Cardinals Hit the Road for Tennessee Classic

The University of Louisville softball team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to compete in the Tennessee Classic this weekend. After the initial schedule was altered due to extensive rain in the forecast, the tournament will now start on Saturday and conclude on Monday. Louisville will open Saturday's play against Kansas at 9:30 a.m. and will take on Bradley at 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, the Cardinals will face Bradley again with a 5:00 p.m. first pitch. The Cards will wrap up play in the Tennessee Classic on Monday with a non-conference matchup against Virginia at 12:00 p.m. and a 2:30 p.m. contest against No. 7/8 Tennessee.

Tennessee Classic Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 23
9:30 a.m. ET    Kansas vs. Louisville
2:30 p.m. ET    Bradley vs. Louisville
Sunday, Feb. 24
5 p.m. ET         Bradley vs. Louisville
Monday, Feb. 25
12 p.m. ET       Virginia vs. Louisville
2:30 p.m. ET    Louisville vs. Tennessee

TICKET INFO

Saturday (2/23) & Sunday (2/24)
Fans are required to have tickets for Saturday, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24. To purchase tickets, please visit AllVols.com or call the ticket office at (865) 656-1200.

Monday (2/25)
All tickets previously purchased for Friday's slate of games can be used for admission to Monday's games. If you need to purchase tickets, please visit AllVols.com or call the ticket office at (865) 656-1200.

Single-Game Ticket Purchasers
If you purchased single-game tickets for Friday and are unable to attend the games on Monday, tickets can be exchanged for admission to games on Saturday or Sunday. Tickets may also be exchanged for admission on any of the Tennessee Invitational dates (March 14-17). All exchanges will be based on availability.

For a refund, please call the ticket office at (865) 656-1200.

OTHER INFORMATION

Please note that UT's Clear Bag Policy will be in effect for all games this weekend. Additionally, parking at the stadium is FREE. Click HERE to review Tennessee's Clear Bag Policy and parking instructions.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE
• The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 4-5 overall record.
• Last week in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Louisville posted its first win over a ranked team this season when the Cards beat then-No. 15/17 Michigan 2-1. Louisville also fell 6-0 to the Wolverines and lost a pair of games to Northwestern 9-8 (nine innings) and 4-2.
• The 2019 campaign marks Louisville's 20th season as a program and first under new head coach Holly Aprile's tutelage.
• The Cardinals were picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division and fifth overall as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
• Louisville is led at the plate by freshman Rebecca Chung, who is batting .500 (6-for-12) with a double, a home run and a team-best seven RBIs. She also leads the Cardinals with an .833 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage.
• Junior Celene Funke has now reached via a hit or a walk in eight straight games.
• Danielle Watson (2-3) carries a team-best 2.21 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work. She is also holding opponents to a .185 batting average.
• Seniors Megan Hensley and Sidney Melton were selected to the 2019 Preseason All-ACC Team.

The Aprile Era
2019 marks the first season under new head coach Holly Aprile following the retirement of Sandy Pearsall, who began the program in 2000. Aprile becomes only the second head coach in Louisville softball history.
• Prior to her arrival at Louisville, Aprile, 2018 ACC Coach of the Year spent 10 seasons (2009-18) as Pittsburgh's head coach and five years (2004-08) as an assistant. In 2018, she earned ACC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Panthers to the 2018 ACC Coastal Division title and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament.

Cards against the field
Kansas
Series Record: KU leads 3-2
Last Meeting: May 15, 2015 Kansas won 1-0 in the Columbia Regional
Scouting the Jayhawks
• Kansas enters the weekend with a record of 2-8. The Jayhawks picked up wins over UMass and Providence at the Diamond 9 Citrus Blossom but lost to Iowa, Bethune-Cookman and Missouri. The Jayhawks also fell to #25 Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, and Utah at the Kajikawa Classic.
• Shelby Gayre leads Kansas at the plate with a batting average of .393 (11-for-28) with five RBI's. Brynn Minor leads the Jayhawks from the circle with 29.1 innings pitched and a 4.53 ERA.
• The Jayhawks posted an overall record of 27-25 in 2018, 2-16 in the Big 12.

Virginia
Series Record:
Last Meeting: UofL leads 13-4
Scouting the Cavaliers: April 8, 2018 - Virginia won 17-12 at Ulmer Stadium.
• Virginia enters the weekend with a record of 4-5. The Cavaliers fell to Indiana, Bethune Cookman, Georgia, Florida Atlantic and St. John's to open their season at the FAU First Pitch Classic, but picked up wins against Northern Kentucky twice, Hampton, and Elon at the Elon Softball February Classic.
• Lacy Smith leads the Cavaliers at the plate, batting .419 (13-for-31) with three home runs and nine RBI's. Erika Osherow has posted an ERA of 1.24 in 22.2 innings pitched so far this season.
• In 2018, Virginia posted an overall record of 12-41 and went 3-21 in ACC play.

Bradley
Series Record: UofL leads 4-0
Last Meeting: March 11, 2018 - Louisville won 6-3 at Ulmer Stadium
Scouting the Braves
• Bradley enters the weekend with a 5-5 record after competing in the Kajikawa Classic and Troy Cox Classic. The Braves picked up wins over Seattle, Montana, New Mexico State, Texas State and San Jose State. Bradley had losses to Stanford, Weber State, Utah, and #25 Oregon.
• Kealia Wysocki was named MVC Player of the Week for her performance at the plate at the Troy Cox Classic. Wysocki went 7-for-15 with six home runs, seven runs, and 14 RBIs.
• Gabby Stoner leads the Braves with a .423 (11-for-26) batting average while Grace French leads Bradley from the circle with a 1.75 ERA.
• The Braves posted an overall record of 20-30 during the 2018 season, 9-15 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Tennessee
Series Record: UT leads 5-0
Last Meeting: May 2, 2012 - Tennessee won 8-1 in Knoxville.
Scouting the Volunteers
• Tennessee enters the weekend ranked #7 with an overall record of 8-2. The Volunteers opened their season by going undefeated at the Kickin' Chicken Classic, defeating UIC twice, Coastal Carolina, Boston University and Rider. Tennessee picked up three more wins at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational over Notre Dame, Minnesota, and Utah, but fell to then- No. 23 James Madison and No. 1 Florida State.
• Chelsea Seggern leads the Volunteers from the plate, boasting a .536 (15-for-28) batting average with five doubles and 14 RBI's. Ashley Rogers is 3-0 from the circle with a team-best 1.77 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts.
• In 2018, Tennessee compiled a record of 48-14, 14-10 in the SEC. The Volunteers won the Knoxville NCAA Regional and advanced to the Athens Super Regional.
LOUISVILLE CONNECTION: The Cardinals' head coach Holly Aprile played in the USA Softball program while Tennessee co-head coach Ralph Weekly was on the coaching staff and helped Team USA to gold medals in the South Pacific Classic (1998) and Pan-Am Qualifiers in 1997 and 1994.

Up Next
Next weekend, Louisville will open play at Ulmer Stadium with the Cardinal Classic which features Indiana State, IUPUI and Missouri.

Recapping the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Louisville posted a 1-3 record last weekend in a tough ACC/Big Ten Challenge that featured Northwestern and then-No. 15/17 Michigan.
• Senior Megan Hensley led the charge at the plate, batting .455 (5-for-11) with a double, triple and home run on the weekend, and collected four RBIs to go along with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .571 on-base percentage.

Northwestern 9 – Louisville 8 (9 inn.)
The Cardinals built an 8-3 lead through six innings, but could not overcome a late rally by Northwestern as the Wildcats prevailed 9-8 in nine innings in the tournament opener.
Senior Megan Hensley went 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple and drove in three runs to lead the Cardinals at the plate. Sophomore Danielle Watson struck out five in 2.2 innings of relief.
Michigan 6 - Louisville 0
The Wolverines built a 5-0 lead through two innings and added a run in the fifth to back Meghan Beaubien's one-hitter as No. 15/17 Michigan beat Louisville 6-0. Celene Funke connected on Louisville's lone hit. Watson took the loss, after giving up five earned runs on seven hits and striking out one in two innings.
Louisville 2 - No. 15/17 Michigan 1
A two-run sixth inning sparked by senior Megan Hensley's RBI hit and runs by senior Sidney Melton and Celene Funke helped the Cardinals upset No. 15/17 Michigan 2-1 Saturday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Watson picked up the win, allowing one earned run on five hits and striking out four in a complete game effort. Hensley, Melton and junior Caitlin Ferguson each had a hit in the game.
Northwestern 4 - Louisville 2
The Cards fell 4-2 to Northwestern despite outhitting the Wildcats 7-6 in their final game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Sunday morning.
• Junior Caitlin Ferguson tallied two hits and scored a run while freshman Rebecca Chung drove in both Louisville RBIs to lead the Cards at the plate.
• The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead, but fell behind 4-1 as Northwestern scored two in the second and a run in the third and fifth innings. An RBI double by Chung in the sixth cut the lead to two runs, and the Cards had two on with the go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh, but could not capitalize on the opportunity.

Impressive rookies
While the Cardinals have solid veteran leadership in the lineup some freshmen are having an immediate impact early in their careers.
• Catcher Rebecca Chung leads the team with a .500 batting average (6-for-12) and seven RBIs along with an .833 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage after playing in six games with five starts.
• Taylor Roby stands second among Louisville's offensive leaders with a .400 batting average (6-for-15). She has also been solid in the circle, posting a 201 record with 17 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work.

Hensley climbing the record book
Megan Hensley has entered Louisville's top career list in several categories.
• Tied for first for grand slams with four, along with Lacy Wood (2003-06).
• Fifth with nine career saves and needs one more to tie for fourth with Tori Collins (2009-12).
• Seventh in career appearances (98). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (67). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (452.2). Caralisa Connell is sixth with 608.0.
• Eighth career wins (41), needs one more to move into a tie for seventh with Aja Sherman (2002-05).
• Eighth in career strikeouts (303), Aja Sherman (2002-05) is seventh with 463.
• Ninth in career complete games (28). Needs four more to move into a tie for eight with Tara McClure (2000-01).
• Tied for ninth in career home runs with 26 - needs one more to move into a tie for eighth with Lacy Wood (2005-06).

Melton among Louisville's career leaders in stolen bases...
Senior third baseman Sidney Melton has two stolen bases on the season, increasing her career total to 135 which places her ninth on Louisville's career list. She needs five more to move into a tie for eight with Jordan McNary (2014-17).

And runs scored
Melton's run in the 4-2 loss to Northwestern (Feb. 17) brought her career tally to 117 and moved her into a tie for 10th on Louisville's career list in that category. She needs two more to tie for ninth with Nicole Pufahl (2015-18).
• Last year, the speedy infielder led the team with 45 runs and moved into a five-way tie for ninth place among the all-time single season leaders.

Funke - a triple threat
Junior Celene Funke has already ripped three triples in the first two weeks of the season and leads the ACC in that category. The quick centerfielder has five in her career and needs one more to move into a tie for 10th on Louisville's all-time list.

Stingy pitching in the Titan Classic
The Cardinals were impressive in the circle during their opening weekend, producing a 1.35 team ERA with two shutouts while holding opponents to a .174 batting average.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson was impressive in her 2019 debut, tossing a one-hit shutout against Cal State Fullerton. In that game, she registered a career-high nine strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Watson was also impressive in the loss to Northwestern, carrying a one-hitter into the seventh inning and ultimately scattering two hits over the course of seven innings while fanning six.
• Freshman Taylor Roby had an impressive debut in the circle, picked up two wins as Louisville went 3-2 in its opening weekend. The freshman posted a 2-0 record with a 2.10 ERA. She struck out 14 and scattered seven hits over 10 innings for a .184 opponent batting average.
• In her first game against Buffalo, she tossed a one-hit shutout and struck out 10. She also got the win against Utah State.
• Senior Megan Hensley posted a career-high in strikeouts with 10 against Idaho State and did not give up a walk in the contest.

Louisville picked to finish fourth in ACC
The Cardinals were picked to finish fifth overall and third in the Atlantic Division. In the team preseason poll, reigning national champion Florida State was unanimously selected to win its sixth-straight ACC regular season title. Notre Dame, North Carolina and Pitt respectively filled out the top five ahead of the Cardinals, who are coming off of a 33-20 campaign and a 10-12 mark in conference play.
• In the Atlantic Division preseason standings, Louisville was picked to finish third behind Florida State and Notre Dame. Syracuse, Boston College and NC State round out the division.

2019 PRESEASON ACC COACHES POLL
1) Florida State (121 points, 11 first-place votes)
2) Notre Dame (102 points)
3) North Carolina (95 points)
4) Pitt (88 points)
5) Louisville (75 points)
6) Duke (69 points)
7) Georgia Tech (55 points)
8) Syracuse (51 points)
9) Boston College (47 points)
10) Virginia Tech (41 points, 1 first-place vote)
11) NC State (29 points)
12) Virginia (19 points)
Atlantic Division          Coastal Division
1) Florida State             1) North Carolina
2) Notre Dame             2) Pitt
3) Louisville                  3) Duke
4) Syracuse                   4) Georgia Tech
5) Boston College         5) Virginia Tech
6) NC State                   6) Virginia

Louisville celebrates 20th Season
The 2019 campaign marks the University of Louisville softball program's 20th season. Leading up to this season, UofL has compiled a 718-371 (.659) record with six conference championships, 13 NCAA regional appearances and four regional finals.

Looking back to 2018
• The Cardinals finished the season with a 33-20 overall record and reached the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship before falling 7-4 to eventual national champion Florida State.
• Among the returners are National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selections junior Caitlin Ferguson and Hensley as well as all-ACC honoree Melton and sophomore Maddy Newman, who earned 2018 all-ACC freshman team honors. Junior Celene Funke also returns after leading the team with a .355 batting average along with sophomore Danielle Watson who posted 14 wins in the circle during her freshman campaign.

The road ahead
The Cardinals are embarking on a tough 2019 schedule which includes a total of 17 games against teams that qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament – including national champion Florida State. UofL will also face six opponents ranked among the top 25 and six receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA polls.
• Louisville's ranked opponents include No. 1/1 Florida State, No. 7/8 Tennessee, No. 16/20 Kentucky, No. 21/22 Auburn and No. 19/19 Indiana. Michigan, Northwestern, Cal State Fullerton, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia Tech are all receiving votes in the polls.

Cards on the air
At the start of the 2019 season, the Cardinals will have 25 games televised nationally including one contest on ESPNU. The television slate feature all of the Cardinals' 19 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 6 for the third game of its ACC matchup against 2018 national champion and preseason ACC favorite Florida State.

University of Louisville Athletics

TICKET INFO

OTHER INFORMATION

Players Mentioned

Rebecca Chung

Caitlin Ferguson

Celene Funke

Megan Hensley

Sidney Melton

Maddy Newman

Nicole Pufahl

Taylor Roby

Danielle Watson

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