was selected to the first team while senior Hailey Smith, junior Jordan McNary and freshman Megan Hensley were named to the second team.
•Becker a pitcher/designated player from Medford, Ore., registered a 10-5 record in ACC play with 59 strikeouts in 96.0 innings while holding opponents to a .250 batting average. She backed up her efforts with a .357 average, six home runs and 27 RBIs in conference play. This marks the second consecutive season Becker has earn All-ACC first team honors.
•Smith, (Bristow, Va.) led the Cards in ACC play with a .412 batting average. The third baseman had three doubles, a home runs and drove in nine runs while scoring five.
•McNary (Madisonville, Ky.) batted .340 against ACC opponents with two triples, a double and 14 runs. The speedy left fielder also had six stolen bases in league play.
• Hensley, a pitcher/designated player from Ashland, Ky., had four home runs and drove in 26 RBIs while scoring 13 runs against conference opponents. She also posted five wins in the circle including victories over then-No. 18/19 Notre Dame and a two-hit shutout against No. 5/5 Florida State.

Melton earns CoSIDA Academic All-District honors
Sidney Melton was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 2 team. She will be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
•Melton, a sophomore shortstop from Columbus, Ohio leads the team with 42 runs and 15 stolen bases and stands second on the team with a .359 batting average.

Becker reaches 20 wins
On May 12, Maryssa Becker picked up her 20th win of the season in the Cards' 1-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. With the win, moves into a tie for ninth on Louisville's single-season list, marking the 11th time in school history that a player has registered 20 or more wins on the season.

Hensley named ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week
Freshman Megan Hensley was named ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week on May 9 in the league's final weekly honor of the 2016 season. This marks the second time she has been named ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week - she also earned the honor in the first week of the season on Feb. 15.
• Hensley did not allow a run in two appearances against No. 5 Florida State while holding the Seminoles to a .111 batting average, surrendering only two hits in 8.2 innings of work. The freshman from Ashland, Ky., pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout to help the Cardinals to a 4-0 win in the series opener and did not allow a hit or a run in 1.2 innings of relief in Louisville's 4-3 loss on Sunday. Hensley's effort came against a Florida State team that ranks third in the nation in runs scored, averaging nearly eight per game.

Pearsall Notches 900th Career Win
On April 23 the Cardinals defeated Syracuse 4-0 in the first game of a doubleheader at Ulmer Stadium. With the win, head coach Sandy Pearsall registered her 900th career victory and 650th win at Louisville.
Pearsall Highlights at Louisville
• Sandy Pearsall is in her 17th season at the helm after starting the program in 2000.
• She has registered a 654-330 record at Louisville; producing 13 consecutive winning seasons (15 winning seasons in the 17-year history of the program).
•Six conference championships in three conferences (C-USA, BIG EAST, American Athletic Conference
• Louisville has been ranked in the top 10 numerous times, reaching as high as No. 7 (as recently as 2013)
• Conference Coaching Staff of the Year three times: 2012 (BIG EAST); 2006 (BIG EAST); 2000 (Conference USA); NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year (2012)
• Off the field, her team was recognized as one of the nation's leaders in the 2015 Academic Progress Rate (APR) report.

Dual Threats
Two of Louisville's top offensive threats also double as the Cards Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers. Junior Maryssa Becker (who also plays first base) leads the team with a .397 batting average and 58 RBIs - she also has thrown a team-high 193.1 innings and has 159 strikeouts and six shutouts to go along with a 217 ERA and a 20-10 overall record.
• Freshman Megan Hensley (15-5) carries a 2.30 ERA with three shutouts and 78Ks in 128.0 innings of work. She also leads the team with 13 home runs and stands second on the team with 52 RBIs while splitting time in the outfield, at designated player and in the circle.
• Becker leads the team with 16 multi-RBI games and 15 multi-hit games. Hensley is right behind her with 14 and 15 respectively.
• The two combine for 22 of Louisville's 35 home runs and 110 of its 275 RBIs.
• Becker is a 2016 All-ACC first team selection while Hensley earned second team honors.
• Hensley is a two-time ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week while Becker has earned the honor once this season.
• Louisville leads the league with a 2.20 overall team ERA.

Cards reach 30 win mark for 13th straight season
On April 17, the Cardinals defeated North Carolina Central to notch their 30th win of the season. Louisville has now posted 30 or more victories in 13 straight seasons (dating back to 2004). The Cards have posted at least 30 wins 15 times in the 17 year history of the program with a record-setting 55 victories in 2012.

Hensley Named to Schutt Sports/NFCA Top 25 Freshmen List
Megan Hensley was selected as one of the Top 25 Finalists for the 2016 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I National Freshman of the Year.
• Hensley (Ashland, Ky.) is in the midst of a record-setting rookie season at Louisville. She has started every game while splitting time between pitcher, the outfield and designated player. Her team-best 13 home runs are the most by a freshman in program history and place her third on Louisville's single season list.
• She is the second Louisville player to be named to the Top 25 list following junior Maryssa Becker who earned the honor in 2014 when the award was initially established.

Homegrown Talent
The Cardinals' roster features 11 (of 21) players from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Jessica Adell, Morgan Hart, Morgan Meyer, Michala Riggle and Jordan Vorbrink all hail from Louisville. Lillie Goetz (Owensboro), Megan Hensley (Ashland), Sarah Lopesilvero (Simpsonville), Jordan McNary (Madisonville), Ashley Nikolao (Flaherty), Brittany Sims (Lexington) round out the other players from the Commonwealth.

Youth Factor
With six underclassmen in its most recent starting lineup and only three seniors on the team, it is fair to say that the 2016 Cardinals are a young team. Three of the four pitchers on the roster are underclassmen with junior Maryssa Becker serving as the veteran on the staff.

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:
• 5 RBIs to move ninth the career list (128)
• 2 saves to tie for 1st in career saves (12)
• 1 shutout to move into a tie for 6th on the career list (14)
- On April 12, Becker got the win in relief in the Cards' 12-2 victory over Indiana. In doing so, she registered her 15th win of the season - a career high for wins.

Rookie sensation
Freshman Megan Hensley is in the midst of an impressive rookie campaign. The pitcher/outfielder/designated player leads the team with a 13 home runs and is the first freshman in program history to hit 10 or more home runs.
• Hensley currently has 52 RBIs, a record for most as a freshman at Louisville. She recently surpassed (current director of softball marketing) Chelsea Bemis who had 50 in her freshman campaign (2008).
• Hensley is now tied for fourth on Louisville's single season list for home runs with 13. She needs three more to move into a tie for second (16) and four more to move into a tie for first (17).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessica Adell

Maryssa Becker

Lillie Goetz

Morgan Hart

Megan Hensley

Kelsi Jones

Jenna Jordan

Sarah Lopesilvero

Jordan McNary

Sidney Melton

Morgan Meyer

Ashley Nikolao

Madi Norman

Michala Riggle

Brittany Sims

Hailey Smith

Alison Szydlowski

Jordan Vorbrink

University of Louisville Athletics