WEEKEND SCHEDULE CHANGE: Cardinals and No. 3/3 Florida State to Play a Doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.; Series Finale Monday at 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 6

LOUISVILLE, KY

1:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

FLORIDA STATE

The softball team huddles during a fall scrimmage

Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics

WEEKEND SCHEDULE CHANGE: Cardinals and No. 3/3 Florida State to Play a Doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.; Series Finale Monday at 7 p.m.

April 05, 2019 | Softball

Live scoring ACC Network Extra Watch Link (Game 1)ACC Network Extra Watch Link (Game 2)ESPNU Watch Link (Game 3)

Due to inclement weather in the forecast, Louisville and No.3/3 Florida State will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.; game three will take place Monday at 7 p.m.

By: Lori Korte

Due to inclement weather in Sunday's forecast, the University of Louisville softball team will face defending national champion, No. 3/3 Florida State in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Game three of the series will take place and aired live on ESPNU Monday at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

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.

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 3/3 Florida State
Date: Saturday, April 6, 1 p.m. (DH) | Monday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Location: Louisville, Ky., Ulmer Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra (Saturday) | ESPNU (Sunday)
Announcers: ACCNE: Don Russell (play-by-play), Suzanne Bush (analyst) |
ESPNU Melissa Lee (play-by-play), Carol Bruggeman (analyst)
Live scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

CARDINAL QUICK HITS
• Louisville enters the weekend with a 23-13 overall record and a 4-5 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals stand in a three-way tie for second with Notre Dame and Syracuse in the ACC's Atlantic Division.
• Florida State (36-3) is in first place in the ACC's Atlantic Division with an 8-1 record in league play.
• UofL is coming off of 7-2 win at Western Kentucky on Wednesday. The day before that, the Cards fell 5-4 in eight innings to Lipscomb at Ulmer Stadium.
• Last weekend, the Cards were in Blacksburg, Va. for 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 .375 (24-for-64). 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 19 stolen bases. She set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
• Sophomore Kyra Snyder has reached safely in the last 11 games.
• Hensley leads the pitching staff with a 9-2 record.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (7-10) paces the pitching staff with 99 strikeouts in 93.1 innings and carries a .221 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

Florida State | April 6-8 | Ulmer Stadium
Series Record: FSU leads 13-4
Last Meeting: May 10, 2018- Florida State won 7-4 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship.
• Sidney Melton went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, Blaire Bass connected on two hits and scored a run and Nicole Pufahl had a hit and scored a pair of runs as the Cardinals outhit the Seminoles 9-6 in the contest. Megan Hensley took the loss, allowing four runs, three earned, on two hits and striking out two in 3.0 innings.
Scouting the Seminoles: No. 3/3 Florida State brings a 10-game win streak into the weekend, most recently beating No. 9 Florida in a midweek contest.
• The Seminoles sit atop of the ACC standings with an 8-1 record - their lone conference loss came at the hands of Notre Dame on March 16.
• FSU leads the league and stands second in the nation with a .363 team batting average. The Seminoles have belted out 64 home runs and stand fifth in the nation in home runs per game
• Sydney Sherrill leads the team with a .435 batting average while Cali Harrod has a team-best 11 home runs to go along with 29 stolen bases and Elizabeth Mason paces the Seminoles with 43 RBIs.
• Meghan King (19-2) leads the ACC and stands second in the nation in wins. She carries a 1.06 ERA with seven shutouts and 134 strikeouts in 112.1 innings.

UP NEXT

The Cardinals will resume ACC play with a three-game series at Boston College next weekend.

Up Last

Freshman Taylor Roby drove in a pair of runs and picked up the win in the circle as the University of Louisville defeated Western Kentucky 7-2 Wednesday evening at the WKU Softball Complex.
• The Cardinals snapped Western Kentucky's 11-game win streak while outhitting the Hilltoppers by a margin of 7-4. In addition to Roby's performance at the plate, junior Celene Funke collected two hits and freshman Rebecca Chung drew three walks in the contest.
• Danielle Watson led off the seventh by driving a shot over the left field fence. The sophomore's first career home run made the final score 7-2.
• Roby (7-1) collected the win after surrendering two runs, one earned, on four hits and striking out two in 5.0 innings. Watson struck out three while retiring all six batters she faced in the final two innings.

NOTES AFTER WESTERN KENTUCKY

• Louisville leads the series with Western Kentucky 18-3
• Snyder has now reached safely in 11 straight games.
• With her run in the WKU game, Melton moves her career total to 135. She is seventh on Louisville's all-time list and needs three more to tie Jennifer Esteban (2010-13) for eighth.
• Funke now has a team-best 13 multi-hit games on the season
• Roby leads the team with a .375 batting average and a 1.76 ERA.
• Chung and Hensley are tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs apiece
• Each of Louisville's starting pitchers have now hit at least one home run this season. Hensley leads the team with four, Roby has two and Watson now has one.

Funke - a 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 .375. Fellow rookie Rebecca Chung stands second with a .336 average and junior Celene Funke follows closely at a .336 clip. Seniors Sidney Melton (.325) and Megan Hensley (.311) round out the top hitters.

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 74 strikeouts in 77.0 innings.
• Taylor Roby (7-1) carries a team-best 1.76 ERA and three saves. She stands third on the team with 44 Ks in 55.2 innings.
• Danielle Watson (7-10) is holding opponents to a .218 average. She leads the Cardinals with 99 strikeouts in 93.1 innings.

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 carries a team-best 9-2 record and four home runs and is tied for the team lead with 24 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 (153) needs four more to move into a tie for fifth with Maryssa Becker (2014-17).
• Seventh in career appearances (113). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (79). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (513.0). Caralisa Connell is sixth with 608.0.
• Seventh in career wins (50). Jessica Rak (2000-03) stands in sixth place with 65 victories.
• Tied for seventh in career home runs with 29 - needs two more to move into a tie for sixth with Maryssa Becker (2014-17).
• Eighth in career strikeouts (355), 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 .375 batting average.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung is tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs and is second with a .338 batting average.
• Freshman Charley Butler has started 32 games in left field and has two home runs.
• Freshman Cassady Greenwood is batting has played in 23 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 11 straight games.
• Fellow sophomore Riley Schindler has started 24 games in the outfield.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson leads the team in the circle with 96 strikeouts in 91.1 innings and a .221 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 19 stolen bases on the season, and stands tied for fifth on Louisville's single season list. She needs one more to move into a tie for fourth with Coleen Coughlin (2000-01)
• She now has 52 stolen bases in her career, placing her third on Louisville's all-time list and needs eight more to move into a tie for second with Jennifer Esteban (2010-12).

melton on a scoring run

Melton recently increased her career run tally to 135 stands seventh on Louisville's all-time list in that category. She needs three 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 9-2 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 on Tuesday when Lipscomb prevailed 5-4 in eight.

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.

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 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 and No. 25 Northwestern. Western Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana 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.