Cards Host No. 21/22 Kentucky in Battle of the Bluegrass Wednesday

Fans are encouraged to wear red as the University of Louisville softball team hosts in-state rival No. 21/22 Kentucky in the annual Battle of the Bluegrass Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the gate or online.

The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra with Don Russell handling play-by-play duties and Daryl Foust providing analysis.

Game Day Information
Date: April 12, 2017
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Ulmer Stadium
Parking: Paid parking available in the Floyd Street Parking Garage (Floyd Street entrance)
Admission: $5
Promotions: Red Out
Television: ACC Network Extra
Live Scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Quick Hits
The Cardinals will take a break from ACC play with a midweek matchup against in-state rival No. 20 Kentucky Wednesday at 6 p.m.
• Louisville brings a 22-12 record into Wednesday's game after posting a 1-2 showing at Boston College last weekend.
• Junior Nicole Pufahl leads the team with a .394 batting average, six home runs, 34 RBIs and 22 runs. The centerfielder also leads the Cards in multi-hit games (12) and multi-RBI games (9) and has reached via a walk or hit in the last eight games.
• Louisville is hitting .296 as a team with four players in the starting lineup batting over .300 on the season.
• Senior Maryssa Becker (17-7) paces the Cards in the circle with a 1.97 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 153.0 innings of work and is holding opponents to a .233 batting average.
• Senior Jordan McNary has reached base via a hit, a walk in 18 of her last 20 games and is a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases.
• UofL is currently fifth in ACC standings with a 6-4 league record. No. 1/2 Florida State (38-1-1, 18-0) stands first in the league with Boston College (23-13, 8-3) currently in second with NC State (14-25, 8-4) and North Carolina (31-11, 10-5) in third and fourth place respectively.
• 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.

Kentucky
Series Record: Louisville leads 19-18
Last Meeting: April 27, 2016 – Kentucky won 2-1 at Ulmer Stadium in the only meeting between the two teams last season. The April 6, 2016 matchup scheduled in Lexington, Ky. was cancelled due to weather.
• Maryssa Becker took the loss after allowing two unearned runs on 11 hits and striking out six in a complete game effort. Becker kept the Wildcats scoreless through six innings before a 54-minute lightning delay in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kentucky then scored both runs in the seventh.
• Kelsey Nunley got the win in a complete game effort. She surrendered one earned run on four hits and struck out seven. Abbey Cheek and Katie Reed each tallied three hits in the game to lead the Wildcats offensively.
• Megan Hensley went 2 -or-3 to pace the Cards at the plate.
Scouting the Wildcats: Kentucky enters the weekend with a 24-11 overall record prior to a Tuesday matchup against Marshall. The Wildcats stand seventh in the SEC with 5-7 mark.
• The Wildcats were swept in a three game weekend series against Tennessee with scores of 9-0, 5-2, and 9-4, respectively.
• Kentucky is led offensively by Bailey Vick who carries a .357 batting average with a team-best seven doubles hits. Abbey Cheek follows at .347 and leads the team with seven homeruns and 26 RBIs, while Katie Reed leads in hits (41).
• Meagan Prince (11-6) leads the Wildcats in the circle with a 1.52 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 105.2 innings and has logged four saves.

Up Next
The Cards will resume ACC play with a road trip to Blacksburg, Va., for a three-game series at Virginia Tech.

Up Last
Louisville defeated host Boston College 5-3 in game one, but the Eagles went on to win the next two games 6-2 and 3-1 to claim the series.
Louisville 5 - Boston College 3
• Senior Morgan Meyer went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI to help lead the University of Louisville softball team to a 5-3 win over host Boston College in game one of an ACC series Friday evening at BC's Shea Field.
• Becker picked up the win, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and striking out two in seven innings.
• Dreswick took the loss, allowing five unearned runs on five hits and striking out four in four innings. Weed had a double and two RBIs to lead the Eagles at the plate.
Boston College 6- Louisville 2
Boston College evened the series with a 6-2 win in game two.
• Megan Hensley took the loss, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and striking out three in 5.1 innings. Pufahl was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI while freshman Caitlin Ferguson also had two hits to help pace the Cards offensively.
•Jessica Dreswick got the win after allowing two earned runs on eight hits and striking out three in a complete game effort. Sharabba led the Eagles at the plate going 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
Boston College 3 - Louisville 1
Senior Jordan McNary went 2-for-3 with an RBI, but a sixth-inning home run by Jordan Chimento lifted host Boston College to a 3-1 win in the rubber game of an ACC series Sunday afternoon.
•Becker took the loss after giving up three earned runs on six hits and striking out two in six innings.
•Dreswick picked up the win after surrendering one unearned run on four hits and striking out five in a complete game effort. Chimento led the Eagles offensively with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate and drove in all three runs.

Hitting for average
The Cardinals are hitting .296 as a team. In the current starting lineup, four players are batting above .300 on the season. Junior Nicole Pufahl recently took over as the team's leading hitter with a .394 average. Senior Jordan McNary follows at .351 with freshman Caitlin Ferguson stands third at .346 and junior Jamie Soles rounds out the top hitters at .323.
• Before suffering a season-ending injury in the Feb. 25 game against California, junior shortstop Sidney Melton carried a .364 batting average.

Ferguson Takes Over
Caitlin Ferguson stepped into the role of Louisville's starting shortstop and leadoff hitter following junior Sidney Melton's season-ending injury in late February. Since that time, the freshman has settled into the role and is one of the top hitters on the team with a .346 average, seven doubles, 17 runs and 17 RBIs. She is second on the team with five multi-RBI games and stands third with nine multi-hit performances.

Pufahl's Time to Shine
Junior centerfielder Nicole Pufahl leads the Cardinals in most offensive categories while in the midst of a career-best season. The three-year starter carries a .394 batting average and a .667 slugging percentage with six home runs, seven doubles, 34 RBIs and 22 runs. She also has tallied a team-best 12 multi-hit performances and and nine multi-RBI games.

Becker Ties School Record with Twelfth Career Save
On March 18, Maryssa Becker entered the game in relief in the seventh inning during game two of Louisville's ACC series with Pitt. The Cards were leading 5-1, but the Panthers had the bases loaded with no outs in the inning with the tying run at the plate. After surrendering a run on a groundout, Becker proceeded to strike out the next two batters to pick up her school-record tying 12th career save.
• Becker is currently tied with Chelsea Leonard (2010-12) and Catherine Bishop (2004-07) and needs one more save to own the record outright.

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 and moved her to sixth on Louisville's all-time list. She currently has 64 wins and needs one more to move into a tie for fifth along with Jessica Rak (2000-03). Kristen Wadwell (2007-10) owns the record with 94 victories.
• 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. Becker has 585 strikeouts and stands fourth on the all-time list, needing five more to move into a tie for third with former All-American Tori Collins (2009-12). Kristen Wadwell (2007-10) holds the all-time record with 696.

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 own the record for career saves (12)
• Fourth in career strikeouts (585) needs five more to tie for third.
• Currently sixth on Louisville's career list for shutouts (16); needs five more to tie for fifth.
• Sixth on the list for career wins (64), needs one more to tie for fifth
Hitting
• Tied for fifth on Louisville's all-time list with 145 career RBIs... needs 20 more to move into a tie for fourth.
• Sixth with 98 walks, needs three more to tie for fifth.
• Ninth with 26 home runs - needs one more to tie for eighth

Dual Threats
Two of Louisville's top offensive threats also double as the Cards' Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers. Senior Maryssa Becker is second on the team with four home runs and is second with 21 RBIs. Sophomore Megan Hensley has six doubles and two homers and has driven in 17.
• In the circle, Becker (17-7) carries a 1.97 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 153.0 innings of work and is holding opponents to a .233 batting average with three shutouts on the season, while Hensley (5-5) has a 2.82 ERA and 38Ks in 62.0 innings.
• The duo is picking up where it left off last season. Listed 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 earned NFCA All-Southeast Region third team honors.

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 Road Ahead
The Cardinals are in the midst of a challenging 2017 schedule which features seven opponents currently ranked in the top 25 including No. 1/2 Florida State and No. 2/1 Arizona as well as 2016 national champion Oklahoma.

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.
      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.
• 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.

Cards Host No. 21/22 Kentucky in Battle of the Bluegrass Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Maryssa Becker

Caitlin Ferguson

Lillie Goetz

Shelby Graybill

Megan Hensley

Jordan McNary

Sidney Melton

Morgan Meyer

Ashley Nikolao

Nicole Pufahl

Michala Riggle

Jamie Soles

Jordan Vorbrink

University of Louisville Athletics