Friday's ACC Series Opener Against Georgia Tech Moved to 2 p.m.

Due to rain in the forecast, the University of Louisville softball team's ACC series opener against Georgia Tech has been moved to 2 p.m. on Friday at Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium. Admission is free.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink as Friday's contest will also mark the Cardinals' "Pink Game" to support breast cancer research and awareness.

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Opponent: Georgia Tech
Series History: Louisville leads 6-1
Date: Friday, April 19, 2 p.m. (Pink Game)
Saturday, April 20, 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 21, 12 p.m.
Location: Louisville, Ky. | Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra
Announcers: Don Russell (play-by-play), Suzanne Bush (analysis)
Live scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Cardinal quick hits
• Louisville enters the game with a 28-15 overall record and an 8-7 mark in league play.
• 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 junior Celene Funke who is hitting .336 with 39 runs and 10 triples.
• Redshirt senior Sidney Melton follows closely at .333 and has a career-high 23 stolen bases on the season. She recently set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
• Funke recently tied a school record with four runs in the 8-7 win against No. 24/23 Kentucky, she also belted out her 10th triple of the season. She leads the nation in that category and tied Louisville's single season record.
• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 82 stolen bases on the season. The previous record was 68, set in the 2010 season.
• In the circle, redshirt freshman Taylor Roby leads the ACC with a 1.67 ERA and carries a team-best 11-1 record. Hensley (9-3) stands second with a 2.68 ERA while sophomore Danielle Watson (8-11) holds a 3.62 ERA with a team-high 120 strikeouts.
• 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.

Player quick hits

• Redshirt senior Sidney Melton is climbing Louisville's single season and career lists in runs and stolen bases. She has career highs in stolen bases (23), doubles (7), triples (4) and RBIs (27).
      - Melton set a school record with four stolen bases against Morehead State (March 12).
• Senior Megan Hensley stands among team leaders in home runs and RBIs as well as ERA, wins and strikeouts. She ranked in the top 10 on UofL career record lists several pitching and hitting categories.
• Junior Celene Funke is having a career-best season with 39 runs, five doubles, 10 triples, three home runs, 21 stolen bases and 22 RBIs. She leads the team with 15 multi-hit games.
• Junior Caitlin Ferguson has tied a career high in home runs (4) and is nearing a career high (31) with 29 runs scored.
• Sophomore Kyra Snyder put together a team best 13-game on-base streak (March 16-April 6).
• Sophomore Maddy Newman has already tied career highs in runs (22), and RBIs (10).
• Sophomore Jordyn Wolfe has career highs in runs (7) and stolen bases (7).
• Sophomore Danielle Watson connected on her first career double, home run this season. She has also dealt a career-high 120 strikeouts.
• Freshman Charley Butler is currently on a nine-game hitting streak. The left fielder has made some outstanding defensive 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 (April 8).
      • Her first career hit was a home run (vs. Bradley, Feb. 24).
•Freshman Rebecca Chung has been one of Louisville's top hitters throughout the season. She leads the team with 10 multi-RBI games. Her three-run double in the seventh lifted the Cards to a 10-9 win over No. 3/3 Florida State (April 8). She also threw out a school-record four base stealers in that game.
      - She earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on April 9.
      - Chung put together a team-best 10-game hitting streak (March 8-23).
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby leads the team in wins and stands tied for third in batting average. She got the win in the circle and registered the game-winning hit against No. 24/23 Kentucky (April 17).

CARDS AGAINST THE FIELD

Georgia Tech
Series Record: Louisville leads 6-1
Last Meeting: March 5-6, 2016 at Ulmer Stadium; Louisville won the first game of a series-opening doubleheader 12-3, but Tech answered with a 5-2 win in game two. The Cards clinched the series with a 5-4 win in game three.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets: Georgia Tech enters the weekend with a 27-20 overall record and an 8-7 mark in ACC play. The Jackets stand fourth in the Coastal Division and tied for sixth with Louisville in the overall standings.
• Georgia Tech is coming off of a 7-0 loss at NO. 16/22 Georgia. The Jackets are led at the plate by Breana Roper, who is hitting .405 with 42 runs. Three players, Katie Krzus, Crosby Huckabay and Cameron Stanford have connected on 11 home runs apiece while Huckabay leads the way with 43 RBIs.
•Morgan Bruce (15-11) paces the pitching staff with a 3.65 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 151.

UP NEXT

The Cardinals will take a break from ACC play with a midweek contest at Marshall on Tuesday before returning home to play host to North Carolina in the final home series of the season.

Up last

Louisville 8- Kentucky 7
Redshirt Taylor Roby's two-out single in the seventh plated junior Celene Funke and lifted the University of Louisville to an 8-7 win over No. 24/23 Kentucky Wednesday night at Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium.
• In a back-and-forth game that featured four lead changes and two ties, the Cardinals snap a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats and bring the overall series record to 20-20.

Notes after Kentucky

• Louisville now has five wins against ranked teams on the season (No. 15/17 Michigan, 2-1, No. 24/19 Virginia Tech 7-5, No. 3/3 Florida State 2-0 and 10-9, No. 24/23 Kentucky 8-7)
• Louisville now has a school-record 80 stolen bases as a team – the previous record was 68, set in the 2010 season.
• Funke leads the team with a .336 batting average, 39 runs and 10 triples.
• Hensley holds onto the team lead with 34 RBIs.
• Charley Butler is on a season-high nine game hitting streak
• Melton has reached safely in the last seven games
• With her stolen base, Melton pushes her season total to 23 – a career high for her.
• With her triple in the game, Funke moves into a tie for first with Audrey Rendon (2005) on Louisville's single-season list. She also takes sole possession of the NCAA's current triples lead.
• Funke now has 12 career triples, placing her fourth on Louisville's all-time list.
• Funke's four hits and four were career highs and tied a school record.
•With three stolen bases in the game, Funke moves her season tally to 21 and stands fifth on Louisville's single season list. She needs two more to catch up with Melton in a three-way tie for third.
• Funke is the first player since 2001 to have scored 4 runs in a game against Kentucky
- She also is the first player ever to have three stolen bases in one game against UK in program history.
• The stolen bases were the most in a single game against UK since 2017.

UofL dedicates don dobina field

The University of Louisville softball team named its field Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium to honor the legacy of local softball coach, donor and UofL alum Don Dobina. The ceremony took place just prior to the game against Kentucky on April 17.
• Dobina, who passed away in 2016, was an avid supporter of the University of Louisville softball program and an advocate of the sport throughout the commonwealth of Kentucky for nearly 30 years.

Cardiac Cards

Louisville's last two home games have been decided in the bottom of the seventh in walk-off fashion. On April 17, Taylor Roby's walk-off single in the seventh lifted the Cards to a 8-7 win after No. 24/23 Kentucky plated two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game. The win snapped a three-game skid against the Wildcats.
•On April 8, the Cards used a walk-off double by freshman Rebecca Chung to upend No. 3/3 Florida State, handing the Seminoles their first ACC series loss since 2012.

Up last in ACC Play

Louisville 10 - Boston College2
• 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.
• Hensley extends her career RBI total to 163 and stands fifth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs two more to tie Alicja Wolny (2010-13) for fourth.

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 - A TRIPLE FORCE

Junior Celene Funke is leads the NCAA with 10 triples on the season. She stands tied for first with Audrey Rendon (2005) on Louisville's single season list.
• The centerfielder has 12 triples in her career and is fourth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs one more to move into a tie for third with Courtney Moore (2004-07).
• She also has three home runs on the season.

CARDS SWIPING RECORDS

• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 82 stolen bases on the season. The previous record was 68, set in the 2010 season.

Melton and Funke in a foot race

• Sidney Melton leads the team with a career-high 23 and stands stands tied for third with Audrey Rendon (2007) on Louisville's single-season list and needs four more to tie Rendon (2008) for second.
• She now has 56 stolen bases in her career, placing her third on Louisville's all-time list and needs four more to move into a tie for second with Jennifer Esteban (2010-12).
• Celene Funke is on Melton's heels with 21 and is tied for tied for fifth among the Cardinals' single-season leaders.

HITTING FOR AVERAGE

Louisville's starting lineup features five players who are batting over .300 on the season. Junior Celene Funke leads the charge with a .336 average while redshirt senior Sidney Melton follows closely at .333. Senior Megan Hensley and redshirt freshman Taylor Roby are tied for third with a .318 average and freshman Rebecca Chung rounds out the top hitters at a .313 clip.

BALANCED pitching

All three of Louisville's starting pitchers have evenly contributed to the team's success in the circle.
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby (12-1) leads the team in wins and ERA (1.67).
• Senior Megan Hensley has collected a team-high four shutouts and stands second with a 2.68 ERA.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (8-11) is holding opponents to a .219 average. She leads the Cardinals with 120 strikeouts in 114.0 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 34 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 (163) needs two 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 ACC with a 1.67 ERA and three saves. Offensively, she is tied for third on the team with a .313 batting average.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung is second on the team with 28 RBIs and fifth with a .313 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 39 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 120 strikeouts in 114.0 innings and a .219 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

Sidney Melton set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.

melton on a scoring run

Melton recently improved her career run total to 141 and stands sixth on Louisville's career list. She needs 17 more to move into a tie for fourth with Audrey Rendon (2004-07).
• 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 a 12-3 record at Ulmer Stadium this season with three wins over ranked opponents (No. 3/3 Florida State twice and No. 24/23 Kentucky).
• 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.

FUNKE A WINNER AT LOUIE STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARDS SHOW

Celene Funke took home a pair of awards at UofL's Louie Student-Athlete Awards Show.
•The junior was tabbed Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
based on her performance in the 2018 season when she led the team in batting average and stolen bases.
• She also garnered the Humble & Hungry Award, which is nominated by teammates aexemplifies hard work, leadership and humility for the greater good of the team.

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.

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.

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.

University of Louisville Athletics

Friday's ACC Series Opener Against Georgia Tech Moved to 2 p.m.

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

Jordyn Wolfe

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