Louisville Concludes the Regular Season at NC State

Friday, May 3

Raleigh, NC

6:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

NC State

Caitlin Ferguson throws out runner during the game against Kentucky at Ulmer Stadium on April 17.

Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics

May 02, 2019 | Softball

Live scoring: https ACC Network Extra Game 1 ACC Network Extra Game 2 ACC Network Extra Game 3 2019 SB gamenotes vs NC State

Cards and Wolfpack will square off in a three game series to wrap up the regular season this weekend

By: Lori Korte

The University of Louisville softball team will hit the road for Raleigh, N.C. to wrap up the regular season with a three-game ACC series at N.C. State this weekend. The Cards and Wolfpack will open the series Friday at 6 p.m. with game two slated for 2 p.m. Saturday. The teams will conclude the regular season Sunday at 12 p.m.

Louisville (33-17, 12-9 ACC) stands third in the ACC's Atlantic Division behind Florida State (16-5) and Notre Dame (14-6) and stands fifth overall. NC State (26-26, 6-15) is fifth in the Atlantic Division and 10th among all ACC teams.

Louisville/North Carolina State Series Information
Series History: Louisville leads 10-3
Dates: Friday, May 3, 6 p.m. | Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m. | Sunday, May 5, 12 p.m.
Location: Raleigh, N.C. | Dail Softball Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra
Live scoring: GoPack.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball

Cardinal Quick Hits
• Louisville enters the game with a 33-17 overall record and a 12-9 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals stand third in the league's Atlantic Division behind Florida State (16-5) and Notre Dame (14-6) while ranking fifth in the overall ACC standings.
• 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.
• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 93 stolen bases in 107 attempts on the season. The previous record was 68 (95 attempts), set in the 2010 season
• Louisville is led at the plate redshirt senior Sidney Melton who is batting .347 with a team - and career - best 28 stolen bases. Melton recently tied UofL's single season record and needs one more stolen base to take sole possession of first place.
• Junior Celene Funke leads the team with 44 runs.
• Funke leads the nation in triples with 10 and tied Louisville's single season record in that category.
• In the circle, redshirt freshman Taylor Roby leads team with a 13-2 record and a 2.76 ERA.
• 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.

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 (28), doubles (9), triples (5) and RBIs (31).
She is also tied for first on the team with 17 multi-hit games.
      • She recently tied the school record for stolen bases in a season (28) against North Carolina on April 28.
      • Melton set a school record with four stolen bases against Morehead State (March 12).
• Senior Megan Hensley stands among team leaders in home runs (10) and RBIs (39) as well as shutouts, while standing second in ERA (2.85) and strikeouts (86). 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 44 runs, eight doubles, 10 triples, three home runs, 23 stolen bases and 24 RBIs. She is tied for the team lead with 17 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 an 11-game streak of reaching safely.
• Sophomore Maddy Newman has established career highs in runs (25), and RBIs (13).
• 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 145 strikeouts.
      • Watson recently moved into Louisville's top 10 lists for career strikeouts (250) and appearances (69).
• Freshman Charley Butler was sidelined by injury prior to the North Carolina series. Prior to that, she was an integral part of the Carinals' 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 11 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 10-game hitting streak (March 8-23).
      • Chung's 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 and stands fourth in batting average. She got the win in the circle and registered the game-winning hit against No. 24/23 Kentucky (April 17).

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

NC State
Series Record: Louisville leads 10-3
Last Meeting: March 30-31, 2018 | Louisville won the opening game of a doubleheader 4-2 and NC State took the second game 6-1. The Cards clinched the series with a 7-0 win in the finale.
Scouting the Wolf Pack: NC State brings a 26-26 overall record into the weekend. The Wolfpack are 6-15 in ACC play, standing fifth in the Atlantic Division and 10th overall. Last weekend, they were swept by Virginia in an ACC series.
• Brigette Nordberg leads the team with a .311 batting average, 16 home runs, 44 RBIs and 36 runs. Sam Russ has amassed a team-best 27 stolen bases and scored 35 runs on the season.
• Sydney Nester (14-8) carries a 3.32 ERA with 150 strikeouts in 145.2 innings while Devin Wallace (10-15) holds a 3.43 ERA with 145 Ks in 147.0 innings.

Up next

Louisville will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., for the ACC Championship which will be held May 8-11. The tournament bracket will be released Sunday afternoon following the conclusion of league play.

Up last

Megan Hensley led the Cardinals offensively with a .500 average (4-for-8), a home run, a triple, three runs and two RBIs as Louisville went 1-2 against North Carolina in their home finale.
North Carolina 6 - Louisville 0
The Cards dropped the series opener 6-0 to North Carolina.
• UofL didn't allow a run in the final five innings, but could not overcome the early 6-0 deficit as they suffered their first shutout since a February 16, 2019 6-0 loss to No. 15/17 Michigan.
• Danielle Watson took the loss, allowing four unearned runs on one hit with one strikeout in 0.2 innings.

North Carolina 10 - Louisville 7
The Cards tied a season high with three home runs, but ultimately fell 10-7 to North Carolina in game two of an ACC series Saturday at Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium.
• Louisville recorded nine hits from seven different players. Senior Darrianne Hale went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and junior Caitlin Ferguson went 2-for-3 at the plate. Hale, senior Megan Hensley and sophomore Kyra Snyder each had a home run, marking the most the Tar Heels have allowed this year.
•Redshirt sophomore Taylor Roby (13-2) took the loss, giving up five earned runs on five hits and striking out two in 1.1 innings.

Louisville 6 - North Carolina 1
The Cards defeated North Carolina 6-1 in the final home game of the season Sunday on Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium.
• Kyra Snyder drove in a pair of runs and Sidney Melton scored twice and added a stolen base to back a solid effort from sophomore Danielle Watson who allowed one run and scattered five hits while striking out four in seven innings.

Notes following the North Carolina series:
• North Carolina leads the series 8-7
• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 93 stolen bases on 107 attempts on the season. The previous record was 68 (95 attempts), set in the 2010 season
• Louisville finishes the 2019 season with a 16-5 record at Ulmer Stadium.
• Sidney Melton has reached safely in the last 14 games
• Melton also leads the team with a career-high 28 stolen bases and stands tied for first with Coleen Coughlin (2000) on Louisville's single season list.
• She now has 61 stolen bases in her career, placing her tied for second on Louisville's all-time list.
• Melton now has 150 career runs and stands in fifth place on Louisville's all-time list.
• Megan Hensley earned her 60th career walk and stands at No. 10 on UofL's all-time list.
• Kyra Snyder has reached safely in 11 straight games.

Louisville No. 28 in NCAA RPI

Louisville appears at No. 28 in the NCAA most recent RPI report released on April 29 - moving up one spot from last week.
• UofL is no stranger to facing quality competition and this season is no different with 20 of its 53 games against teams in the top 40 and 10 of those in the top 20.
• Below is a list of Louisville's 2019 opponents who are included among the NCAA's top 40 in the RPI followed by the Cardinals' record against them this season.
5. Florida State (2-1)
11. Northwestern (0-3)
12. Tennessee (0-1)
16. Kentucky (1-0)
17. Michigan (1-1)
23. North Carolina - (1-2)
29. Virginia Tech - 1-2
33. Missouri - 1-0
37. Notre Dame - 1-2

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 19 year history of the program with a record-setting 55 victories in 2012.
Louisville Softball Year-by-Year Breakdown
2019................................................................... 33-17
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

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

In the past two weeks, the Cardinals have had 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.

Triple effect

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 career-best three home runs on the season.
• As a team Louisville has tallied an ACC-best 28 triples. The total ranks third on the program's all-time record list, needing three more to tie for first with the 2005 Cardinals.

Cards swiping records

• As a team, Louisville has registered a program-record 93 stolen bases in 107 attempts 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 28 and is tied for first on Louisville's single-season list.
• She now has 61 stolen bases in her career, placing her second on Louisville's all-time list.
• Celene Funke is on Melton's heels with 24 stolen bases and is fourth among the Cardinals' single-season leaders.
• Funke recently pushed her career stolen base total to 47, good for seven on Louisville's all-time list. She needs two more to move into a three-way tie for fifth with Candi Hicks (2004-07), and Kristin Austin (2009-12).

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 North Carolina, tied UofL's single season record with 28.
• She now has 61 stolen bases in her career, placing her tied for second with Jennifer Esteban (2010-12). Audrey Rendon (2004-07) holds the record with 82.

Hitting for average

Louisville's starting lineup features five players who are batting over .300 on the season. Redshirt senior Sidney Melton leads the charge at .347 while fellow senior Megan Hensley is second at a .336 clip. Junior Celene Funke (.326), redshirt freshman Taylor Roby (.318) and freshman Rebecca Chung (.306) round out the top hitters.

Melton on a scoring run (record watch)

Melton recently improved her career run tally to 150 and stands fifth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs eight more to tie Audrey Rendon (2004-07) for fourth.
• 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.

Balanced pitching

All three of Louisville's starting pitchers have evenly contributed to the team's success in the circle.
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby (13-2) leads the team in wins and ERA (2.76).
• Senior Megan Hensley has collected a team-high four shutouts and stands second with a 2.85 ERA.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson (11-12) is holding opponents to a .215 average. She leads the Cardinals with 145 strikeouts in 136.0 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 Wildcats with a walk-off three-run doubles with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Hensley, 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 (2.85), strikeouts (86) and innings pitched (98.1).
• She also leads the Cards with 10 home runs and 39 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 (168) with Alicja Wolny (2010-13). She needs one more to ti Katie Keller (2011-14) for third.
• Fourth in career home runs (35) and needs one more to tie Melissa Roth (2007-10) for third.
• Seventh in career appearances (120). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (83). 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 (60). Needs seven more to tie Whitney Arion (2012-15) for eighth.

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. Three of them (Rebecca Chung, Taylor Roby and Danielle Watson) have earned ACC Player or Pitcher of the Week honor this season).
• Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby leads the team with a 2.76 ERA and stands fourth on the squad with a .318 batting average.
• Freshman catcher Rebecca Chung is second on the team with 32 RBI and 11 multi-RBI games. 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 started 43 games in left field and had two home runs. She 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 29 games with four starts and has collected nine RBIs.
• Sophomores Maddy Newman and Kyra Snyder have started every game at second base and first base respectively.
• Fellow sophomore Riley Schindler has started 31 games in the outfield.
• Sophomore Danielle Watson leads the team in the circle with 145 strikeouts in 136.0 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).

Home sweet home

Louisville compiled a 16-5 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.