Cardinals Play Host to Lipscomb Tuesday, Travel to Western Kentucky Wednesday

Tuesday, April 2

LOUISVILLE, KY

5:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

LIPSCOMB

The Cards huddle up during the game against Indiana at Ulmer Stadium on March 26

Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Play Host to Lipscomb Tuesday, Travel to Western Kentucky Wednesday

April 01, 2019 | Softball

Louisville v Lipscomb WKU Game Notes Live scoring ACC Network Extra Watch Link Live scoring vs. Western Kentucky CUSA TV Watch Link

Cards set for a pair of midweek contests

By: Lori Korte

The University of Louisville softball team will play host to Lipscomb Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Cardinals will then hit the road for a matchup at Western Kentucky Wednesday at 6 p.m. (ET).

GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: Lipscomb
Date, Time: Tuesday, April 2, 5 p.m.
Location: Louisville, Ky., Ulmer Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra
Announcers: Don Russell (play-by-play), Suzanne Bush (analyst)
Live scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Opponent: Western Kentucky
Date, Time: Wednesday, April 3, 6 p.m.
Location: Bowling Green, Ky., WKU Softball Complex
Television: CUSA TV
Live scoring: WKUSports.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

CARDINAL QUICK HITS
• Louisville enters the week with 22-12 overall record.
• The Cards are coming off of a three-game ACC series at No. 24/19 Virginia Tech. Louisville took the opening game 7-5, but the Hokies were victorious in the final two contests by score of 10-1 and 13-5.
•UofL is led at the plate by freshman Taylor Roby who is batting .351 (20-for-57). She also carries a team-best 1.76 ERA and has three saves.
• Junior Celene Funke has a career-high nine triples and stands tied for first in the nation with CSU Bakersfield's Cydney Curran.
• Sidney Melton leads the team with a career-high 18 stolen bases. She set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
• Hensley leads the pitching staff with a 9-2record.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (7-9) paces the pitching staff with 93 strikeouts in 88.1 innings and carries a .225 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 is 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

Lipscomb | April 2 | Ulmer Stadium
Series Record: Lipscomb leads 3-1
Last Meeting: March 28, 2018 - Lipscomb won 3-1 at Draper Diamond.
Scouting the Lady Bisons: Lipscomb enters the game with a 23-12-1 record. Most recently, the Lady Bisons took two of three games against Atlantic Sun Conference opponent North Florida last weekend. Lipscomb dropped the first game 8-6, but rebounded to take the second game 3-1 and clinch the series with a 13-0 win on Sunday.
• The Lady Bisons are led at the plate by Jordan Fortel who is batting .411 with five home runs, 31 runs and 31 RBIs. Hannah Devault paces the team with six home runs and 34 RBIs.
• Mandy Jordan (8-7) leads the pitching staff with a 2.86 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 95.1 innings.

WKU | April 3 | WKU Softball Complex
Series Record: UL leads 17-3
Last Meeting: April 19, 2017 - UL won 1-0 at Ulmer Stadium. Megan Hensley tossed a complete game one-hit shutout and drove in the only run of the game to lift the Cards to a 1-0 win at Ulmer Stadium.
• Hensley struck out three and walked two in her first complete game shutout of the season. After giving up a single to Adarian Gray in the fourth, the sophomore retired the final 11 batters she faced to get the win.
NOTE: As a freshman in 2016, Hensley hit a grand slam to lift the Cards to a 12-0 win at the WKU Softball Complex.
Scouting the Hilltoppers: Western Kentucky (26-5) is riding a 11-game win streak entering Wednesday's matchup. The streak includes a 4-1 win against then-No. 18/17 Kentucky. The Hilltoppers' last loss came on March 13, when they fell 9-7 to Louisville's Tuesday night opponent, Lipscomb.
• Western Kentucky is led at the plate by Shannon Plese, who is hitting .370 (34-for-92). Current ACC Co-Player of the Week (and former UofL player) Jordan Vorbrink follows at a .358 clip. Kendall Smith leads the team with seven home runs and 28 RBIs on the season.
• Current ACC Pitcher of the Week Kelsey Aikey (8-3) carries a 1.97 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 67.2 innings of work. Kennedy Sullivan (14-2) holds a 2.70 ERA with 132 Ks in 88.0 innings.

UP NEXT

The Cardinals will return to Ulmer Stadium for a three-game ACC series against 2018 national champion No. 3/3 Florida State April 6-8.
• Throughout the weekend, the Cardinals will welcome back former letterwinners and alumnae as they celebrate their 20th season. Monday's game will be shown on ESPNU.

UP LAST

The Cardinals took game one of an ACC series at No. 24/19 Virginia Tech with 7-5 decision on Friday evening, snapping the Hokies' 11-game win streak. Virginia Tech went on to win game two 10-1 Saturday and clinched the series with 13-5 decision Sunday.
• Senior Sidney Melton led the Cardinals at the plate in the series with a .667 batting average (6-for-9), two runs with two stolen bases.

NOTES AFTER THE WEEKEND

• Friday's win marked the second won over a nationally-ranked team this season. The Cards also beat then-No. 15/17 Michigan on Feb. 6.
• Funke connected on her ninth triple of the season, placing her second among Louisville's single season leaders. She needs one more to tie Audrey Rendon (2005) for first.
• She now has 11 career triples and stands fourth on Louisville's all-time list, needing three more to move into a tie for third with Courtney Moore (2004-07).
• Melton is now on a six-game hitting streak.
• Snyder has reached base safely in nine straight games.

TRIPLE FORCE

Junior Celene Funke is tied for first in the NCAA with nine triples on the season. She stands second among Louisville's single season leaders and needs one more to tie Audrey Rendon (2005) for first.
• The centerfielder has 11 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 also has two home runs on the season.

HITTING FOR AVERAGE

Louisville's starting lineup features five players who are batting over .300 on the season. Freshman Taylor Roby leads the way at .351. Fellow rookie Rebecca Chung and junior Celene Funke are tied for second at .342. Senior Sidney Melton stands fourt at .339 and fell senior Megan Hensley rounds out the top hitters at a .307 clip.

BALANCED PITCHING

All three of Louisville's starting pitchers have evenly contributed to the team's success in the circle.
• Megan Hensley (9-2) leads the team in wins and with four shutouts. She stands second among UofL's starting pitchers with 71 strikeouts in 75.0 innings.
• Taylor Roby (6-1) carries a team-best 1.76 ERA and three saves. She stands third on the team with 41 Ks in 47.2 innings.
• Danielle Watson (7-9) is holding opponents to a .225 average. She leads the Cardinals with 93 strikeouts in 88.1 innings.

DUAL THREAT

For the fourth straight season, Megan Hensley stands among the Cardinals' leaders both in the circle and at the plate. The senior carries a team-best 9-2 record is tied for the team lead with three home runs and stands tied for second with 22 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 (151) needs six more to move into a tie for fifth with Maryssa Becker (2014-17).
• Seventh in career appearances (112). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (78). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (511.0). Caralisa Connell is sixth with 608.0.
• Seventh in career wins (50). 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 (352), 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 1.76 ERA and three saves. She also leads the team at the plate with a .351 batting average.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung leads the team with 23 RBIs and is tied for second with a .342 batting average. She also carries a team-best .440 on-base percentage.
• Freshman Charley Butler has started 30 games in left field and has two home runs.
• Freshman Cassady Greenwood is batting has played in 21 games with four starts.
• Sophomores Maddy Newman and Kyra Snyder have started every game at second base and first base respectively. Snyder has reached safely in nine straight games.
• Fellow sophomore Riley Schindler has started 23 games in the outfield.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson leads the team in the circle with 93 strikeouts in 88.1 innings and a .225 opposing batting average.

MELTON STEALING AT A RECORD RATE

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 18 stolen bases on the season, and stands tied for seventh on Louisville's single season list. She needs one more to move into a three-way tie for fifth with Jennifer Esteban (2011) and Kenzie Meisenburg (2001).
• She now has 51 runs in her career, placing her third on Louisville's all-time list and needs nine more to move into a tie for second with Jennifer Esteban (2010-12).

AND ON THE RUN
Melton recently increased her career run tally to 133 stands seventh on Louisville's all-time list in that category. She needs five 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 9-1 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. The Cards resumed their winning ways with a 5-2 victory over Indiana on Tuesday.

CHUNG NAMED ACC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

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 THE 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 faces 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. 3/3 Florida State, No. 5/6 Tennessee, No. 18/17 Kentucky, No. 14/12 Auburn, No. 23/23 Michigan and No. 24/19 Virginia Tech. Northwestern. Notre Dame, North Carolina, Indiana 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 AT 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.