Cards Set for Louisville Softball Classic

The University of Louisville softball team will continue its homestand this weekend when the Cardinals welcome Bradley, Eastern Michigan and UMass to Ulmer Stadium for the Louisville Softball Classic.

In a change from the original schedule, the Cardinals will take on Bradley at 2 p.m. and UMass at 4 p.m. on Friday. They will continue the weekend Saturday against UMass at 3 p.m. and Eastern Michigan at 5:30 p.m. and will wrap up the tournament with a 12:30 p.m. matchup against Bradley.

The Weekend Ahead
Dates: March 9-11
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Ulmer Stadium
Live Scoring: GoCards.com
Television: ACC Network Extra (Louisville games only)
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Louisville Softball Classic Schedule
Friday, March 9
10:00 a.m. Bradley vs. Eastern Michigan
12:00 p.m.       Eastern Michigan vs. UMass
2:00 p.m.   Bradley vs. Louisville
4:00 p.m.   UMass vs. Louisville
Saturday, March 10
10:00 a.m. Bradley vs. UMass
12:30 p.m.       Eastern Michigan vs. Bradley
3:00 p.m.   UMass vs. Louisville
5:30 p.m.   Eastern Michigan vs. Louisville
Sunday, March 11
10:00 a.m. UMass vs. Eastern Michigan
12:30 p.m.       Bradley vs. Louisville

Team Notes
• The Cardinals bring an eight-game win streak and a 15-4 overall record into the Louisville Softball Classic. Last weekend, UofL went 5-0 in its home-opening Red & Black Classic. For the fourth week in a row, Louisville is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll and is also receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Coaches poll.
• The Cards have won nine of their last 10 games and are 5-0 at Ulmer Stadium this season.
• On March 4, Louisville defeated Eastern Illinois 6-0 to mark the 700th win in school history - all under head coach Sandy Pearsall who started the program in 2000.
• Louisville has outscored opponents 110-56 this season. Five different players have tallied double-digit run totals.
Individual Notes
• Danielle Watson (11-3) is tied for first in the national standings with 11 wins. The freshman right-hander carries a team-best 1.48 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 66.0 innings of work while holding opponents to a .155 batting average. Junior Megan Hensley (3-1) follows with a 2.12 ERA and 40 Ks in 56.0 innings and is limiting opponents to a .203 average.
• Sophomore Celene Funke leads the team with a .391 batting average and is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases.
• Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson follows closely with a .390 average and leads the Cardinals with 16 RBIs as well as multi-hit games (6) and multi-RBI games (4). She has also reached base via a hit or walk in the last 12 games.
• Junior Sidney Melton has scored a team-high 17 runs and is 5-for-5 in stolen bases.
• Sandy Pearsall is in her 19th season as UofL's head coach. After building the program from scratch in 2000, Pearsall recently achieved her 700th victory at Louisville. She has guided the Cardinals to six conference championships. Under her watch, Louisville has made 13 NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Cards against the field
Bradley
Series Record: UL leads 2-0
Last Meeting: March 6, 2009, Louisville won 2-1 at Ulmer Stadium. Melissa Roth, Brittany York and Colby Wherry each had two hits and Kristen Wadwell struck out nine while tossing a complete game to get the win in the circle as the Cardinals defead Bradley 2-1 at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Braves: Bradley carries a 7-8 overall record prior to a midweek matchup with Illinois. Last weekend, the Braves went 3-2 in the Memphis Blues City Classic with a pair of wins over UMKA and a victory against IPFW and losses to Memphis and Louisiana Monroe.
• Maria Schroeder lead the team with a .395 batting average and 11 runs. Allison Apke follows at .367 with three home runs and a team-best 11 RBIs.
•Emma Jackson (2-2) leads the Braves in the circle with a 4.12 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 35.2 innings.   Megan Mahaffy (3-4) carries a 4.72 ERA with 17 Ks in 29.2 innings while Julie Kestas (2-2) has a 5.55 ERA with a team-high 28Ks in 29.0 innings of work.

UMass
Series Record: UL leads 2-0
Last Meeting: March 7, 2014 - Louisville won 2-0 at Ulmer Stadium. Kelsi Jones went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs and Rachel LeCoq struck out four in 5.0 innings of relief to help lead the Cardinals to a 6-2 win over Massachusetts in the Red & Black Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Minutewomen: UMass brings a 7-6 overall record into the weekend. The Minutewomen were in Orlando at the D9 Citrus Classic last weekend where they went 2-2, picking up wins over Delaware and UC Santa Barbara. UMass faced Notre Dame in the first game of the tournament and were leading until the seventh inning when a three-run rally lifted the Irish to an 11-9 win. UMass also fell 4-0 to FIU. '

Eastern Michigan
Series Record: Tied 3-3
Last Meeting: March 15, 2013 - Louisville won 6-1 at Ulmer Stadium. Jordan Trimble went 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBI to lead the Cards offensively. Shortstop Whitney Arion was 2 for 2 with a pair of runs. U of L had 10 hits and just one strikeout in the win. Caralisa Connell held the Eagles to two hits, struck out 10 and walked just one EMU batter.
Scouting the Eagles: Eastern Michigan enters the weekend with a 4-11 overall record and coming off a 2-4 showing at the Madeira Beach Invitational. The Eagles opened the tournament with wins over Central Arkansas and Alabama State before falling to Northern Kentucky, LIU Brooklyn and Incarnate Word to wrap up the tournament.
• Amanda Akles leads the team with a .382 average, two home runs and 10 RBIs. Sam Saporito follows at a .353 clip. Nicolle Miranda (2-6) carries a team-best 2.68 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 65.1 innings of work.

Pearsall, Louisville reach 700 wins
On March 4, 2018, the University of Louisville softball team defeated Eastern Illinois 6-0 in the final game of the Red & Black Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
Pearsall Highlights at Louisville
• Sandy Pearsall is in her 19th season at the helm after starting the program in 2000.
• She has registered a 700-354 record at Louisville; producing 14 consecutive winning seasons (6 winning seasons in the 18-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)

Up Last
The Cardinals outscored opponents 33-3 en route to a 5-0 record in their home-opening Red & Black Classic.
• Celene Funke led the Cardinals offensively as the posted a 5-0 record on the weekend and extended their win streak to eight games. The sophomore outfielder registered a team-best .467 batting average, going 7-for-15 with five runs and two stolen bases while driving in one run. She had at least one hit in each game, recording two hits against UA and Miami. She also scored at least one run in four of the five games on the weekend. The speedy right fielder went 2-for-2 in stolen bases to push her season total to a perfect 6-for-6. She also collected two walks and did not strikeout for a .500 on-base percentage.
• Danielle Watson, Megan Hensley and Kyra Snyder compiled a 0.42 team ERA with 29 strikeouts in 33.0 innings on the week.
Recapping the weekend:
Louisville 15 - UAB 0
The Cardinals scored a season-high 15 runs to back freshman Danielle Watson's complete game shutout as the Cardinals defeated UAB 15-0 in five innings in their home opener Thursday night at Ulmer Stadium.
• Ten different players registered hits, junior Sidney Melton and senior Nicole Pufahl each scored three runs and senior Jenna Jordan drove in three as the Cardinals outhit the Blazers 13-3. Watson struck out seven and scattered three hits in five innings.
Louisville 4 – Maryland 1
Senior Nicole Pufahl went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI while freshman Danielle Watson (10-3) registered a career-high eight strikeouts and scattered three hits in a complete game effort.

Louisville 6 – UAB 2
Senior Jamie Soles went 2-for-3 with an RBI while six different Cardinals scored en route to a 6-2 win over UAB.
• Megan Hensley picked up the win, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and striking out one and did not issue a walk in 6.0 innings. Watson gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning of relief.

Louisville 6 – UAB 2
The Cardinals used a combined team effort to beat Miami (Ohio) 2-0 in the Red & Black Classic.
• Celene Funke led the way with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate as six different players tallied hits in the contest. Freshman Kyra Snyder got the start in the circle and did not give up a hit while striking out three as a trio of pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout. Freshman Danielle Watson (11-3) was credited with the win after surrendering one hit and fanning three in 3.0 innings. Junior Megan Hensley picked up her first save of the season, allowing one hit and delivering a pair of strikeouts in 2.0 innings.
• Louisville defeated Eastern Illinois 6-0 in the final game of the Red & Black Classic Sunday, registering the program's 700th win under head coach Sandy Pearsall. With the victory, the Cardinals (15-4) extend their win streak to eight games.
• Madison Cousineau went 1-for-3 with a double and collected two RBIs to help lead the Cardinals' offense. Junior Megan Hensley picked up the win, scattering three hits and striking out three in 5.0 innings while freshman Danielle Watson combined for Louisville's second straight shutout while giving up one hit and fanning one in 2.0 innings of relief.

Watson named College Sports Madness ACC Player of the Week; selected to NFCA Honor Roll
Danielle Watson was selected as the College Sports Madness ACC Player of the Week and was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Weekly Honor Roll for her performance in the Red & Black Classic.
• The freshman led the Cardinals in the circle this weekend with a 3-0 record and a 0.39 ERA. The freshman from Osceola, Ind., made appearances in all five games and scattered nine hits in 18.0 innings while holding opponents to a .134 batting average and tossed one shutout while combining on two. She had 20 strikeouts in 18.0 innings of work including a career-high eight Ks in the 4-1 win against Maryland.

Winning ways
Louisville is riding a season-high eight game win streak - the most consecutive wins since the 2016 season when the Cards put together a 12-game streak. The school record for consecutive wins was set in 2012 when UofL opened the season with a 28-0 mark.
• In the last eight games, the Cardinals have outscored their opponents 54-14. Senior Nicole Pufahl has led the charge at the plate, batting .474 (9-for-19) with three doubles, seven runs and five RBIs. Junior Sidney Melton has tallied 10 runs and sophomore Caitlin Ferguson has driven in nine.
• Freshman Danielle Watson has compiled a 6-0 record and a 0.73 ERA with a .118 opponent batting average and 32 Ks in 28.2 innings while junior Megan Hensley has posted a 2-0 record with a 0.75 ERA and has held opponents to a .157 batting average with one save in 18.2 innings.

Hitting for average
The Cardinals are hitting .295 collectively as a team with four players who are batting over .300 on the season. Sophomore Celene Funke leads the way with a .391 average while fellow sophomore Caitlin Ferguson follows closely at at .390 clip. Senior Nicole Pufahl is hitting .365 and junior Madison Cousineau rounds out the top four with a .300 average.

Watson off to stellar start
Freshman Danielle Watson has been impressive in her debut as a Cardinal. The right-handed pitcher carries an 11-4 record and is in a four-way tie for first in the nation in wins.
• The right-hander carries a 1.48 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 66.0 innings while holding opponents to a .155 batting average.
•The Osceola, Ind., native made her debut in the Cardinals 5-3 win over UCF. In that game, she surrendered one earned run and struck out five while scattering four hits in 5.0 innings.

Hensley moving up in record book
Junior RHP Megan Hensley has entered Louisville's top career list in several categories. She is ranked fifth with six career saves and is tenth in appearances (67) and games started (48). She currently has 28 career wins and needs one more to tie Kady Garrick (2004-06) for 10th on the all-time list.

Senior leadership
Through the first four weeks of the season, the four seniors in the starting lineup have been instrumental in the Cardinals' early success.
•Catcher Jenna Jordan leads the team with two home runs and is second on the team with 12 RBIs.
•Centerfielder Nicole Pufahl is third on the team with a .365 batting average is on a 10-game win streak.
• Second baseman Jamie Soles has played in every game with 17 starts and stands third on the team with 11 RBIs.
• Third baseman Alison Szydlowski played in 18 games with 17 starts and produced the longest hitting streak at nine straight games.
Note: Senior Ashley Nikolao is currently sidelined by injury.

Youthful impact
Along with the veteran leadership on the field, several underclassmen have also made valuable contributions.
• Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson has started every game at shortstop, third base or first base and leads the team with a .391 batting average, seven doubles and 16 RBIs.
• Sophomore Celene Funke leads the Cardinals with a .391 batting average and is a perfect 6 for 6 in stolen bases.
• Freshman RHP Danielle Watson leads the pitching staff and is tied for first in the nation with an 11-3 record. She carries a 1.48 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 66.0 innings of work.
• Freshman Kyra Snyder has started every game at first base or in the circle.

The road ahead
The Cardinals 2018 schedule, which features games against six teams who qualified for the 2017 NCAA Tournament and eight opponents who are ranked or are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA top 25 polls of 2017. The Cardinals will play 23 games at Ulmer Stadium, including two tournaments.

Cards on the air
At the start of the 2018 season, the Cardinals will have 25 games televised nationally including one contest on ESPNU. The television slate feature all of the Cardinals' 23 home games.
• All 12 ACC institutions sponsoring softball will be featured multiple times throughout the season, with more than 220 games streaming on ACC Network Extra, Watch ESPN and the ESPN App. ESPN's broadcast schedule will include more than 650 college softball games.
• The Cardinals will appear on ESPN's ACC Monday on April 23 for the third game of its ACC matchup against preseason ACC favorite Florida State.
• Louisville's matchup at in-state rival Kentucky will be carried on the SEC Network.
• The remaining home games will be carried on ACC Network Extra.

Louisville picked to finish fourth in ACC
The University of Louisville softball team was picked to finish fourth in the ACC according to a preseason vote by the league's 12 head coaches.
• With the addition of Duke for the 2018 season, the ACC will split into the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions. Florida State, the preseason No. 6 team in the country, will be joined in the Atlantic Division by Boston College, Louisville, NC State, Notre Dame and Syracuse. The Coastal Division will include Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

2018 ACC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Florida State (11) – 121
2. North Carolina (1) – 105
3. Notre Dame – 97
4. Louisville – 90
5. Boston College – 85
6. Syracuse – 62
7. Virginia Tech – 57
8. Virginia – 43
9. Pitt – 42
10. NC State – 41
11. Georgia Tech – 29
12. Duke – 20

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Madison Cousineau

Caitlin Ferguson

Celene Funke

Megan Hensley

Jenna Jordan

Sidney Melton

Ashley Nikolao

Nicole Pufahl

Kyra Snyder

Jamie Soles

Alison Szydlowski

Danielle Watson

University of Louisville Athletics