Louisville Travels to No. 6/5 Florida for a Two-Game Series

The University of Louisville will continue its challenging early season schedule with a trip to No. 6/5 Florida for a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's game will be televised on SEC Network+.

This weekend marks the third straight road trip for Louisville (3-4, 3-2 ACC) and the second top-10 opponent in three weeks. UofL started the season with a doubleheader at then-No. 8/8 Alabama.

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Louisville at Florida
Dates: February 27-28, 2021
Location: Gainesville, Fla. |Venue: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
Live Scoring: FloridaGators.com.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball
Admission: Player Pass List
Louisville Game Notes
Saturday, February 27
Louisville at No. 6/5 Florida, 1 p.m.; Live scoring | SEC+ Watch Link
Sunday, February 28
Louisville at No. 6/5 Florida, 10:00 a.m.; Live scoring

Cardinal Quick Hits
• The Cardinals bring a three-game winning streak into the weekend after going 3-2 in last week's ACC Pod Weekend.
• Current ACC Player of the Week Taylor Roby leads the team with three home runs and has driven in 10 of Louisville's 20 runs.
• Roby and freshman Gabby Holloway are tied for the team lead with a .333 batting average.
• Redshirt senior Carmyn Greenwood is currently on a four-game hitting streak and has reached safely and scored a run in the last five games.
• Roby (1-2) has delivered a team-best 10 strikeouts.
• Jennifer Leonhardt, a graduate senior transfer from the University of Southern Indiana, leads the starting pitching rotation with a 3.39 ERA. She has fanned seven in 10.1 innings.
• Leonhardt has been named a top 30 candidate for the Senior CLASS Award.
• Louisville was picked to finish seventh in the preseason ACC Coaches poll.

The Aprile Era
• Holly Aprile is in her third season as UofL's head coach. With the 2020 campaign suspended prior to its midway point due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Aprile has compiled a 48-38 record and guided the Cardinals to an NCAA regional final appearance in 2019 during her time at the helm.
• 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.
Scouting the Opponent
Record: Florida leads 2-0
Last Meeting: March 2, 2008 – The University of Florida won 4-2 at neutral site, Anderson Family Field, in Fullerton, California.
Scouting the Gators: Florida brings an overall 8-0 record entering the weekend prior to a Thursday matchup against North Florida. The Gators stand at No. 6 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and No. 5 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings.
• Last weekend, the Gators dominated the Bubly Invitational as they swept their competition, Georgia Southern and Charlotte, posting a 5-0 overall record for that weekend. Junior Charla Echols currently leads the Gators with a .542 batting average and two home runs.
• In the circle, junior, Elizabeth Hightower leads the Gators with a total of 22 strikeouts along with 1-2 shutout. Senior Natalie Lugo carries an ERA of 2.92. Katie Chronister leads the pitchers with four wins.
Recapping the ACC Pod Weekend
The Cards went 3-2 in the conference-opening ACC Pod Weekend. With the first day of the weekend canceled due to rain, Louisville opened ACC play on Friday with a doubleheader against host NC State.
          Saturday brought back-to-back walk-off wins for the Cardinals who picked up their first victory of the season against Virginia in a contest played at Duke and followed with a second walk-off win at NC State (Louisville was the designated home team).
NOTE: Louisville also finished the 2020 season with a pair of back-to-back walk-offs, at their home-opening Red & Black Challenge, defeating Illinois 4-3 and Evansville 9-1 in five innings on March 8, 2020.
NC State 8 – Louisville 4
In the first game of the day, Roby went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and Celene Funke went 2-for-4 to pace the Cardinals offensively, but three home runs by NC State helped key the Wolfpack to an 8-4 win in the ACC opener.
NC State 4- Louisville 3
In the second game of the ACC-opening doubleheader, Taylor Roby went 2-for-4 and drove in all three Louisville runs as NC State built an early 3-0 lead and withstood a late-inning Louisville rally to prevail 4-3.
Louisville 5 - Virginia 4
Taylor Roby's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh lifted the University of Louisville softball team to a 5-4 win against Virginia Saturday on day two of the ACC Pod Weekend.
          Roby, who had blasted a two-run homer earlier in the game, led Louisville with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate and collected four RBIs. Charley Butler went 2-for-4 with two runs. Freshman Gabby Holloway (1-1) got the win after retiring all three batters she faced in the seventh inning.
Louisville 5 - NC State 4
For the second straight game on Saturday, the University of Louisville softball team used late-inning offense to pull out a win in the bottom of the seventh inning. In a game that featured four lead changes and a tie, the Cardinals prevailed over host NC State 5-4.
          Celene Funke led the Cardinals offensively, going 3-for-4 with a single, a triple and a home run. The outfielder also scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. Senior Maddy Newman went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Louisville 4 - Virginia 0
Taylor Roby tossed a complete game one-hit shutout to help the University of Louisville softball team to a 4-0 win against Virginia on Sunday at NC State's Dail Park on the final day of the ACC Pod Weekend.
          One day after a pair of back-to-back walk-off wins, the Cardinals picked up their third straight victory without the late-inning drama as Roby delivered a masterful performance in the circle and her team backed her with solid defense while scoring four runs.
          Roby (1-2) retired the first eight batters she faced before surrendering a two-out single in the third. A walk and subsequent fielder's choice allowed the Cavaliers' only baserunners in the game, none moved into scoring position. She registered three strikeouts in the contest.
Up Next
After Louisville wraps up a nine-game road trip to start the season, the Cardinals will return to Ulmer Stadium where they will spent the entire month of March.
• The Cardinals will open the 14-game homestretch March 5-7 when they welcome Bradley, DePaul and Miami (Ohio) for the Cardinal Classic.
Roby Named ACC Player of the Week
Taylor Roby was named ACC Player of the Week for the period ending on February 22.
• Roby (Mt. Washington, Ky.) earned her first ACC weekly honor after helping the Cardinals to three straight wins to close out the ACC Pod Weekend. The redshirt junior registered a .438 batting average (7-for-16) with three home runs, 10 RBIs and three runs and was walked twice. She also posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and .526 on-base percentage on the weekend.
• Roby registered three multi-hit and RBI games on the weekend, reaching via a hit or a walk in all but one game. Additionally, she drove in at least one run in four of the Cardinals' five contests on the weekend.
• In Saturday's 5-4 win against Virginia, Roby crushed a two-run homer to even the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth. She went on to deliver a walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to lift Louisville to its first win of the season. She finished the game with a 3-for-4, four RBI performance at the plate, tying her career highs for hits and RBI.
• In addition to her offensive production, Roby was a workhorse in the circle for the Cardinals as they went 3-2 in the ACC Pod Weekend, logging 14.2 innings with seven strikeouts. She closed the weekend with a complete game one-hit shutout to help Louisville to a 4-0 win against Virginia. In that game, she retired the first eight batters she faced before surrendering a two-out single in the third. A walk and subsequent fielder's choice allowed the Cavaliers' only baserunners in the game, none moved into scoring position. She registered three strikeouts in the contest.

Tough Road Ahead
Louisville's 2021 slate is highlighted by five team in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason coaches' Top 25 polls including: No. 5/6 Alabama, No. 6/5 Florida, No. 15/15 Florida State, No. 12/12 Kentucky, No. 14/15 Virginia Tech, and No. 16/16 Duke.
• In response to the ongoing pandemic, the annual ACC/Big Ten challenge has been cancelled and the ACC has implemented four-game series to limit travel between conference opponents.
• Ulmer Stadium is set to host 20 games throughout the season, including two tournaments in March: the Cardinal Classic and the Red & Black Challenge.
• UofL will host the ACC Tournament from May 12-15, where the top 10 conference teams will be eligible to participate this year.
Double Duty
Three of Louisville's starting pitchers can also help their cause at the plate.
Taylor Roby leads the team with three home runs and 10 RBI.
• The right-handed pitcher is picking up where she left off last season when she led the team with a career-high seven home runs and 16 RBI in 2020.
• Additionally, the redshirt junior has issued a team-best 10 strikeouts in 17.2 innings of work this season.
Gabby Holloway (1-1) has logged 14.2 innings, standing second behind Roby in innings pitched. The freshman has six strikeouts on the season.
          She is tied with Roby for the team lead with a .333 batting average.
Jennifer Leonhardt (0-1) stands second on the team with a 3.39 ERA. The grad transfer from the University of Southern Indiana only has one hit thus far, but finished her undergrad career with a .327 batting average.
Rookie Contributions
The Cardinals' five freshmen have already made immediate impacts in the lineup.
• Sydney Bickel has started every game at shortstop.
• Taryn Weddle has started every game at catcher or as the designated player.
• Gabby Holloway has made four appearances in the circle and recorded the win against Virginia on Feb. 20.
• Mia Forsythe and Vanessa Miller have also seen playing time in five and two games respectively.
Triple Threat
Celene Funke connected on her first triple of the season in the 5-4 win at NC State (Feb. 20), improving her career total to 19. She currently stands second on Louisville's all-time list and needs seven more more to tie Audrey Rendon (2004-07) for first.
• Funke led the nation in triples with 13 in 2019, setting the school single season record along the way.
Funke Fast (Stolen base edition)
Celene Funke registered her first stolen base of the season in the 5-4 win against Virginia on Feb. 20. She extends her career total to 63 and stands third on Louisville's all-time stolen base list - she needs five more to tie Sidney Melton (2015-19) for third. Audrey Rendon (2004-07) holds the record with 82.
Sister Act
• Louisville's roster features two sets of sisters: the Schindlers and the Greenwoods.
• Senior outfielder Carmyn Greenwood transferred to Louisville from Auburn in the 2020 season, joining her sister, Cassady who is a junior catcher for the Cardinals.
• Senior pitcher Paige Schindler and outfielder Riley Schindler are among 21 sets of twins in NCAA Division I softball who play for the same team. Paige Schindler is sidelined this season due to injury.
• All four sisters saw action in the Feb. 8, 2020 game against Texas State. Carmyn Greenwood was in left field while sister Cassady was catching and Riley Schindler was playing right field while Paige was pitching.
Super Seniors
UofL has two "super seniors" on its roster in the form of graduate students Celene Funke and Jennifer Leonhardt, both of whom are utilizing an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA following the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign.
          Funke (Carmel, Ind.) was leading the team in stolen bases (13-for-13) and triples (3) when her senior season came to an abrupt halt after 23 games. In 2019, she led the nation in triples and set a school record with 13 while registering a team-best 48 runs and standing second with a .324 batting average and 29 stolen bases. The speedy centerfielder currently stands second on Louisville's career list for triples (18) and third on the all-time stolen base list with 62.
          Funke is also the program's first three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (2018, 2019) and is pursuing her MBA after earning her undergraduate degree in finance in May 2019.
          Leonhardt returns to her hometown after completing her career at the University of Southern Indiana where she was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American. The right-handed pitcher will play for the Cardinals while attending UofL's School of Dentistry.
          Leonhardt led the USI to the 2018 NCAA Division II national title and earned Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 NCAA Division II Softball Championship Series honors.
          As her senior campaign was cut short, Leonhardt carried a 7-3 record with a 1.63 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work. She also led the team with a .386 batting average.
          Leonhardt finished her career at USI as the program's all-time leader in wins (83), strikeouts (787) and complete game shutouts (35) while standing second in saves (8) and innings pitched (730.2). At the plate, she registered a .327 career batting average with 87 RBIs and 74 runs.

Home Sweet Home
Louisville has a 20-6 overall record at Ulmer Stadium in the last two seasons under head coach Holly Aprile.
• The Cardinals compiled a 4-1 record in the shortened 2020 season. Prior to that, Louisville registered a 16-5 record at Ulmer Stadium in 2020 with three wins over ranked opponents (No. 3/3 Florida State twice and No. 24/23 Kentucky).

Leonhardt Named Senior Class® Award Candidate
Jennifer Leonhardt has been named one 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS® Award in collegiate softball.
•To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
• Leonhardt, right-handed pitcher who hails from Louisville, Ky. (Fern Creek HS) is a graduate transfer from the University of Southern Indiana and is utilizing an extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA following the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
• The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in March, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
• The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2021 Women's College World Series in June.

Cards Picked to Finish Seventh in ACC
The University of Louisville softball team was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference released its preseason coaches poll.
2021 ACC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1) Florida State (141 pts, nine first-place votes)
2) Virginia Tech (136 pts, four first-place votes)
3) Notre Dame (114 pts)
4) Duke (99 pts)
5) North Carolina (96 pts)
6) Clemson (88 pts)
7) Louisville (81 pts)
8) NC State (78 pts)
9) Georgia Tech (61 pts)
10) Syracuse (39 pts)
11) Pitt (31 pts)
12) Virginia (28 pts)
13) Boston College (22 pts)

Card in 2020
• Louisville posted a 10-13 overall record in 2020 while in the midst of a challenging schedule that featured 10 games against teams in the top 25. The season came to an end on the eve of the Cardinals conference opener against Boston College.
• The Cardinals return 14 letterwinners and welcome seven newcomers to the 2021 squad.
• Sophomore Cassady Greenwood paced the Cards offensively with a .386 batting average (17-for-44). her sister, redshirt junior Carmyn Greenwood stood second at .373.
• Redshirt sophomore Taylor Roby led the team with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. She also carried a 5-7 record in the circle with a team-best 2.00 ERA.
• Maddy Newman led the Cards with 13 runs and is second on the team with eight stolen bases.
• Celene Funke finished the season on a 10-game hitting streak. The senior centerfielder also had a team-best 13 stolen bases and three triples.
• During the early season, the Cardinals experienced some growing pains in the midst of a challenging schedule that featured 10 games against teams in the top 25 in the most recent rankings including: No. 9/9 Oregon, No. 13/11 Oklahoma State, No. 10/13 Alabama, No. 18/17 Michigan, No. 21/18 Baylor, No. 21/22 Mississippi State and No. 23/24 Missouri.
• The team emerged from the month-long road swing with some impressive milestones, including a season-opening upset against No. 21/25 Ole Miss, a no-hitter from Chardonnay Harris against Wichita State and handing then-10th-ranked Oregon its first loss of the season.
• UofL opened play at Ulmer Stadium by hosting the Red & Black Challenge. After dropping their first game 2-1 in extra innings to Illinois, the Cards posted three straight wins against Northwestern, Illinois and Evansville to finish the weekend.

Looking back to 2019
In its most recent complete season, 2019, the Cardinals posted a 35-23 overall record and a 12-12 mark in ACC play for a third-place finish in the league's Atlantic Division and fifth in the overall conference standings.
• Louisville earned an at-large bid to the Evanston Regional and opened NCAA postseason play with a 9-5 win over Southern Illinois and folowed with a 2-1 upset of host No 18-17 Northwestern to advance to the regional final for the fifth time in school history and the first since the 2012 Louisville Regional.

Cards Excel in the Classroom
The Cardinals turned in impressive academic results in the fall semester earning a team GPA of 3.351. It marks the program's 31st straight semester with a collective GPA of 3.0 or higher - a streak dating back to the fall of 2005.
• The Cardinals also achieved some outstanding individual accomplishments as 19 out of 25 student-athletes will be named to the Athletic Director's honor roll after posting a mark of 3.0 or better. Eleven players made the Dean's List with a GPA of 3.5 or better.
•Senior Celene Funke and freshman Gabby Holloway earned Dean's Scholar status after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA - Funke did so while pursuing her MBA.

Louisville Travels to No. 6/5 Florida for a Two-Game Series

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Bickel

Charley Butler

Mia Forsythe

Celene Funke

Carmyn Greenwood

Cassady Greenwood

Chardonnay Harris

Gabby Holloway

Jennifer Leonhardt

Sidney Melton

Vanessa Miller

Maddy Newman

Taylor Roby

Paige Schindler

Riley Schindler

Taryn Weddle

University of Louisville Athletics