Louisville's ACC Series at Notre Dame Moved to Saturday and Sunday

Saturday, March 23

South Bend, IN

1:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

Notre Dame

Megan Hensley scores a run during game one of the double-header against Morehead State at Ulmer Stadium.

Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics

Louisville's ACC Series at Notre Dame Moved to Saturday and Sunday

March 21, 2019 | Softball

ACCNE Watch Game 1 Live Scoring Game 1 ACCNE Watch Game 2 Live Scoring Game 2: ACCNE Watch Game 3 Live Scoring Game 3 Louisville v Notre Dame Game Notes

Due to inclement weather in the forecast the Cards and Irish will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game Sunday at 12 p.m.

By: Lori Korte

Due to cold weather in the forecast, the University of Louisville's ACC series at Notre Dame has been altered. The Cardinals and the Irish will now play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with the finale slated for Sunday at 12 p.m.

The University of Louisville softball team will hit the road for more ACC action this weekend when the Cards travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame in a three-game series.

The teams are slated to open the weekend Friday at 6 p.m. with game two taking place Saturday at 1 p.m. The series will conclude Sunday at 12 p.m. All three games will be shown live on ACC Network Extra.

Weekend Information
March 22-24, 2019: Louisville vs. Notre Dame (ACC series)
Location: South Bend, Ind.
Venue: Melissa Cook Stadium
Time: Friday, 6 p.m. | Saturday, 2 p.m. | Sunday, 12 p.m.
Television: ACC Network Extra
Live Scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Cardinal quick hits
• Louisville enters the weekend with a 19-8 overall record, most recently taking two of three games against Syracuse in its ACC-opening weekend.
• Louisville has won 12 of its last 14 games and carries an 8-1 mark at Ulmer Stadium this season.
•Louisville is led at the plate by current ACC Co-Player of the Week freshman Rebecca Chung who is batting .393 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. She is currently on a nine-game hitting streak.
• Junior Celene Funke leads the nation with eight triples on the season.
• Sidney Melton leads the team with 13 stolen bases and recently set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
•Melton has reached base via a hit or walk in the last 12 games.
• Senior Megan Hensley is tied for the team lead with three home runs and stands second on the team with 21 RBIs. She also leads the pitching staff with a 7-1 record and a 1.38 ERA.
• Hensley and freshman Taylor Roby have six wins apiece in the circle.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (6-6) leads the pitching staff with 80 strikeouts in 72.2 innings and a .192 opponent batting average.
• Hensley and senior Sidney Melton were selected to the 2019 Preseason All-ACC Team.
• 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.

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

Notre Dame
Series Record: ND leads 21-16
Last Meeting: March 16-18 - The Irish swept a three-game series at Ulmer Stadium winning 10-3, 3-1and 7-2.
Scouting the Irish: Notre Dame is receiving votes in the USA Softball and NFCA polls enters the week with a 16-9 overall record.
•The Irish carry a 1-2 mark in ACC play after their opening series at then-No. 3 Florida State. The Seminoles took the first game 11-1 and Notre Dame evened the series with a 7-4 victory in game two. FSU claimed a 5-0 win as Megan King posted a complete game no-hitter.
• Notre Dame is led at the plate by Ali Wester, who is batting .409 and has nine stolen bases. Current ACC Co-Player of the Week Cait Brooks follows at .368 and has cranked out 11 home runs and 27 RBIs.
• Payton Tidd (8-3) and Alexis Holloway (7-5) have shouldered much of the pitching duties for the Irish. Tidd carries a 2.69 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 65.1 innings while Holloway (2.49) has 53 Ks in 64.2 innings of work.

Up next

The Cardinals will return to Ulmer Stadium for a midweek matchup against Indiana on March 26 before hitting the road for another three-game ACC series at Virginia Tech.

Syracuse series recap

Louisville opened ACC play by taking two of three games against Syracuse at Ulmer Stadiumm last weekend. The Cards outscored the Orange 14-6 in the series.
Louisville 4 - Syracuse 2
UofL notched its first ACC win with a 4-2 victory over Syracuse.
• Sidney Melton pushed the winning runs across in the sixth inning with a three-run double to help the Cards erase a 2-1 deficit. She finished the game with four RBIs, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
•Danielle Watson pitched a complete game, striking out nine and allowing four hits.
Louisville 8 - Syracuse 0 (6 inn.)
UofL clinched its ACC-opening series with an 8-0 win over Syracuse in six innings.
• Louisville earned the victory with a help of a pair of three-run innings and 10 hits. Senior Megan Hensley sat down five batters and scattered two hits in six innings.
• Rebecca Chung went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and three RBIs. Taylor Roby also went 2-for-3 and drove in a run while sophomore Maddy Newman added a pair of RBIs.

Syracuse 4 - Louisville 2 (8 inn.)
The University of Louisville softball team dropped the series finale against Syracuse in extra innings 4-2 at Ulmer Stadium for their first home loss. The Cardinals snapped a five-game win streak.
•Danielle Watson went 7.1 innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Caitlin Ferguson finished the game with two RBIs. Maddy Newman and Taylor Roby both went 2-for-4 at the plate and Celene Funke stole three bases and scored a run in the loss.

Chung named ACC Co-Player of the Week

Rebecca Chung was been named ACC Co-Player of the Week for the period ending on March 17. • She becomes the first Louisville player to earn the league's weekly honor this season.
• Chung (Torrance, Calif) helped lead the Cardinals at the plate as they compiled a 4-1 record on the week. The freshman catcher batted .615 (8-for-13) with a double, a run and seven RBIs and posted a .600 on-base percentage.
• She had at least one hit in every game, extending her hitting streak to nine games and her on-base streak to 10. Chung also collected RBIs in three of five games, including a pair of three-RBI performances - one in the 21-1 win over Morehead State on Tuesday and again in the 8-0 win over Syracuse to clinch the ACC series on Saturday.

Funke - a triple force

Junior Celene Funke leads the nation with eight triples on the season. The centerfielder has 10 in her career and is tied for fourth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs three more to move into a tie for third with Courtney Moore (2004-07).
• She recently connected on her first career home run - a solo shot in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.

Marching on

Louisville has posted a 14-2 record in the month of March. During that span, the Cardinals have outscored opponents 98-18 while batting .333 as a team and posted seven shutouts with a 0.78 team ERA.

Hitting for average

Louisville's starting lineup features five players who are batting over .300 on the season. Rebecca Chung leads the way at .393 while Celene Funke follows at .383. Taylor Roby stands third on the team at a .360 clip. Sidney Melton (.318) and Megan Hensley (.314) round out the list.

Stingy (and balanced) pitching

The Cardinals lead the ACC and stand 11th in the nation with a 1.71 team ERA and stand second in the league with 10 shutouts on the season. All three of Louisville's starting pitchers have evenly contributed to the team's success in the circle.
• Megan Hensley (7-1) leads Louisville's starting rotation with a 1.38 ERA, placing her third among conference leaders. Her four shutouts are tied for second in the ACC and tied for 11th in the nation.
• Taylor Roby (6-1) follows closely with a 1.57 ERA and stands fourth in the conference.
• Danielle Watson (6-6) is holding opponents to a .192 average and stands sixth in the ACC in that category. She leads the Cardinals and is seventh in the ACC with 80 strikeouts.

Dual Threat

For the fourth straight season, Megan Hensley leads the Cards both in the circle and at the plate. The senior carries a team-best 1.38 ERA and is tied for the team lead with three home runs and stands second with 21 RBIs. She ranked among UofL's top 10 in several pitching and hitting categories.

Hensley record watch

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).
• Sixth in career RBI (149) needs eight more to move into a tie for fifth with Maryssa Becker (2014-17).
• Seventh in career appearances (105). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (74). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (485.2). Caralisa Connell is sixth with 608.0.
• Seventh in career wins (47). Jessica Rak (2000-03) stands in sixth place with 65 victories.
• Eighth in career home runs with 28 - needs one more to move into a tie for seventh with Alicja Wolny (2010-13).
• Eighth in career strikeouts (338), Aja Sherman (2002-05) is seventh with 463.
• Ninth in career complete games (31). Needs one more to move into a tie for eighth with Tara McClure (2000-01).

Young Cards

While the Cardinals have solid veteran leadership in the lineup some underclassmen are having an immediate impact early in their careers with as many as five in the starting lineup at times.
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby carries a .360 batting average and leads the pitching staff with two saves and stands second on team with six wins in the circle.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung leads the team with a .393 batting average, 22 RBI, three home runs. She also carries a team-best .486 on-base percentage.
• Freshman Charley Butler has started 24 games in left field and has two home runs.
• Freshman Cassady Greenwood is batting .313 on the season and has played in 17 games with two starts.
• Sophomores Maddy Newman and Kyra Snyder have started every game at second base and first base respectively while fellow sophomore Riley Schindler has started 18 games in right field.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson leads the team in the circle with 80 strikeouts in 72.2 innings and a .192 opposing batting average.

Melton sets single game stolen base record - stands among career leaders in stolen bases.

Sidney Melton recently set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
•The senior infielder leads the team with 13 stolen bases on the season, and now has 46 in her career, placing her tied for fourth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs two more to move into a tie for third with Coleen Coughlin (2000-01).

Melton on a scoring run

Melton recently increased her career run tally to 131 stands tied for seventh on Louisville's all-time list in that category. She needs seven more to tie for sixth with Jennifer Esteban (2010-13).
• 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.

Home sweet home

Louisville has compiled an 8-1 record at Ulmer Stadium this season. The Cards went 4-0 in their home-opening Cardinal Classic and followed with a doubleheader sweep of Morehead State. UofL continued it perfect home record by taking the first two games of the ACC series against Syracuse but fell 4-2 in eight innings to the Orange on Sunday.

Melton earns ACC postgraduate scholarship

Sidney Melton was among 52 recipients of the 2019 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award announced on Thursday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $6,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
•The student-athletes will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Luncheon presented by ESPN on April 10. The luncheon will be hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro, N.C.
• A three-year starter, Melton was a 2018 All-ACC first team honoree after leading the Cardinals with a career-best 45 runs and finishing second on the team with 15 stolen bases. She was also a 2016 all-ACC tournament selection. The redshirt-senior infielder currently leads the team with 10 runs and stands ninth on Louisville's career list for runs (121) and stolen bases (36). Her success extends to the classroom as a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar Athlete and All-ACC Academic Team member while majoring in health and human performance and exercise science with minors in sport administration and psychology.

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.