Cards Set to Open 2023 Season at NFCA Leadoff Classic

The University of Louisville softball team will open the 2023 season this weekend when the Cardinals travel to Clearwater, Fla., for the 2023 NFCA Leadoff Classic which will take place Feb. 10-12 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

The Cardinals will begin play on Friday when they take on South Alabama at 11 a.m. followed by a 1:30 p.m. matchup against No. 20/17 Kentucky. Action will continue on Saturday when Louisville takes on Southern University at 4 p.m. and RV/No. 23 Missouri at 6:30 p.m. The Cards will wrap up the weekend on Sunday at 10 a.m. against Howard. All games will be live streamed on Gamechanger.

2023 NFCA Leadoff Classic Information
Dates: Feb. 10-12
Location: Clearwater, Fla.
Venue: Eddie C. Moore Complex
Opponents: South Alabama, Kentucky, Southern, Missouri, Howard
Live stream: Gamechanger
Tournament Central*: NFCA.org
* Information on accessing Gamechanger may be found at the NFCA Tournament Central

QUICK HITS
• The Cardinals will return 13 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's team including two-time NFCA All-Southeast Region selection Taylor Roby and 2022 ACC all-freshman honoree Korbe Otis. Louisville also welcomes six newcomers to the 2023 roster including transfers Paige Geraghty and Daisy Hess.
• Louisville is receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Cardinals were picked to finish seventh in the 2023 ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•The Cards are 14-9 in season-opening games and have won their first game of the season in nine of the last 11 years.
• Graduate senior Taylor Roby currently has 40 career home runs and stands second on UofL's all-time list. She needs two more to tie the school record of 42 set by Courtney Moore (2004-07)
• Roby shouldered the bulk of the pitching duties in 2022 and led the team with a 15-11 record while holding a 3.37 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 170.1 innings of work.
• The UofL softball team posted a 27-25 overall record in the midst of a challenging schedule that was ranked 18th in the nation and earned the No. 8 seed in the ACC Championship.

THE HOLLY APRILE ERA
• Head coach Holly Aprile is entering her fifth season as UofL's head coach. During her time at the helm – which includes the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season, Aprile guided the Cardinals to 93 wins and an NCAA regional final appearance in 2019.
• Prior to her arrival at Louisville, Aprile, the 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.

CARDS AGAINST THE OPPONENTS
South Alabama
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 24, 2018 - Louisville won 5-4 in the D9 Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla.
Scouting the Jaguars: South Alabama is coming off a solid 2022 season, finishing second in the Sun Belt with an overall record of 26-21. The Jaguars are picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt, coming off a 16-6 record in conference play. South Alabama is led by junior pitcher Olivia Lackie, named to the Preseason D100 Player List by D1 Softball.

Kentucky
Series Record: Kentucky leads 22-20
Last Meeting: April 12, 2022 - Kentucky won 9-0 at Ulmer Stadium behind Stephanie Schoonover's no-hitter.
Scouting the Wildcats: Kentucky ended the 2022 season with a 37-19 overall record, finishing fifth in the SEC. The Wildcats competed in the Blacksburg regional before falling to third overall seed Virginia Tech in the regional final.
• Kentucky has earned preseason recognition, ranked in the Top 25 in the NFCA Coaches Poll (No. 20), the USA Softball Preseason poll (No. 17) and the D1 Softball Preseason Poll, (No. 16).
• The Wildcats are led by veteran catcher Kayla Kowalik and junior infielder Erin Coffel both named to the USA Softball top-50 watchlist and the Preseason All-SEC team.
Cardinal Connections:
• UofL head coach Holly Aprile and UK head coach Rachel Lawson were teammates at UMass and helped lead the Minutewomen to a Women's College World Series appearance in 1992.
• UofL assistant coach Griffin Joiner is a UK alum and played for Lawson from 2012-15. She also served as a grad manager for her alma mater from 2016-17.

Southern
Series Record: First meeting
Scouting the Jaguars: Southern ended the 2022 season with a 15-33 overall record while going 11-13 in conference play. The Jaguars are picked to finish fifth in the SWAC Western Division.

Missouri
Series Record: Louisville leads 8-5
Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2020, Louisville lost 5-1 in the Cardinal Classic at Ulmer Stadium
Scouting the Tigers: Missouri is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign, finishing the season with a 38-22 overall record. The Tigers made it to the finals of the SEC championship before losing to Arkansas. Missouri earned the 15th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Arizona in the Regional Final.
• The Tigers enter the 2023 season at No. 23 in the USA Today Preseason Poll and received votes in the NFCA Coaches Poll. The Tigers are led by junior shortstop Jenna Laird who was selected to Softball America's 2023 Preseason Top 100.

Howard
Series Record: First Meeting
Scouting the Bison: Howard ended the 2022 season with a 31-24 overall record and finished atop the MEAC, claiming their second conference title since 2007. The Bison earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament before being eliminated by Mississippi St. in the Tallahassee Regional.
• Howard has several key players returning for the 2023 season, including sophomore Alyssa Vasquez a member of the MEAC All-Tournament Team.

ROBY RISING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• Taylor Roby extended her career home run total to 40 in 2022. She stands second on Louisville's all time list and needs two more to tie Courtney Moore for the all-time record of 42.

UP NEXT
Following the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Cardinals will hit the road for the second straight week when they travel to Atlanta for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge hosted by Georgia Tech. Louisville will take on Illinois and Wisconsin twice in the tournament.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
The Cardinals' 2023 schedule includes 21 home games with one tournament at Ulmer Stadium.
• The 54-game spring slate also features 18 contests against nine opponents ranked among the top 25 in the NFCA, USA Softball and D1Softball.com preseason coaches polls including top-ranked 2022 national champion Oklahoma.

ACC STRONG
The ACC is poised for another outstanding year after placing four teams among the top 16 seeds in last year's NCAA Championship and was the only conference with two teams among the top five seeds (No. 2 Florida State and No. 3 Virginia Tech). Overall, six ACC teams earned bids to the tournament, and a league-record three teams advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals, as Virginia Tech, Clemson and Duke each won their home regionals.
• Four ACC teams: Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Duke, are ranked in the NFCA, USA Softball and D1Softball Preseason Top 25 polls.

CARDS SHINE IN THE CLASSROOM
UofL Softball continued its academic success in the 2022 fall semester with a 3.742, marks the program's 35th 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 with six Dean's Scholars posting a 4.0 GPA. Additionally all 19 softball student-athletes were named to the Athletic Director's honor roll after posting a mark of 3.0 or better.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paige Geraghty

Daisy Hess

Korbe Otis

Taylor Roby

University of Louisville Athletics