Louisville Opens ACC Play at No. 15/15 Duke this Weekend

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville softball team will hit the road for four straight games starting with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at No. 15/15 Duke this weekend.

Louisville will open ACC play with a 6 p.m. matchup at Duke on Friday. Action will continue on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Cards and the Blue Devils will wrap up the weekend Sunday at 2 p.m. The first two games of the series will air on ACC Network Extra while Sunday's finale will be televised on the ACC Network.

Series Information
Dates: March 10-12
Location: Durham, N.C.
Venue: Duke Softball Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra (Friday, Saturday); ACC Network (Sunday) | Game Notes
Links:
Friday – Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch
Saturday - Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch
Sunday – Live Scoring | ACC Network Watch

QUICK HITS
• UofL brings a 14-6 overall record into its ACC opener following a 3-2 performance in the Cardinal Classic.
• In 20 games, the Cardinals have produced eight shutouts and five eight-run rule victories.
• Korbe Otis leads the team with a .429 batting average, 19 runs and is a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases.
• Otis brings a 10-game hitting streak and a 13-game reached base streak into the weekend. Overall, Otis has reached base via a hit or walk in 18 of Louisville's 20 games.
• In the 8-0 win against Bradley, graduate senior Taylor Roby hit a two-run homer two extend her career home run total to 43, taking sole possession of Louisville's all-time home run record. The previous mark of 42 was set by Courtney Moore who played for the Cardinals from 2004-07. Roby now has 45 homers on the season.
• Louisville is batting .305 as a team with five players hitting above .300.
• Louisville has outscored opponents 102-52.
• Alyssa Zabala (6-2) carries a 1.81 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of work. The freshman was named to the NFCA Leadoff All-Tournament team after an impressive collegiate debut.

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 108 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 OPPONENT
DUKE
Series Record: Duke leads 6-3
Last Meeting: Feb. 19, 2022, Duke won 6-3 in Gainesville at Florida's T-Mobile Classic
Scouting the Blue Devils: No. 15/15 Duke brings an 18-4 record into the game following a 5-4, nine inning win at Charlotte on Wednesday. The Blue Devils stand at 2-1 in ACC play following their league-opening series against Notre Dame. The Irish took the first game of the series 5-4, but Duke picked up a 6-2 win in game two and scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win Sunday's rubber game 4-3.
• D'Auna Jennings leads the team offensively with a .426 batting average and six stolen bases. Ana Gold has belted out a team-high six home runs with 25 RBIs.
• Jala Wright (3-2) has carried the bulk of the pitching duties with 53 strikeouts in 51.1 innings of work and a 2.28 ERA. Cassidy Curd carries a 6-0 record and a 1.36 ERA with 48 Ks in 33 innings.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will stay on the road for a midweek matchup at Charlotte on Tuesday. Louisville will then return to Ulmer Stadium for a three-game series against Pitt.

LAST UP
The Cardinals went 3-2 in the Cardinal Classic with a pair of wins against Northern Kentucky and a victory over Toledo. The Cardinals suffered two losses to then-No. 22/22 Northwestern.
Notes from the Cardinal Classic
• Thursday's win over Northern Kentucky marked Louisville's second straight shutout and seventh this season.
• Daisy Hess snapped a 15-game reached base streak in Sunday's 11-1 loss to Northwestern.
• Korbe Otis led the Cardinals at the plate on the weekend batting .471 (8-for-17) with double, two triple, four runs, three RBIs and was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases. She had at least one hit in each of Louisville's five games.
• Taylor Roby posted a 0.62 ERA in three appearances while striking out 11 in 11.1 innings

Louisville Opens ACC Play at No. 15/15 Duke this Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Daisy Hess

Korbe Otis

Taylor Roby

Alyssa Zabala

University of Louisville Athletics