Cardinals Set for Bluegrass Challenge

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Bluegrass Challenge (at Louisville)
Date: March 10-13, 2022
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium
Television: Louisville games on ACCNX
Announcers: Suzanne Bush (PXP),
Dr. Joanna Lane (Analyst)
Links:
Thursday: UL vs. CMU | ACCNX | Live Scoring
Thursday: UL vs. Valpo | ACCNX | Live Scoring
Friday: UL vs. CMU | ACCNX | Live Scoring
Friday: UL vs. Ohio | ACCNX | Live Scoring
Sunday: UL vs. Indiana | ACCNX | Live Scoring
Twitter Updates: @LouisvilleSB
Game Notes: Louisville
Admission: Free - Clear Bag Policy in effect
Parking: Fans are encouraged to park in the Floyd Street Parking Garage for a $5 fee

The University of Louisville softball team will welcome Central Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio University and Valpo to Ulmer Stadium for the Bluegrass Challenge this weekend. UofL is collaborating with the University of Kentucky in the dual-site tournament which features a total of eight teams.

Louisville will open tournament on Thursday when they take on Central Michigan at 5 p.m. followed by a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Valpo. Action will continue on Friday when the Cardinals face Central Michigan at 3 p.m. and Ohio University at 5 p.m. The Cards will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with an 11 a.m. contest against Indiana.

Game Day Information:
Admission: Free
Gates open: One (1) hour prior to the first game of the day
Clear Bag Policy: A Clear Bag Policy remains in place at all UofL athletics facilities. Fans may bring one clear bag, either a one-gallon clear Ziploc-style storage bag, or a 12 x 6 x 12 inches clear tote bag.
Parking: Fans are encouraged to park in the Floyd Street Parking Garage for a $5 fee
Social Media: Fans can follow Louisville Softball on Twitter (@UofLsoftball) at https://twitter.com/LouisvilleSB and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleSB

BLUEGRASS CHALLENGE SCHEDULE (AT LOUISVILLE)
THURSDAY, MARCH 10
Game 1        Valpo vs. Central Michigan, 2:30 PM
Game 2        Central Michigan vs. Louisville, 5:00 PM
Game 3        Valpo vs. Louisville, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 11
Game 4        Central Michigan vs. Indiana, 10:00 AM
Game 5        Ohio vs. Indiana, 12:30 PM
Game 6        Central Michigan vs. Louisville, 3:00 PM
Game 7        Ohio vs. Louisville, 5:30 PM
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
Game 8        Indiana vs. Louisville, 11:00 AM
Game 9        Indiana vs. Eastern Kentucky, 1:30 PM

CARD NOTES
• Louisville will continue its 14-game home stand with the Bluegrass Challenge this weekend. The Cardinals will collaborate with the University of Kentucky in the dual-site tournament which features a total of eight teams with Central Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio University and Valpo visiting Ulmer Stadium.
• The Cardinals bring an 11-8 overall record, an a three-game win streak into the weekend following a 3-2 performance at the Cardinal Classic.
• The Cardinals are led offensively by graduate senior Carmyn Greenwood who is hitting .397 with a team-high 25 hits and 24 runs. She is currently on a five game hitting streak and has reached base safely in the last six games.
• Redshirt senior RHP Taylor Roby has shouldered the bulk of the pitching duties and holds a 3.41 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of work. She also leads the team with 19 RBIs and is tied atop the team standings with six home runs.
• Kendall Smith was recently named one of 30 Senior CLASS Award Candidates.
• The Cardinals return 15 players from last year's team including NFCA All-Southeast Region and All-ACC selections Carmyn Greenwood and Taylor Roby.
• Among the returners are 12 upperclassmen including seven seniors and five juniors, as well as senior transfer Hannah File (James Madison) and graduate transfer Kendall Smith (Western Kentucky).
• The Cardinals starting lineup frequently feature four freshmen.
• Louisville was picked to finish sixth in the ACC in a preseason vote by the league's head coaches.
• Graduate senior Carmyn Greenwood was selected to the Preseason All-ACC Softball team.

THE APRILE ERA
• Holly Aprile is entering her fourth 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 77-72-1 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.

UP NEXT
Louisville will continue its three-week homestand with a midweek game against Western Illinois on Wednesday. The Cardinals will open ACC play next weekend when Georgia Tech visits Ulmer Stadium for a three-game series.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Valparaiso
Series History: Louisville leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated Valparaiso 8-0 on Mar. 13, 2021, in the Red & Black Challenge at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Crusaders: Valparaiso (7-6) is coming off a 9-0 loss to Indiana in the Hoosier Classic on Mar. 5. Before playing the Cardinals, the Crusaders will play Central Michigan in their first game of the Bluegrass Challenge on Mar. 10. Sophomore Madison Wathen leads Valparaiso on the mound, boasting a 3-0 record on the season while pitching two complete games. Wathen's 1.97 ERA ranks fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference while her 22 hits allowed rank as the lowest in the MVC. Amanda Eberhart is in her first season with the Crusaders after a three-year stint as the head coach at Omaha.

Central Michigan
Series History: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated Central Michigan 3-2 on Feb. 24, 2014, in the Cardinal Classic in the first meeting between the programs.
Scouting the Chippewas: Central Michigan (7-6) is coming off a 5-1 win over Georgetown on Mar. 6. Before squaring off against Louisville, Central Michigan will play a doubleheader against Long Island University on Mar. 8 and will match up against both Valparaiso on Mar. 10 and Indiana on Mar. 11 in the Bluegrass Challenge. Senior Shannon Stein leads the Chippewas attack as one of the Mid-American Conference's top hitters, holding a .436 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage, 16 RBIs, and 6 home runs. McCall Salmon is in her third season at Central Michigan.

Ohio
Series History: Louisville leads 7-2
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated Ohio 2-1 in eight innings on Mar. 10, 2017, in the Louisville Softball Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Bobcats: Ohio (4-10) is coming off a 2-0 win over UMass on Mar. 6 in the Bulldog Classic and will play Dayton on Mar. 9 before facing the Cardinals. The Bobcats are led at the plate by Brooke Rice with a .371 batting average and a 1.071 on-base slugging percentage which ranks 12th in the Mid Atlantic Conference. Allie England ranks 14th in the conference with a .362 batting average and .872 on-base slugging percentage. Head coach Kenzie Roark is in her second season at the helm for Ohio.

Eastern Kentucky
Series History: Louisville leads 7-4
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated Eastern Kentucky 6-1 on Mar. 12, 2016, in the Louisville Softball Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Colonels: Eastern Kentucky (3-15) is coming off a 6-3 loss to Eastern Illinois on Mar. 6 at the ASU Invitational. Carly Robinson led the Colonels with two hits and two RBIs in three appearances at the plate. Sammi Miller leads the Colonels with a .350 batting average in 40 at-bats and with a fielding percentage of 1.000. Head coach Jane Worthington is in her 30th season with Eastern Kentucky.

Indiana
Series History: Louisville leads 19-3
Last Meeting: Louisville defeated Indiana 9-5 on Feb. 11, 2022, in the FAU First Pitch Classic.
Scouting the Hoosiers: Indiana (9-4) is coming off a 9-0 win over Valparaiso on Mar. 5. Brianna Copeland led the way with two hits in two at-bats including a home run and Macy Montgomery recorded three strikeouts in four innings. Bella Norton ranks sixth in the Big Ten with a hitting percentage of .341 and an on-base slugging percentage of .932. Shonda Stanton is in her fifth season leading Indiana.

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Players Mentioned

Hannah File

Carmyn Greenwood

Taylor Roby

Kendall Smith

University of Louisville Athletics