Cardinals Play Host to Indiana Tuesday

The University of Louisville softball team will play host to No. 20/22 Indiana Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. Admission is free.

Series Information
March 26, 2019: Louisville vs. Indiana
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Ulmer Stadium
Time: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Promotions/Giveaways: Louisville shirts while supplies last
Television: ACC Network Extra
Announcers: Don Russell (play-by-play), Suzanne Bush (analysis)
Live Scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Quick Hits
• Louisville enters the weekend with a 20-10 overall record, most recently defeating Notre Dame 5-3 in the final game of an ACC series. Prior to that, the Cards lost both games of a doubleheader against the Irish.
• Louisville carries an 8-1 mark at Ulmer Stadium this season.
•The Cardinal are led at the plate by freshman Rebecca Chung who is batting .377 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 15 stolen bases and recently set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
• Senior Megan Hensley is tied for the team lead with three home runs and stands second on the team with 21 RBIs. She has reached base via a hit or a walk in the last nine games.
• Hensley also leads the pitching staff with an 8-1 record.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (6-8) paces the pitching staff with 82 strikeouts in 79.0 innings and a .213 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

Indiana
Series Record: UL leads 17-3
Last Meeting: April 18, 2018, Louisville won 11-7 in Bloomington, Ind. The Cards took an early lead and used a seven-run seventh inning to secure an 11-7 win over Indiana at IU's Andy Mohr Stadium.
•Sidney Melton drove in three runs while sCelene Funke went 3-for-5 with two runs, Jenna Jordan went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI and Blaire Bass had two hits, scored two runs and collected three RBIs to help Louisville outhit Indiana 14-6. Danielle Watson picked up the win after giving up two earned runs on two hits and striking out two in 3.0 innings of relief. Kyra Snyder got the start in the circle, holding the Hoosiers scoreless in two innings while going 2-for-3 at the plate.
• Tara Trainer took the loss after giving up four runs, two earned, on three hits and striking out four in three innings. Norton paced the Hoosiers offensively with a 2-for-4, four RBI showing at the plate.
Scouting the Hoosiers: Indiana brings a 25-9 overall record into Tuesday's game after being swept in three games by Ohio State in its Big Ten opening weekend.
•The Hoosiers are led at the plate by Gabbi Jenkins, who is hitting .333. Katie Lacefield follows at .297 with a team-best five home runs and 20 RBIs. Taylor paces the Hoosiers with 23 runs and 17 stolen bases.
• Tara Trainer (18-4) carries a 1.47 ERA with 152 strikeouts in 133.2 innings. Emily Goodin 5-2 follows with a 1.58 ERA and 76 Ks in 57.2 innings.

Up next

The Cardinals will resume ACC play with a road trip to Virginia Tech for a three-game series.

Notre Dame series recap

• The Cards went 1-2 in a three-game ACC series at Notre Dame over the weekend. The Irish picked up a doubleheader sweep to start the weekend, winning both games by scores of 9-1 and Louisville picked up a 5-3 win in the series finale.
• Megan Hensley led the Cardinals at the plate with a .667 batting average (2-for-3). The senior pitcher/right fielder was walked six times in three games and produced a .900 on-base percentage.
• She also picked up Louisville's lone win in the circle.

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 15-4 record in the month of March. During that span, the Cardinals have outscored opponents 105-39 while batting .317 as a team and posted seven shutouts with a 1.83 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 .377 while Celene Funke follows at .356. Taylor Roby stands third on the team at a .352 clip. Megan Hensley (.326) and Sidney Melton (.306) round out the list.

Balanced pitching

All three of Louisville's starting pitchers have evenly contributed to the team's success in the circle.
• Megan Hensley (8-1) leads the team in wins and with four shutouts. She stands second among UofL's starting pitchers with 65 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.
• Taylor Roby (6-1) carries a team-best 1.84 ERA and stands second on the team with 40 Ks in 45.2 innings.
• Danielle Watson (6-8) is holding opponents to a .223 average and stands sixth in the ACC in that category. She leads the Cardinals with 82 strikeouts in 79.0 innings.

Hensley is a 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 8-1 record 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 (109). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (75). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (501.1). Caralisa Connell is sixth with 608.0.
• Seventh in career wins (48). 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 (346), Aja Sherman (2002-05) is seventh with 463.
• Tied for eighth in career complete games (32). Needs nine more to move into a tie for seventh with Aja Sherman (2002-05).
• Tied for tenth in career complete shutouts (10). Needs three more to move into a tie for seventh with Caralisa Connell (2011-14).

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 leads the team with a 1.84 ERA and stands second with six wins in the circle. She is also third among the Cardinals' hitters with a .352 batting average.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung leads the team with a .377 batting average, 22 RBI, three home runs. She also carries a team-best .481 on-base percentage and .590 slugging percentage.
• Freshman Charley Butler has started 24 games in left field and has two home runs.
• Freshman Cassady Greenwood is batting .294 on the season and has played in 18 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 20 games in right field.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson leads the team in the circle with 82 strikeouts in 79.0 innings and a .213 opposing batting average.

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

Sidney Melton 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 15 stolen bases on the season, and now has 48 in her career, placing her tied for third with Coleen Coughlin (2000-01) on Louisville's all-time list. She needs 12 more to move into a tie for second with Jennifer Esteban (2010-12).

Melton on the 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.

Chung earns ACC weekly honors
Rebecca Chung was 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.

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.

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. 3/5 Florida State, No. 5/6 Tennessee, No. 15/19 Indiana, No. 18/15 Kentucky, No. 16/20 Auburn, No. 24/25, and No. 25/RV Virginia Tech. Northwestern. Notre Dame, North Carolina and Cal State Fullerton are also receiving votes in the coaches' 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.

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Blaire Bass

Charley Butler

Rebecca Chung

Caitlin Ferguson

Celene Funke

Cassady Greenwood

Megan Hensley

Jenna Jordan

Sidney Melton

Maddy Newman

Taylor Roby

Riley Schindler

Kyra Snyder

Danielle Watson

University of Louisville Athletics