Softball Preview: Pitchers and Catchers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville softball team will open the 2020 season in three weeks when the Cardinals head to Clearwater, Florida for the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. In anticipation of opening weekend, GoCards.com will provide a weekly positional preview starting with the pitchers and catchers.

Pitchers
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Roby led the team in wins with 14 and a 2.62 ERA. The Mount Washington, Ky., native also made an impact at the plate in her rookie season, standing third on the team with three home runs while producing 23 runs and scoring 20. She also fifth on the team with a .288 batting average and earned ACC Player of the Week honors during the season.

Paige Schindler (Borden, Ind.) also returns for her junior season after playing in 23 games in 2019 while battling injury. She has worked diligently to get back to full speed and will bring experience, leadership and depth to the pitching staff.

The Cards will also capitalize on the experience of junior Chardonnay Harris who transferred to Louisville after two seasons at Auburn. The left-handed hurler from Oak Park, Ill., led the Tigers with 121 strikeouts in 106.0 innings of work and tied for the team lead with 11 wins. She issued a career-high 17 Ks in a win over Florida and earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors following that performance. As a freshman, Harris appeared in 18 games with four starts and posted a 1.83 ERA.

Louisville will welcome two freshmen to the pitching staff this spring. Taja Felder joins the Cardinals from Fresno, California where she was a standout athlete, earning 2019 Offensive Player of the Year for the all-Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC). She was also a three-time all-TRAC selection.

Fellow rookie Payton Hudson also traveled across the county to join the Cardinals from the West Coast and brings an impressive resume. The McMinnville, Oregon native was the 2019 News-Register Williamette Valley Player of the Year a four-time Greater Valley all-league selection. In 2017, she was tabbed the Greater Valley Pitcher of the Year.

Coach Holly Aprile on the pitchers
"I am really looking forward to watching us perform on the mound this year both individually and as a staff. Taylor Roby put in a ton of work in the off-season and in the fall and she continues to learn and grow every day. She is a tough competitor and a great hitter. Chardonnay Harris has been a terrific addition to our staff in so many ways and we are really excited to watch her perform. As a lefty she adds a new dimension for us and she has a really great demeanor as well. Paige Schindler has battled injuries throughout her career, but she is doing well and with the addition of freshmen, Taja Felder and Payton Hudson, I think that we are going to complement each other quite nicely. Griffin has done a great job working with the entire staff and there is no doubt that they will continue to grow and develop throughout the season."

Catchers
Rebecca Chung returns after an impressive rookie season in which she served as one of Louisville's top hitters. The 2019 ACC All-Freshman Team selection stood fourth among the Cardinals with a .299 batting average and tied for the team lead with 12 multi-RBI games. Chung's three-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Cards to a 10-9 win over No. 3 Florida State. She also threw out a school-record four base stealers in that game and earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors for her performance.

Sophomore Cassady Greenwood (Birmingham, Ala.) also contributed to the Cardinals' success last season, playing in 34 games with four starts and continued to develop her game both offensively and defensively in the fall and early spring.

Freshman Lexi Carver also joins Louisville's platoon of catchers. The Spencer, Indiana native completed an impressive high school career in which she led the Western Indiana Conference in hitting for three years and stolen bases for two and was a three-time all-conference selection

Coach Holly Aprile on the catchers
"Rebecca Chung did a solid job for us behind the plate a year ago and she has made some nice improvements this fall. Cassady Greenwood has made great progress both physically and mentally which should translate nicely to the field. She has a really nice rapport with our pitching staff and we expect big things from her this spring. Lexi Carver, a freshman, will add depth and athleticism to a really solid staff."

University of Louisville Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Lexi Carver

Rebecca Chung

Taja Felder

Cassady Greenwood

Chardonnay Harris

Payton Hudson

Taylor Roby

Paige Schindler

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