Cards Host No. 24/23 Kentucky on Wednesday

Fans are encouraged to wear red on Wednesday when University of Louisville softball team plays host to in-state rival, No. 24/23 Kentucky Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. Reserved tickets are $5 while berm admission is free.

Pregame ceremony (5:45 p.m.): Gates will open at 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early UofL will honor the legacy and memory of local softball coach (Louisville Lady Sluggers), donor and UofL alum Don Dobina. The ceremony will take place just prior to the game at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Game Day Information
Date/Time:         Wednesday, April 17, 6 p.m.
Location:             Louisville, Ky.
Venue:                 Ulmer Stadium
Admission:         $5 reserved seating, berm seating is free
Television:          ACC Network Extra
Announcers:      Don Russell (play-by-play), Suzanne Bush (analysis)
Live scoring:       GoCards.com
Twitter updates:@UofLSoftball

Parking Information
Fans attending the games held at the University of Louisville may utilize the Floyd Street Parking Garage located across from the Don Fightmaster Playground for a $5 fee. The garage will be open to the public 90 minutes before the game.

Cardinal Quick Hits
• Louisville enters the game with a 27-15 overall record.
• UofL is receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll released on April 16.
• This past weekend, the Cardinals won the first and last games of an ACC series at Boston College to improve to 8-7 in conference play. The Cards are third in the Atlantic Division behind Florida State (10-5) and Notre Dame (9-6).
• Louisville led at the plate by redshirt senior Sidney Melton who is batting .331 with a team-best and career-high 22 stolen bases. Fellow senior Megan Hensley has belted out a team-high eight home runs with 32 RBIs. She set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
• In the circle, redshirt freshman Taylor Roby carries a team-best 10-1 record and 1.56 ERA. Hensley (9-3) stands second with a 2.68 ERA while sophomore Danielle Watson (8-11) holds a 3.42 ERA with a team-high 116 strikeouts.
• Junior Celene Funke has a career-high nine triples and stands tied for first in the nation with CSU Bakersfield's Cydney Curran.
• 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
Kentucky
Series Record: UK leads the overall series 20-19 while Louisville owns a 10-9 edge at Ulmer Stadium. The Wildcats have won the last three meetings.
Last Meeting: April 4, 2018 | UK won 8-0 at John Cropp Stadium.
Scouting: Kentucky enters the game with a 26-17 overall record. The Wildcats are coming off of an SEC series at No. 7/5 LSU in which they won the opener, but lost final two games and currently stand at 9-9 in league play.
• UK is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings.
• The Wildcats are batting .313 as a team with six players hitting .300 or above. Abby Cheek leads the way with a .482 average and 16 home runs.
• Grace Baalman (6-8) leads the team with a 3.05 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 96.1 innings while holding opponents to a .236 batting average.
Cardinal Connections
• UofL head coach Holly Aprile and UK head coach Rachel Lawson were teammates at UMass and helped lead the Minutewomen to a Women's College World Series appearance in 1992.
• UofL assistant coach Griffin Joiner is a UK alum and played for Lawson from 2012-15. She also served as a grad manager for her alma mater from 2016-17.
• Cardinals' assistant coach Ashley Lane served as a volunteer assistant under Lawson in 2015.

Up next
The Cardinals will return to ACC play with a three-game series against Georgia Tech this weekend.

Up last
Louisville 10 - Boston College
• Megan Hensley used two home runs to collect four RBIs and junior Celene Funke connected on a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly to drive in three as the University of Louisville softball defeated Boston College 10-2 in six innings Sunday at Harrington Village. With the victory, the Cardinals (27-15) clinch the series and improve to 7-6 in ACC play.
• Taylor Roby picked up the win in the circle after holding the Eagles scoreless on one hit in 4.2 innings of relief. Funke went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs while Hensley finished the game with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate to go along with two runs and four RBIs.

Boston College 8 - Louisville 4
• The Cards fell 8-4 to Boston College in game two to even the ACC series.
• The game featured two ties and two lead changes as the Cards had eight hits to BC's seven. Sidney Melton went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and a stolen base while sophomore Kyra Snyder went 1-for-1, drawing three walks in the game. Megan Hensley connected on a two-run homer as the Cards attempted to rally in the seventh inning.

Louisville 9 - Boston College 2
The Cards scored nine runs in the sixth and seventh innings to erase a 2-0 deficit and beat Boston College 9-2 in the opening game of an ACC series Friday evening at Harrington Village.
• Kyra Snyder went 3-for-4 with two runs an RBI while Charley Butler and Maddy Newman drove in three runs apiece to spark Louisville's late-inning offense. Taylor Roby picked up the win in the circle, allowing one earned run on one hit and striking out two in 3.2 innings of relief.

Notes after the Boston College series:
• Louisville leads the series with Boston College 7-4
• Charley Butler is currently on an eight-game hitting streak.
• Sidney Melton has reached safely in the last six games
• Hensley connected on her third home run in two days, pushing her career tally to 33. She is now tied for fourth on UofL's all-time list.
• Hensley also now stands fifth on Louisville's career RBI list with 157.
• With her run in Sunday's game, Melton extends her career total to 139 and stands sixth on Louisville's career list.

Cards snap seminoles' streak
Louisville 10 - No. 3/3 Florida State 9
Freshman Rebecca Chung's three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh lifted the University of Louisville softball team to a 10-9 win over then-No. 3/3 Florida State. With the win the Cards clinch the series, marking the Seminoles' first conference series loss since 2012- a streak of 52.
• The series win also marked the first time Louisville won a series against a top-five team.
• Chung's walk-off double capped seventh inning that featured a combined nine runs as reigning national champion Florida State tallied six runs to overcome a 7-3 deficit and take a 9-7 lead entering the home half of the inning.
• In a rollercoaster game that featured four lead changes and a tie, the Cardinals outhit the Seminoles 10-8 with four of those hits falling in for extra bases.
Louisville 2 - No. 3/3 Florida State 0
Danielle Watson tossed a one-hit complete-game shutout and senior Megan Hensley backed her with a two-run home run as the Cardinals upset No. 3/3 Florida State in game one of an ACC doubleheader. The Seminoles evened the series with a 4-1 win in game two.

Funke - 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 three home runs on the season.

Swiping records
• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 77 stolen bases on the season. The previous record was 68, set in the 2010 season.
• Sidney Melton leads the team with a career-high 22 and stands fourth on Louisville's single-season list. Celene Funke follows closely with 18 and is tied for eighth among the Cardinals' single-season leaders.

Hitting for average
Louisville's starting lineup features five players who are batting over .300 on the season. Redshirt senior Sidney Melton leads the way at .331 and junior Celene Funke stands second at a .320 clip. Freshman Rebecca Chung (.315), redshirt freshman Taylor Roby (.313) and senior Megan Hensley (.310) round out the top five hitters.

Balanced pitching
All three of Louisville's starting pitchers have evenly contributed to the team's success in the circle.
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby (10-1) leads the team in wins and ERA (1.56).
• Senior Megan Hensley has collected a team-high four shutouts and stands second with a 2.68
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (8-10) is holding opponents to a .213 average. She leads the Cardinals with 112 strikeouts in 106.2 innings.

Chung's Cannon
Freshman Rebecca Chung has had a stellar rookie season offensively, but she has also made her presence known behind the plate. The catcher recently set a school record when she threw out a career-high four would-be base stealers in Louisville's 10-9 win against No. 3/3 Florida State on April 8.
• She also drove in the game-winning run with a walk-off three-run doubles with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Hensley is a dual threat
For the fourth straight season, Megan Hensley stands among the Cardinals' leaders both in the circle and at the plate. The senior leads the pitching staff with four shutouts and stands second in ERA (2.68), wins (9), strikeouts (76) and innings pitched (83.2).
• She also leads the Cards with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
• Hensley is 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).
• Fifth in career RBI (157) needs four more to move into a tie for fourth with Alicja Wolny (2010-14)
• Tied for fourth in career home runs (33) with Taner Fowler (2011-14) on Louisville's all-time list and needs three more to move into a tie for third with Melissa Roth (2007-10).
• Seventh in career appearances (116). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (82). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (519.2). 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 strikeouts (357), 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 1.56 ERA and three saves. She stands fourth with a .313 batting average.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung stands second on the team with 27 RBIs and third with a .315 battiing average. She recently set a school record for runners caught stealing in a game with four in the 10-9 win against then-No. 3/3 Florida State (April 8) and was named ACC Softball Co-Player of the Week on March 17.
• Freshman Charley Butler has started 38 games in left field and has two home runs. She has made some outstanding defensively plays and was recently among ESPN SportCenter's Top 10 Plays (No. 8) after a diving catch in foul territory for an out in the 10-9 win over No. 3/3 Florida State (4/8).
• Freshman Cassady Greenwood has played in 26 games with four starts.
• Sophomores Maddy Newman and Kyra Snyder have started every game at second base and first base respectively.
• Fellow sophomore Riley Schindler has started 27 games in the outfield.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson leads the team in the circle with 116 strikeouts in 110.2 innings and a .215 opposing batting average. She was named ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 9 after tossing a complete-game shutout in Louisville's 2-0 win over No. 3/3 Florida State (4/6).

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 22 stolen bases on the season, and is fourth on Louisville's single season list. She needs one more to move into a tie for third with Audrey Rendon (2007).
• She now has 55 stolen bases in her career, placing her third on Louisville's all-time list and needs five more to move into a tie for second with Jennifer Esteban (2010-12).

Melton on a scoring run
Melton recently improved her career run total to 139 and stands sixth on Louisville's career list. She needs one more to move into a tie for fifth with Kristin Austin (2009-12).
• 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 11-3 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. Louisville suffered another extra-inning setback when Lipscomb prevailed 5-4 in eight. Louisville's fourth loss came at the hands of No. 3/3 Florida State on April 6.

Watson ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week
Danielle Watson was named ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 7. This marks the sophomore's first conference weekly honor.
• Watson posted a 0.00 ERA on the week surrendering only one unearned run and two hits for a .053 opp. batting average and striking out 13 in 12.0 innings of work.
• The Osceola, Ind., native posted a complete game one-hit shutout and struck out seven in Louisville's 2-0 upset of No. 3/3 Florida State which entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in batting average and third in home runs. In that game, she retired 10 Seminole batters at one point and 16 of the last 18 to end the game and halt the Seminoles' 10-game win streak. Watson also pitched 6.1 innings in a 10-9 win against Florida State on Monday.
• In Louisville's midweek 7-2 win at Western Kentucky, Watson struck out three as she retired all six batters she faced in the final two innings. She also connected on her first career home run in that game.
Watson now leads the team with 112 strikeouts in 106.2 innings and a .213 opponent batting average.

CHUNG 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.

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.

Tough Slate
The Cardinals are in the midst of a challenging 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 seven opponents ranked among the top 25 and two receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA polls.
• Louisville's ranked opponents include: Florida State, Tennessee, Auburn, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Northwestern and Kentucky. Missouri is also receiving votes in the coaches' polls while Indiana is receiving votes in the NFCA poll.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Charley Butler

Rebecca Chung

Caitlin Ferguson

Celene Funke

Cassady Greenwood

Megan Hensley

Sidney Melton

Maddy Newman

Taylor Roby

Riley Schindler

Kyra Snyder

Danielle Watson

University of Louisville Athletics