Louisville Softball Welcomes No. 23/25 Clemson for Four Game ACC Series

GAME INFORMATION
Louisville vs. No. 23/25 Clemson
Dates: March 19-21, 2021
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Ulmer Stadium
Schedule
Friday, 7 p.m. - Live Scoring | ACCNX
Saturday, 12 p.m. - Live Scoring | ACCNX
Saturday, 2:30 p.m. - Live Scoring | ACCNX
Sunday, 1 p.m. - Live Scoring | ACCNX
Twitter Updates: @UofLSoftball | Louisville Game Notes
Admission: Player pass list, limited walk-up tickets for inside the stadium. Berm seating available with social distancing.

The University of Louisville softball team will continue its 20-game home stand this weekend when the Cards play host to No. 23/25 Clemson in a four-game ACC series this weekend.

ULMER STADIUM ATTENDANCE POLICY
In 2021, attendance will be limited to 20 percent capacity at Ulmer Stadium. Due to these capacity limitations, pass list admittance will be available to guests of Louisville student-athletes, coaches and visiting team, along with a limited number of walk-up tickets for UofL Students and the general public. All home contests will be televised and/or streamed for those that can't attend.

BERM SEATING
Berm and greenspace areas around Ulmer Stadium are publicly accessible areas that offer views of the action at Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium. While the berm is outside the confines of the stadium, the following of CDC guidelines including social distancing and masking is advised for any fan who chooses to view a game from these areas.

For more information please visit here.

CARDINAL NOTES
• This weekend will mark the first meeting between the team as Clemson is in its second season as a program.
• The Cards will play their eighth straight home game in the series opener on Friday at 7 p.m.
• Louisville (9-7, 3-2 ACC) brings a three-game win streak into the weekend.
• UofL is 3-2 in ACC play and stands sixth in the conference. In the ACC Pod Weekend, the Cards went 1-2 against NC State and swept Virginia in a two-game series.
• The Cardinals are 6-1 at Ulmer Stadium in 2021.
• Taylor Roby leads the team with a .419 batting average, five home runs and has driven in 20. She stands tied for second in the ACC in RBI.
• Roby has also produced a team-best six multi-hit games and multi-RBI games.
   ^ She was named ACC Player of the Week on February 23.
• Roby is on an eight-game hitting streak and has reached safely via a hit or walk in the last nine games.
• Carmyn Greenwood leads the team with 11 runs and stands second with a .347 batting average and has five multi-hit games this season. She is on a five-game hitting streak and has reached safely in the last seven games.
• Jennifer Leonhardt, a graduate transfer from the University of Southern Indiana leads the Cardinals' pitching rotation with a 2.28 ERA. The RHP has logged a team-high 32 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.
• Leonhardt is tied for the ACC lead and third in the nation with three saves.
• Leonhardt has been named a top 30 candidate for the Senior CLASS Award.
• Celene Funke currently stands second on Louisville's all-time list for triples with 20 and needs six more to tie for the lead.
• Funke is also third on Louisville's career list for stolen bases with 63 and needs five more to move into a tie for second.
• 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 54-43 record and guided the Cardinals to an NCAA regional final appearance in 2019.
• 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 ACC tournament.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Clemson
Series Record: First meeting
Scouting the Tigers: Clemson is ranked No. 23 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Tigers entersthe weekend with an overall record of 16-2 and stands second in the ACC with an 8-2 conference mark.
• Clemson is currently on a 13-game win streak, most recently sweeping Furman in a three-game series last weekend.
• Marissa Guimbarda leads the Tigers with a .447 batting average, an ACC-best 21 RBIs and six home runs on the season.
• McKenzie Clark is a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen bases.
• Valerie Cagle (10-1) has shouldered much of the pitching load, logging 65.2 innings and 14 appearances. The freshman has registered 63 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .214 batting average. She has also helped her own cause at the plate, standing second on the team with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
• In its second season as a program, Clemson is coached by John Rittman.

RECAPPING THE RED & BLACK CHALLENGE
Taylor Roby drove in six runs on the day to help the University of Louisville softball team pick up a pair of shutout wins in the Red & Black Challenge. The Cardinals beat Valpo 8-0 and followed with a 3-0 win against Western Kentucky 3-0 on Saturday.
• In Saturday's Red & Black Challenge opener against Valpo, Roby went 2-for-2, connected on a home run and a double to drive in three in the Cardinals' 8-0 win.
• In the second game of the day, Roby drove in all three of the Cardinals' runs and picked up the win in the circle, scattering four hits in four innings and fanning two. Jennifer Leonhardt combined for the shutout and earned her third save of the season.

UP NEXT
Louisville will continue its 20-game home stand next weekend when the Cardinals play host to their second straight ranked ACC opponent as No. 18/16 Virginia Tech visits Ulmer Stadium.

SCHEDULE UPDATE
Louisville's ACC road series at Pittsburgh has been moved up a day and is now slated for April 1-3. The Cards and the Panthers will meet in a single game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 1 and again on Friday, April 2. The teams will square off in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 3.

TOUGH SLATE
Louisville's 2021 slate is highlighted by seven teams in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches' Top 25 polls including: No. 2/3 Alabama, No. 5/5 Florida, No. 9/10 Kentucky, No. 13/13 Florida State, No. 14/14 Duke, No. 18/16 Virginia Tech and No. 23/25 Clemson
• Four of Louisville's seven losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10 (Alabama and Florida).
• 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 28 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.

DUAL THREATS
Three of Louisville's starting pitchers can also help their cause at the plate.
Taylor Roby leads the team with five home runs and 20 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 logged a team-high 40.0 innings and issued 23 strikeouts.
Jennifer Leonhardt (0-2) leads the team with a 2.28 ERA and stands second in the ACC with three saves. The graduate senior transfer from the University of Southern Indiana has three hits thus far, but finished her undergrad career with a .327 batting average.
Gabby Holloway (3-2) has logged 31.0 innings, standing a close second behind Roby in innings pitched. The freshman has issued 13 strikeouts on the season and has driven in a pair of runs.

ROOKIE CONTRIBUTIONS
UofL's five freshmen have already made immediate impacts in the lineup.
• Sydney Bickel has played in 12 games, starting nine at shortstop.
• Taryn Weddle has started 10 games at catcher or as the designated player.
• Gabby Holloway has made nine appearances in the circle and recorded the win against Virginia on Feb. 20. She stands second on the pitching staff with 31.0 innings of work
• Mia Forsythe and Vanessa Miller have also seen playing time in six and five games respectively.

TRIPLE TREAT
Celene Funke connected her second triple of the season in the 9-0 win over Bradley, extending career total to 20. She currently stands second on Louisville's all-time list and needs six 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 CELENE FUNKE AND JENNIFER LEONHARDT
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 6-1 record at Ulmer Stadium so far this season and is 27-7
at home in the last three easons 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).

CARDS ON THE AIR
All of Louisville's home contests will be televised on the ACC Network or ACC Network Extra.
• Additionally, the Cardinals' April 21 road game at Kentucky will be aired on ESPNU.

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)

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 Softball Welcomes No. 23/25 Clemson for Four Game ACC Series

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Bickel

Mia Forsythe

Celene Funke

Carmyn Greenwood

Gabby Holloway

Jennifer Leonhardt

Vanessa Miller

Taylor Roby

Paige Schindler

Riley Schindler

Taryn Weddle

University of Louisville Athletics