Softball Set for Home-Opening Red & Black Classic

The University of Louisville softball team will kick off the home season this weekend with the Red & Black Tournament. The Cardinals will play host to Indiana State in their home opener Friday at 12:30 p.m. and will face Wisconsin Green Bay at 3 p.m. Saturday's action will feature a 12:30 p.m. matchup with Wisconsin Green Bay followed by a 3 p.m. game against Bowling Green. Louisville will wrap up the weekend against Indiana State Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Red & Black Tournament
Dates: March 3-5, 2017
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Ulmer Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra (Louisville games)
Live Scoring/Tournament Central: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Complete Red & Black Schedule
Friday
10 a.m.             Indiana State vs. Bowling Green
12:30 p.m.                 Indiana State vs. Louisville
3 p.m.                             Green Bay vs. Louisville
5:30 p.m.              Green Bay vs. Bowling Green
Saturday
10 a.m.                    Green Bay vs. Indiana State
12:30 p.m.                     Green Bay vs. Louisville
3 p.m.                     Bowling Green vs. Louisville
5:30 p.m.          Bowling Green vs. Indiana State
Sunday
10 a.m.                 Bowling Green vs. Green Bay
12:30 p.m.                 Indiana State vs. Louisville

Louisville Softball Quick Hits
• Louisville brings an 8-6 record into its home-opening weekend.
• Senior Maryssa Becker carries a .359 batting average and has a team-best three home runs and is tied with sophomore Megan Hensley with 17 RBIs.
• Becker (6-4) also leads the Cards in the circle with a 0.97 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 502 innings of work and is holding opponents to a .206 batting average.
• Sandy Pearsall enters her 18th 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 13 consecutive NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Cards against the opponents
Indiana State
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Louisville won both games at the UNLV Sportco KickOff Classic earlier this season. On Feb. 11, the Cards outlasted the Sycamores 6-5 in nine innings and prevailed 1-0 in the second matchup on Feb. 12.
Scouting the Sycamores: The Sycamores come to the Red & Black Tournament with a 5-4 record. The Sycamores recently had a 3-1 showing at the WKU Hilltopper Spring Fling this past weekend.
• The Sycamores are led by Kassie Brown who is hitting .458 on the season and has scored eight runs. Brooke Mann is hitting .375 with nine hits and 14 RBIs, as well as leading the team with three home runs. Kenzie Ihle has an ERA of 4.50 in 34.0 innings of work and four wins. Kylie Stober has an ERA of 3.13 in 23.0 innings and one win.

Bowling Green
Series Record: Louisville leads 2-1
Last Meeting: March 9, 2003 – Bowling Green shut out Louisville 3-0 at the 2003 Red & Black Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Falcons: Bowling Green enters the Red & Black Tournament with an overall record of 6-8 after an 0-5 showing at the Mardi Gras Invitational.
• The Falcons are led by Chelsea Raker who is hitting .450 on the season with 18 hits and 16 RBIs. Aspen Searle posts an average of .304 with 14 hits and 11 RBIs. Kendyl Wheeler follows with a .378 average and 17 hits. Kenzie Ihle has an ERA of 4.50 in 34.0 innings of work and four wins. Kiley Sosby (3-3) carries a 2.53 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. Meredith Miller (2-1) has an ERA of 3.25 with 24 strikeouts in 28.0 innings.

Wisconsin-Green Bay
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2001 - Louisville won 7-3 at the Metrodome Classic.
Scouting the Phoenix: Green Bay brings a 1-4 overall record into the weekend after defeating IUPUI in the TCS Invitational. Chyanne Onstad leads the Phoenix offensively with a .500 average, three runs, nine hits, five RBIs and the team's only homer. Allie Taylor has a batting average of .429, three runs, six hits and four RBIs. Katie Rossmann (1-2) carries a 7.36 ERA in 14.2 innings of play.

Up Next
Louisville will continue its 14-game home stand next weekend when the Cardinals welcome IUPUI, Northern Iowa, Ohio University and Wright State to Ulmer Stadium for the Louisville Tournament March 10-12.

Last Weekend
Louisville posted a 1-4 record among some tough competition at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic 2 last weekend. In game one, the Cardinals briefly held a 3-1 lead against No. 9 Arizona, but late-inning errors proved to be costly in a 5-3 loss. In the second game, No. 4 Oklahoma scored an unearned run to break a 1-1 tie and prevailed 2-1.
• On day two, the Cards were shutout for the first time this season in a 4-0 setback to No. 23 BYU. Louisville wrapped up the tournament on Saturday with a 5-2 loss to No. 21 California before beating Cal State Fullerton 4-2.
• Senior Jordan McNary led Louisville offensively on the week with a .313 batting average, one run and one RBI. Senior Maryssa Becker posted a 1.00 ERA, allowing three earned runs and striking out 16 while picking up a save in 21.0 innings throughout the weekend.

Becker Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Maryssa Becker was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball.
• Becker, a senior pitcher from Medford, Ore., is a four-year starter who has been among the Cardinals' pitching and offensive leaders throughout her career. She is a two-time All-ACC first team and 2016 ACC Softball Championship All-Tournament Team selection and was named to American Athletic Conference second team her freshman season. In 2014, she became Louisville's first freshman National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selection and was a top 25 finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year.
• In 2016, Becker set a school single-season record for runs batted in with 60, is ranked among Louisville's top 10 in career RBIs and home runs. She also stands in the top 10 of nearly every career pitching category at UofL.
• The chemistry major was named the 2016 ACC Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year is a two-time ACC All-Academic selection. She earned American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors in 2015 and has been named to UofL's Athletic Director's honor roll (3.0 semester GPA) in each of her semesters. She also is a two-time Dean's List member.
•Becker becomes Louisville softball's third Senior CLASS Award candidate following Katie Keller who was a top 10 selection in 2014 and Kristi Cunningham who earned the honor in 2009.
• The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
• The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2017 Women's College World Series®.
• ABOUT THE AWARD: An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.

Dual Threats
Two of Louisville's top offensive threats also double as the Cards' Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers. Senior Maryssa Becker leads the team with three home runs and a .641 slugging percentage. Sophomore Megan Hensley is hitting .302 with five doubles and two homers and has accounted ties Becker with a team-high 17 RBIs.
• In the circle, Becker (6-4) carries a 0.97 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 50.2 innings of work and is holding opponents to a .206 batting average with two shutouts on the season, while Hensley (2-2) has a 2.79 ERA and 15 Ks in 32.2 innings.

The duo is picking up where it left off last season. Below are their accomplishments in 2016.
• Becker led the team with 16 multi-RBI games and 15 multi-hit games. Hensley was right behind her with 14 and 15 respectively.
• The two combined for 23 of Louisville's 37 home runs and 112 of its 281 RBIs.
• Becker was a 2016 All-ACC first team selection while Hensley earned second team honors.
• Hensley was a two-time ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week while Becker has earned the honor once this season.
• Hensley earned NFCA All-Southeast Region third team honors.

Hitting for average
In the current starting lineup, four players carry a batting above .300 on the season. Senior Maryssa Becker leads the way at .359 with fellow senior Jordan McNary following at .326. Junior Nicole Pufahl is hitting at a .306 clip while sophomore Megan Hensley rounds out the top four at .302.

Becker Sets Single Game RBI Mark
In the Cards' 13-2 win over CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 10, Maryssa Becker connected on an RBI single, a three-run homer and a grand slam, producing eight RBIs and setting a school record. She surpassed the previous record (7) held by Katie Keller (twice in 2013) and Melissa Jacobo (2002).

Becker Earns 50th Career Win, Notches 500th Strikeout
On Feb. 12, senior Maryssa Becker tossed a two-hit, complete game shutout to help the Cardinals to a 1-0 win over Indiana State. The victory marked the 50th of Becker's career, moving her to sixth on Louisville's all-time list. She now has 53 wins and needs 12 more move into a tie for sixth along with Jessica Rak (2000-03). Kristen Wadwell (2007-10) owns the record with 94 wins.
• In the Feb. 24 game against California, Becker registered her 500th career strikeout. She becomes only the sixth player in program history to earn at least 500 career Ks and stands sixth on the all-time list, needing 44 more to move into a tie for fifth.

Homegrown Talent
The Cardinals' roster featured nine (of 19) players from the commonwealth of Kentucky. Caitlin Ferguson (Fr., INF, Versailles, Ky./Woodford County), Lillie Goetz (So., INF, Owensboro/Owensboro Catholic), Shelby Graybill (Fr., INF/C, Ft. Thomas, Ky./Highlands), Megan Hensley (So., P/UT, Ashland/Paul Blazer), Jordan McNary (Sr., OF, Madisonville/Hopkins County Central), Morgan Meyer (Sr., OF, Louisville/Mercy), Ashley Nikolao (Jr., UT, Flaherty/Meade County), Michala Riggle (So., C/1B, Louisville/Christian Educational Consortium), Jordan Vorbrink (So., OF, Louisville/Mercy).

Record watch
Senior 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:
Pitching
• Needs 1 save to tie for 1st in career saves (12)
• Currently sixth on Louisville's career list for shutouts (15)
• Sixth on the list for career wins (53), needs eight more to tie for fifth
• Sixth in career strikeouts (500) needs 44 more to tie for fifth
Hitting
• Stands seventh on Louisville's all-time list with 141 career RBIs... needs four more to move into a tie for fourth.
• Seventh with 82 walks, needs four more to tie for sixth.

The Road Ahead
The Cardinals will face a challenging 2017 schedule which features nine games against top-25 opponents including 2016 national champion Oklahoma. UofL will also host two tournaments as part of a 26-game home slate.
• Among Louisville's opponents are eight teams that played in the 2016 NCAA tournament including national champion Oklahoma and fellow Women's College World Series participant Florida State. The Cardinals will play a total of nine games against teams ranked in the top 25 and will have four contests with teams who were receiving votes at the end of the 2016 season.

Louisville Softball Television Schedule Released
UofL will have 31 games televised nationally including four contests on ESPNU as announced by ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference office Tuesday. The television slate will include all of the Cardinals' 27 home games along with league games at Virginia Tech and North Carolina State.
        All 11 ACC institutions sponsoring softball will be featured multiple times throughout the season, with more than 100 games streaming on ACC Network Extra, Watch ESPN and the ESPN App. ESPN's broadcast schedule will include more than 600 college softball games.
        The Cardinals will appear on ESPN's ACC Monday twice this season – both in the month of April. Louisville will make its 2017 ESPNU debut on April 2 for the second game of the Cardinals' ACC matchup against No. 22 Notre Dame. The series finale will be also air on ESPNU as part of the network's ACC Monday package. Three weeks later, the Cards will return to the ESPN airwaves when No. 4/3 Florida State visits Ulmer Stadium. Game two of that series will be shown on ESPNU and the third game will be featured as part of ACC Monday on April 24.
• The remaining home games will be carried on ACC Network Extra.
        The 2017 ACC Softball Championship will take place May 11-13, with the first two days of competition being aired on ACC Network Extra, and the championship game on ESPN.

Louisville Softball Tabbed to Finish Second in 2017 ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll
The University of Louisville softball team was picked to finish second in the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season as voted by the league's 11 head coaches.
• Louisville, which finished second in the league and reached the semifinals of the tournament in
• In 2016, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina and Notre Dame earned postseason berths, with the Seminoles finishing as the Women's College World Series semifinalist.
ACC Softball Predicted Order of Finish
1.       Florida State- 100 (10 first-place votes)
2.       Louisville – 86 (1 first-place vote)
3.       Notre Dame – 84
4.       North Carolina – 67
5.       Virginia Tech – 58
6.       Boston College – 57
7.       Syracuse – 48
8.       Pittsburgh – 44
9.       NC State – 30
10.   Georgia Tech – 17
11.   Virginia – 14

Becker Named to DI Softball News Top 50 Player of the Year Watchlist
The preseason accolades continue to add up for senior Maryssa Becker who has been named to the 2017 DI Softball News Top 50 Player of the Year Watchlist.
        Becker, a senior pitcher from Medford, Ore., led the Cardinals in hitting with a .411 average in 2016 and helped Louisville (35-17) to second-place regular-season finish and an NCAA tournament berth with her performances on the mound and at the plate. The two-time All-ACC First team and 2016 ACC Softball Championship All-Tournament Team selection finished last season with a 20-11 pitching record and 2.22 ERA while striking out 169 batters and walking just 33 in 204.2 innings. As a junior, she set a school single-season record for runs batted in with 60.
        In 2014, she became Louisville's first freshman National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selection and was a top 25 finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year. Becker been among the team's leaders in batting average, home runs, doubles and RBIs in each of her seasons, is ranked in the top 10 of nearly every career pitching category.
        The D1 Softball News Player of the Year award recognizes the outstanding on-field performance of players across the country. This year's watchlist is comprised of student-athletes from 13 different athletic conferences. The SEC leads the way with 13 athletes represented, while the Pac 12 has 10. There are 35 different universities represented on the list.
        The list will be narrowed to the Top 25 names in April and the Top 10 finalists will be announced in May. The winner of the 2017 D1 Softball News Player of the Year will be announced at the conclusion of the WCWS.
• Becker also entered the 2017 season with College Sports Madness and Fastpitch News (FPN) Preseason All-America honors and stands fifth among the FPN 2017 TOP 50 NCAA Softball Hitters.
• She was profiled on ESPNW's Top 25 NCAA Softball Players (Feb. 7, 2017).

Cardinals Shine in the Classroom
The University of Louisville softball team has produced impressive results both on the field and in the classroom. Most recently, The Cardinals collectively achieved a 3.45 grade point average for the 2016 fall semester.
• Along with the impressive team GPA, 16 of 19 players were named to the Athletic Director's honor roll after earning a 3.0 or better GPA while five Cardinals registered a perfect 4.0. The softball team has posted a 3.0 or better GPA in 24 consecutive semesters dating back to the 2005 spring semester.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maryssa Becker

Caitlin Ferguson

Lillie Goetz

Shelby Graybill

Megan Hensley

Jordan McNary

Morgan Meyer

Ashley Nikolao

Nicole Pufahl

Michala Riggle

Jordan Vorbrink

University of Louisville Athletics