Cards Set for Evanston Regional

Friday, May 17

Evanston, Ill.

1:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

Southern Illinois

The softball team poses in front of the team bus

May 14, 2019 | Softball

Live scoring Evanston Regional Central Tickets

Louisville will open the Evanston Regional against Southern Illinois Friday at 1 p.m. (ET)

By: Lori Korte

The University of Louisville softball is set to begin NCAA postseason play this weekend when the Cardinals travel to Evanston, Ill., to face Southern Illinois in the opening game of the Evanston Regional Friday at 1 p.m. (ET) at Northwestern's Sharon Drysdale Field.

Host No. 18/17 and the No. 16 overall sead Northwestern will take on Detroit Mercy in the other first round game Friday at 3:30 p.m.

The winner of the Evanston Regional will advance to a Super Regional to play the winner of the Norman Regional which features the overall No. 1 seed Oklahoma, UMBC, Wisconsin and Notre Dame.

The Weekend Ahead
DATES: May 17-19, 2019
LOCATION: Evanston, Ill.
VENUE: Sharon Drysdale Field
TELEVISION: ESPN3
ANNOUNCERS: Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play), Jennie Ritter (analysis)

NCAA Evanston Regional Schedule
Friday, May 17
Game 1: Southern Illinois vs. Louisville, 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 2: Detroit Mercy at Northwestern, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, May 18
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 4:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 19
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 2:00 p.m.
Game 7*: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 4:30 p.m.
*If necessary
All times Eastern

Cardinal Quick Hits
• Louisville (33-21) earned an at-large bid to the Evanston Regional. The Cards are the No. 2 seed in the region and will take on Southern Illinois in the opening game Friday at 1 p.m. (ET).
• This marks Louisville's 14th NCAA regional appearance and first since 2016.
• Louisville has posted nine wins against teams in the 2019 NCAA Tournament (Florida State, Michigan, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Notre Dame, Cal State Fullerton).
•The Cards posted a 12-12 mark in ACC play, finishing the regular season third in the league's Atlantic Division behind Florida State (19-5) and Notre Dame (18-6) while ranking fifth in the overall ACC standings.
• Redshirt senior Sidney Melton was selected to the All-ACC second team, marking the second straight season she has earn all-conference honors. Charley Butler and Rebecca Chung were named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
• Louisville is led at the plate by Melton who is batting .341 and has reached safely in the last 18 games. Melton has career-best, and school record, 33 stolen bases.
• Junior Celene Funke paces the team with 46 runs.
• Funke leads the nation in triples with 12 and owns Louisville's single season record in that category. Louisville leads the nation in triples per game.
• In the circle, redshirt freshman Taylor Roby leads team with a 13-4 record and a 2.62 ERA.
• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 102 stolen bases in 117 attempts on the season. The previous record was 68 (95 attempts), set in the 2010 season
• With the win in the opening game of the Georgia Tech series, head coach Holly Aprile collected her 300th career victory.
• The Cardinals' 7-2 win in game two marked their 30th victory of the season, extending the program's streak to 16 straight seasons with 30 or more wins.
• Louisville finished the season with a 16-5 record at Ulmer Stadium.
• The 2019 campaign marks Louisville's 20th season as a program and first under new head coach Holly Aprile's tutelage.

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 by the numbers

1 - Louisville needs one more triple to tie a school record for triples in a season (31).
2 - Megan Hensley needs two more RBIs to move into a tie for second on Louisville's career list - she currently has 172.
12 - Celene Funke leads the nation with 12 triples (and owns Louisville's single-season record).
14 - Louisville is making its 14th NCAA appearance - and first since 2016.
15 - Kyra Snyder has reached safely in 15 straight games.
16 - Louisville has won at least 30 games in 16 straight seasons.
18 - Sidney Melton has reached safely in 18 straight games.
33 - Sidney Melton owns the school record with 33 stolen bases (and counting).
37 - Megan Hensley has 37 career home runs and needs one more to move into a tie for second on Louisville's career home run list.
102 - Louisville has a school record 102 stolen bases on the season, shattering the previous record of 68.

CARDS AGAINST THE FIELD

Southern Illinois
Series Record: SIU leads 1-0
Last Meeting: March 4, 2000 - SIU won 1-0 in Carbondale.
Scouting the Salukis: Led by head coach Kerri Blaylock, Southern Illinois (33-13, 17-6 Missouri Valley) is making its 12th NCAA appearance with its last trip coming in 2017. The Salukis earned an at-large bid after reaching the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Championship and posting a runner-up finish in the regular season.
•SIU ranks third nationally in fielding percentage and led the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average while tying a school record with 17 conference wins. Southern Illinois entered the selection show with an RPI of 42.
• Six Salukis earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors with catcher Katelyn Massa tabbed Defensive Player of the Year and Ashley Wood being named Freshman of the Year. Maddy Vermajan, Jenny Jansen, Brianna Jones and Jordan Spicer were also named to the all-league teams.
• Jansen leads the Salukis with a .393 batting average while Wood follows at .352 with a team-best nine home runs and 44 RBIs.
• Jones (23-9) carries a 2.00 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 182.1 innings.

Northwestern
Series Record: NU leads 8-2
Last Meeting: The teams met three times in 2019 with Northwestern taking all three games.
• Feb. 17 - Northwestern won 4-2 in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Feb. 15 - The Wildcats also defeated the Cardinals 9-8 in nine innings in the opening game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Feb. 8 - Northwestern edged Louisville 1-0 in the Cal State Fullerton's Titan Classic.
Scouting the Wildcats: Led by Big Ten Coach of the Year Kate Drohan, the Wildcats (43-10, 21-2) posted a second place finish in league's regular season standings. Last weekend, Northwestern reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before falling to No. 12 Minnesota.
• Northwestern earned the overall No. 16 seed in the NCAA tournament and stood at No. 11 in the RPI. The Wildcats are making their 18th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament.
• Four Wildcats earned all-Big Ten honors with Danielle Williams named Freshman of the Year. Jordyn Rudd, Rachel Lewis and Maeve Nelson also garnered all-conference honors.
• Rudd leads the way at the plate with a .338 batting average and 47 RBIs. Lewis has belted out a team-best 14 home runs.
• The Wildcats are ranked 20th in the nation with a 1.91 team ERA. Williams (28-5) carries a 1.40 ERA and ranks sixth in the nation with 278 strikeouts in 199.2 innings of work.

Detroit Mercy
Series Record: Teams have not met
Scouting the Titans: Detroit Mercy is making its first NCAA appearance after winning the 2019 Horizon League Championship under Horizon League Coach of the Year John Conway. The Titans (31-26) entered the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed after posting a 16-8 in league play and defeated top-seeded UIC twice on the final day of the championship to claim the title and earn the automatic bid.
• Ashley Mauser was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and was joined by catcher Jordan Manno, Liz Murphy and Courtney Gilbert on the all-conference first team. McKenna Tanguay was selected to the all-freshman team.
• Manno leads the team with a .346 batting average while Courtney Gilbert follows at a .312 clip with a team-best eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
•Murphy (11-13) carries a team-best 2.16 ERA while Mauser (18-10) holds a 2.17 ERA with 184 Ks in 177.2 innings and seven shutouts.

Player quick hits

• Redshirt senior Sidney Melton has reached safely via a hit or a walk in 18 straight games.
•Melton is climbing Louisville's single season and career lists in runs and stolen bases.
      • She owns school record for stolen bases (currently 33) in a season and ranks second on Louisville's all-time list with 66.
• Melton set a school record with four stolen bases against Morehead State (March 12).
• The third baseman ranks fifth on Louisville's all-time list for career runs (153).
• Senior Megan Hensley stands among team leaders in home runs (12) and RBIs (43) as well as shutouts, while standing second in ERA (3.04) and strikeouts (89). She is 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 46 runs, eight doubles, 12 triples, three home runs, 27 stolen bases and 25 RBIs. She leads the team with 19 multi-hit games and seven multi-steal games.
• Junior Caitlin Ferguson has a career-high 32 runs and tied a career high in home runs (4).
• Sophomore Kyra Snyder put together a 13-game on-base streak (March 16-April 6) - and is currently riding a 14-game streak of reaching safely.
• Sophomore Maddy Newman has established career highs in runs (26), and RBIs (14).
• Sophomore Jordyn Wolfe has career highs in runs (20) and stolen bases (7).
• Sophomore Danielle Watson connected on her first career double, home run this season. She has also dealt a career-high 150 strikeouts.
      • Watson recently moved into Louisville's top 10 lists for career strikeouts (255) and appearances (70).
• Freshman Charley Butler was sidelined by injury prior to the North Carolina series. Prior to that, she was an integral part of the Cardinals' outfield. 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 12 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.
      • Earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on April 9.
      • Put together 10-game hitting streak (March 8-23).
      • Her two-run double in the fifth put the Cards ahead for good in the 11-10 win over Georgia Tech to ensure the series sweep (April 21).
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby leads the team in wins. She got the win in the circle and registered the game-winning hit against No. 24/23 Kentucky (April 17).

ACC strong

Five ACC teams were selected to compete in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
• Fourth-seeded Florida State has earned a top-eight seed for the fourth straight year, and the fifth time in the last six years and will host the Tallahassee Regional.
• Louisville (Evanston), North Carolina (Knoxville), Notre Dame (Norman) and Virginia Tech (Lexington) also earned at-large berths.

Three Cards earn acc honors

Redshirt senior Sidney Melton was selected to the second team while Charley Butler and Rebecca Chung were named to the All-Freshman team.
• Melton takes home her second straight All-ACC nod after earning first team honors last season. The 2019 preseason All-ACC selection posted a .388 batting average with 17 runs, 31 hits, 13 RBIs with 18 stolen bases against ACC opponents. She owns the school record for stolen bases in a game (4) and season (32).
• Butler led the team with a .407 average in 18 conference games. The freshman outfielder tallied 10 runs, seven RBIs and seven stolen bases in conference play before being sidelined by injury.
• Chung batted .263 against league opponents with two home runs, four doubles and 12 RBIs. The freshman catcher also set a school record with four runners caught stealing in the series-clinching 10-9 win against Florida State.

Funke, Melton earn Academic All-district honors

Celene Funke and Sidney Melton have been named to the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Softball Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Both are now eligible for Academic All-America® consideration which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
• Funke (Carmel, Ind.) takes home her second straight Academic All-District honors. The junior carries a 4.0 GPA in finance and will earn her degree in May 2019. She leads the team with 46 runs and stands second with a .330 batting average and 27 stolen bases. Additionally, the speedy centerfielder leads the nation and holds Louisville's single-season record with 12 triples.
• Funke was named a Google Cloud Academic All-District® All-American in 2018.
• Melton, a senior from Columbus, Ohio also picks her second Academic All-District honor after earning the award in 2016. The third baseman carries a 3.92 GPA in exercise science and is set to graduate in May 2019. The two-time all-ACC selection leads the team with a .341 batting average and a school-record 33 stolen bases. She also stands second on the squad with 43 runs and third with a career-best 32 RBIs.

Up last

Louisville built a 3-0 lead, but North Carolina plated nine unanswered runs - including a six-run fifth inning - to beat the Cardinals 9-3 in the ACC Championship quarterfinals Thursday at JoAnne Graf Stadium.
• Senior Megan Hensley paced the Cardinals with two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs while sophomore Maddy Newman went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Cards at the plate.
• Danielle Watson took the loss after giving up eight earned runs on seven hits and striking out two in 4.0 innings.

Louisville No. 36 in NCAA RPI

Louisville appears at No. 36 in the NCAA most recent RPI report staying in the same spot as last week.
• UofL is no stranger to facing quality competition and this season is no different with 24 of its 53 games against teams in the top 50.
• Below is a list of Louisville's 2019 opponents who are included among the NCAA's top 50 in the RPI followed by the Cardinals' record against them this season.
4. Florida State: 2-1
11. Northwestern: 0-3
12. Michigan: 1-1
15. Tennessee: 0-1
16. Kentucky: 1-0
21. Auburn: 0-1
23. North Carolina: 1-3
25. Virginia Tech: 1-2
32. Missouri: 1-0
33. Notre Dame: 1-2
37. Lipscomb: 0-1
42. Cal State Fullerton: 1-0
49. Indiana: 1-0

Cards reach 30-win mark for 16th straight season

On April 21, the Cardinals defeated Georgia Tech 7-2 to clinch the ACC series and reach their 30th win of the season.
• Louisville has now posted 30 or more victories in 16 straight seasons (dating back to 2004). The Cards have posted at least 30 wins 18 times in the 20-year history of the program with a record-setting 55 victories in 2012.
Louisville Softball Year-by-Year Breakdown
2019................................................................... 33-21
2018................................................................... 33-20
2017................................................................... 31-19
2016*................................................................. 35-17
2015*................................................................. 30-19
2014*................................................................. 36-22
2013*................................................................. 47-13
2012*......................................... 55-5 (program-best)
2011*................................................................. 38-20
2010*................................................................. 41-19
2009*................................................................. 48-11
2008*................................................................. 31-23
2007*................................................................. 37-25
2006*................................................................. 45-11
2005*................................................................. 43-20
2004* ................................................................ 41-19
2003................................................................... 24-26
2002................................................................... 27-28
2001................................................................... 40-26
2000................................................................... 36-26
* Earned NCAA Regional bid

Cards swiping records

• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 102 stolen bases in 117 attempts on the season. The previous record was 68, set in the 2010 season.

Funke and Melton deliver a 1-2 punch

• Celene Funke has spent the majority of the season as Louisville's leadoff hitter followed by Sidney Melton - the combination has proven to be very effective for the Cards. Between the two of them, they have produced 89 runs and 60 stolen bases.

Triple crown

Junior Celene Funke is leads the NCAA with 12 triples on the season. In the May 3 game against NC State, surpassed Audrey Rendon (2005) on Louisville's single season list and now owns the record with 12.
• The centerfielder has 14 triples in her career and is third on Louisville's all-time list. She needs one more to move into a tie for second with Kristin Austin (2009-12).
• UofL leads the nation in triples per game .57 and has tallied an ACC-best 30 triples.
•The total ranks second on the program's all-time record list, needing one more to tie for first with the 2005 Cardinals.

melton on a scoring run (RECORD WATCH)

Melton recently improved her career run tally to 153 and stands fifth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs five more to tie Audrey Rendon (2004-07) for fourth.

Melton record watch: stolen base edition

Sidney Melton set a school record with four stolen bases in the 8-0 win over Morehead State on March 12.
• With her stolen base against NC State on May 3, she took sole possession of Louisville's single-season record with 29 and extended the tally to 33 on the season.
• She now has 66 stolen bases in her career, placing her second on Louisville's all-time list. Audrey Rendon (2004-07) holds the record with 82.

Funke in a foot race (also stolen bases)

• Celene Funke is on Melton's heels with 27 stolen bases and tied for third with Audrey Rendon (2005) on Lousville's single-season list. She needs one more to move into a tie for second with Coleen Coughlin (2000). Teammate Sidney Melton owns the record with 33.
• Funke recently pushed her career stolen base total to 47, good for fifth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs one more to tie for fourth with Coleen Coughlin (2000-01).

Funke running toward single-season top five

Celene Funke now has a career-high 46 runs on the season and is tied for seventh on UofL's single season record list. She needs four more to move into a three-way tie for fifth with Jordan Trimble (2013) and Audrey Rendon (2005).

Hitting for average

Louisville's starting lineup features four players who are batting over .300 on the season. Redshirt senior Sidney Melton leads the charge at .341 while junior Celene Funke is second at a .330 clip. Senior Megan Hensley (.327), and freshman Rebecca Chung (.308) 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.
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby (13-4) leads the team in wins and ERA (2.62).
• Senior Megan Hensley (9-3) has collected a team-high four shutouts and stands second with a 3.04 ERA.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (11-14) is holding opponents to a .226 average. She leads the Cardinals with 152 strikeouts in 146.0 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 against the Seminoles with a walk-off three-run double 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 (3.06), strikeouts (89) and innings pitched (101.1).
• She also leads the Cards with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs.
• Hensley is ranked among UofL's top 10 in several pitching and hitting categories.

Hensley record Watch: A lot of them

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).
• Third in career RBI (172) with Alicja Wolny (2010-13). She needs twomore to tie Courtney Moore (2011-14) for second.
• Third in career home runs (37) and needs one more to tie Chelsea Bemis for second (2008-11).
• Seventh in career appearances (121). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (84). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (534.1). 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 (367), 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).
• Tenth in career walks (offensively) with (62). Needs five more to tie Whitney Arion (2012-15) for eighth.

Cardiac Cards

In the month of April, the Cardinals came out on the winning end of a quite a few dramatic games.
•On April 8, the Cards used a walk-off double by Rebecca Chung to upend No. 3/3 Florida State, handing the Seminoles their first ACC series loss since 2012.
•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 21, Louisville overcame deficits of 5-0 and 10-6 to complete a series sweep of Georgia Tech while under time constraints due to the Yellow Jackets' travel.
• In a game which featured three lead changes and a tie and 21 combined runs, Louisville used a late-inning rally to take the lead for good, entering the bottom of the fifth trailing 10-8 with 15 minutes remaining before the game was called, Megan Hensley delivered a two-out single and scored on Roby's double to cut the lead to one. Ferguson walked to help set up Chung's two-run double which made the score 11-10. The game was called due to a drop-dead time in the top of the sixth inning.
• On April 23, the Cardinals were down 4-3 with two outs in the top of the seventh at Marshall. Then, Celene Funke doubled and scored on a triple by Sidney Melton and Megan Hensley followed with a double of her own to put Louisville ahead 5-4.

Home sweet home

Louisville compiled a 16-5record 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.

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.

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.