Cards Wrap Up March Home Stand Against No. 19/16 Virginia Tech This Weekend

GAME INFORMATION
Louisville vs. No. 19/16 Virginia Tech
Dates: March 26-28, 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
Game Notes: Louisville | Virginia Tech
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 wrap up its 15-game home stand this weekend when the Cards play host to No. 19/16 Virginia Tech in a four-game series at Ulmer Stadium. The teams will open the series on Friday evening at 7 p.m. followed by a Saturday doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. The finale will take place Sunday at 1 p.m.

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
• The Cards will play their 12th straight home game in the series opener on Friday at 7 p.m. as Louisville (9-11, 3-6 ACC) looks to snap a four-game losing streak this weekend.
• UofL is 3-6 in ACC play and stands eighth in the conference while Virginia Tech (16-4, 10-4 ACC) is third in the ACC standings.
• Taylor Roby leads the team with a .40 batting average, five home runs and has driven in 21. She stands tied for second in the ACC in RBI.
• Roby (5-5) leads the team with a 2.67 ERA in 60.1 innings of work.
• Roby has also produced a team-best six multi-RBI games.
^ She was named ACC Player of the Week on February 23.
• Roby has reached safely via a hit or walk in 13 straight games. She recently snapped a 10-game hitting streak.
• Carmyn Greenwood leads the team with 12 runs and five stolen bases, has a team-best eight multi-hit games this season and stands second with a .387 batting average.
• 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 36 strikeouts in 33.1 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 ranks 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.
• Freshman Vanessa Miller delivered her first career hit - a pinch hit solo home run in the 6-1 loss to Clemson (3/20).
• 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
Virginia Tech
Series Record: Virginia Tech leads the series 8-7.
Last Meeting: The last matchup between the two teams took place March.29-31, 2019 in Blacksburg, Va. The Cards took the first game of the three-game series 7-5, but fell short in the final two games, 10-1 and 13-5
Scouting the Hokies: No. 18/16 Virginia Tech comes into this weekend with a 15-4 overall record (10-4 ACC).
• Preseason All-ACC selection Jayme Bailey is batting .414 this season. Bailey is tied for second in the ACC in RBIs and has registered three home runs, two triples, and six doubles.
• Kelsey Bennett leads the Hookies and is tied for first in the ACC in home runs with seven. The sophomore is batting .346 and slugging .846 on the season.
• Leading Virginia Tech in the circle is junior Keely Rochard. The Virginia native enters the weekend as the current ACC Pitcher of the Week after her 3-0 weekend (3/19-3/21), dealing out 46 strikeouts and giving up just three hits and three walks over 18 innings. Rochard (12-1) is second in the ACC with an ERA of 0.88 and has dealt 119 strikeouts so far.
• The Hokies are led by head coach Pete D'Amour who is in his third season at Virginia Tech with a record of 84-19 (33-8 ACC). D'Amour turned the softball program around in his first season with a 24-game win improvement and was named the 2019 ACC Coach of the Year.

RECAPPING THE CLEMSON SERIES
The Cardinals were swept by then-No. 23/25 Clemson in a four-game ACC series last weekend.
• In the opening game, the Cardinals and Tigers battled through a scoreless tie before Clemson prevailed with four runs in the top of the 11th inning. The Tigers went on to sweep Saturday's doubleheader 2-1 and 6-1 and capped the weekend with a 4-2 victory on Sunday.
• Redshirt senior Carmyn Greenwood led Louisvlle at the plate with a .538 batting average (7-for-13).

UP NEXT
After concluding their 15-game home stand, the Cardinals will hit the road for a four-game ACC series at Pittsburgh which will take place April 1-3.

SCHEDULE UPDATES
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 Pant•hers 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.
• Additionally, Louisville's ACC series at Boston College (April 30-May 2) has been altered as part of ACC Network coverage. The teams will now square off in a single game at 5 p.m. on Friday followed by a 12 p.m./5 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday. The series finale will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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. 4/3 Alabama, No. 5/5 Florida, No. 7/7 Kentucky, No. 12/13 Florida State, No. 11/12 Duke, No. 19/16 Virginia Tech and No. 20/21 Clemson
• Four of Louisville's 11 losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10 (Alabama and Florida) and eight have come against top 25 opponents.
• 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
All three of Louisville's starting pitchers can also help their cause at the plate.
Taylor Roby leads the team with five home runs and 21 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 60.0 innings and issued 31 strikeouts.
Jennifer Leonhardt leads the team 36 Ks 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 (3-3) has logged 34.0 innings, standing a close second behind Roby in innings pitched. The freshman has issued 14 strikeouts on the season and has driven in a pair of runs.

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 RHP 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 6-5 record at Ulmer Stadium so far this season and is 27-12
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 TV
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.

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.

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 Wrap Up March Home Stand Against No. 19/16 Virginia Tech This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Celene Funke

Carmyn Greenwood

Gabby Holloway

Jennifer Leonhardt

Vanessa Miller

Taylor Roby

Paige Schindler

Riley Schindler

University of Louisville Athletics