Cards to Face Indiana in Knoxville Regional Friday
May 14, 2023 | Softball
Louisville will face Indiana in the Knoxville Regional Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville softball team has earned an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA tournament and will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to face Indiana in the first round Friday at the University of Tennessee's Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. With the at-large bid, the Cardinals (35-18) are making their 15th NCAA appearance and first since 2019.
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The Cards (35-18) and the Hoosiers (42-16) will open play in Knoxville in an ESPN2-televised game Friday at 3 p.m. Southeastern Conference champion Tennessee (44-8) earned the No. 4 overall seed and will play Horizon League Champion Northern Kentucky (23-30) in the other first round game. Both games will be shown on ESPN2.
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The winner of the Knoxville Regional will advance to a Super Regional to play the winner of the Austin Regional which features the overall No. 13 seed Texas, Texas State, Texas A&M and Seton Hall.
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NCAA Softball Regional Schedule
Friday
Game 1: Louisville vs. Indiana, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 2: Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky (ESPN+)
Saturday
Game 3: Winners Games 1 & 2, 1:00 p.m.
Game 4: Losers Game 1 & 2, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 2:00 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary, 4:30 p.m.
NCAA SELECTION SUNDAY NOTES:
• The Knoxville Regional features three of the nation's top home run hitters in Tennessee's Kiki Milloy, Indiana's Taryn Kern and Louisville's Taylor Roby. Milloy leads the way with 23 homers while Kern and Roby are tied for second in the nation with 22 home runs apiece.
• The regional field features a pair of familiar opponents for Louisville. The Cards faced Indiana earlier this season with the Hoosiers prevailing 10-5 on April 11 in Bloomington. Louisville picked up a pair of wins over Northern Kentucky this season, defeating the Norse 7-0 on March 2 and 2-0 on March 5 in the Cardinal Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
• This will mark the fourth time Louisville has traveled to Knoxville for an NCAA regional. The Cardinals also competed in NCAA postseason play there in 2006, 2008 and 2010, reaching the regional final in 2006 and 2010.
• The 64-team tournament field also features six ACC teams with three claiming national seeds. Regular season and tournament champion Florida State is the overall No. 3 seed, Duke earned the No. 8 seed and Clemson the No. 16 seed. Louisville, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame also earned at-large bids.
• The league's six teams are the second most of any conference in this year's tournament.Â
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NCAA Softball Regional Schedule
Friday
Game 1: Louisville vs. Indiana, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 2: Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky (ESPN+)
Saturday
Game 3: Winners Games 1 & 2, 1:00 p.m.
Game 4: Losers Game 1 & 2, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 2:00 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary, 4:30 p.m.
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LOUISVILLE QUICK HITS:
• Louisville enters the NCAA postseason with a 35-18 overall record after a quarterfinal loss to No. 23/22 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship. The game set a tournament record for most combined runs.
• UofL stands at No. 24 in the D1Softball poll for the second straight week and is ranked No. 25 in the Softball America coaches poll, slipping one spot after debuting at No. 24 last week. The Cardinals are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches poll.
• Sarah Gordon was named the ACC Softball Freshman of the Year - she joins Korbe Otis and Taylor Roby on the All-ACC first team. Daisy Hess was selected to the second team while Easton Lotus and Alyssa Zabala earned third team honors. Gordon and Zabala were also named to the ACC All-Freshmen Team.
• The Cardinals' 35 wins are the most since 2019 when Louisville finished the season with a 35-23 record after reaching the final game of the Northwestern Regional.
• In 53 games, the Cards have produced 12 shutouts and 13 wins via the eight-run rule.
• Korbe Otis paces the team with a .406 batting average, 69 hits and an ACC-best 62 runs. The speedy leadoff hitter is a perfect 21-for-21 in stolen bases. Otis leads the ACC and tied for third in the nation with seven triples.
• Alyssa Zabala leads the team with 14 wins and 93 strikeouts in 119 innings while Roby carries a team-best 2.56 ERA with 57 Ks in 112 innings of work.
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THE HOLLY APRILE ERA
Head coach Holly Aprile is in 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 128 wins and an NCAA regional final appearance in 2019. She is one win away from her 400th career victory as a head coach.
• 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 VS. THE FIELD
Louisville vs. Indiana
Series Record: Louisville leads 20-4
Last Meeting: April 11, 2023 – Indiana won 10-5 in Bloomington.
In the NCAA Tournament: The teams have never met in the NCAA tournament
Scouting the Hoosiers: Indiana (42-16) was the Big Ten Conference tournament runner-up after falling 2-1 to top-seeded Northwestern in the title game.
• Big Ten Freshman and Player of the Year Taryn Kern leads the Hoosiers with a .411 batting average and 22 home runs, tied for second in the NCAA with Louisville's Taylor Roby.
• In the circle, Brianna Copeland (21-2) carries a 2.81 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 149.2 innings of work.
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Louisville vs. Northern Kentucky
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-0
Last Meeting: The teams met twice this season at Ulmer Stadium in the Cardinal Classic with Louisville winning 7-0 on March 2 and defeating the Norse 2-0 on March 5
In the NCAA Tournament: The teams have never met in the NCAA tournament
Scouting the Norse: Northern Kentucky (23-30) earned the Horizon League automatic bid, claiming the tournament title with a 2-1 win over Oakland on Saturday. This will mark Northern Kentucky's first NCAA tournament appearance.
• Head coach Kathryn Gleason was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year after leading the Norse to a third-place finish in the regular season standings and Maddie Lacer was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
• Ella LeMonier leads the Norse with a .333 batting average with 29 runs and 21 stolen bases. Alicia Flores (7-14) has shouldered the bulk of the pitching duties, carrying a 3.46 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 137.2 innings.
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Louisville vs. Tennessee
Series Record: Tennessee leads 6-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 25, 2019 – Tennessee won 5-3 in Knoxville
In the NCAA Tournament: The teams have met in the NCAA tournament three times with UT winning all three in Knoxville (2006, 2008, 2010)
Scouting the Lady Vols: Tennessee earned the Southeastern Conference automatic bid with a 3-1 win over South Carolina in the championship game.
• Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly was named the SEC Coach of the Year while Karlyn Pickens was named the conference Freshman of the Year.
• Kiki Milloy leads the Lady Vols at the plate with a .421 batting average and an NCAA-leading 23 home runs. She also paces the team with 34 stolen bases.
• Ashley Rogers (16-1) carries a 0.70 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 119.1 innings of work.
• The Lady Vols will make their 20th overall and 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Tennessee has advanced to the postseason every year since 2004 and has hosted 18 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.
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The Cards (35-18) and the Hoosiers (42-16) will open play in Knoxville in an ESPN2-televised game Friday at 3 p.m. Southeastern Conference champion Tennessee (44-8) earned the No. 4 overall seed and will play Horizon League Champion Northern Kentucky (23-30) in the other first round game. Both games will be shown on ESPN2.
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The winner of the Knoxville Regional will advance to a Super Regional to play the winner of the Austin Regional which features the overall No. 13 seed Texas, Texas State, Texas A&M and Seton Hall.
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"I'm really excited for the team and for the year we've had," said UofL head coach Holly Aprile. "This is the culmination of all the things that you're trying to do throughout the year and I'm really proud of our team and their effort and the intentional and purposeful work that we've put in all season. We are thrilled to have earned the opportunity."?? Knoxville Regional
— Louisville Softball (@LouisvilleSB) May 15, 2023
We're set to play Indiana on Friday at 3 p.m. ET#GoCards x #RoadToWCWS
NCAA Softball Regional Schedule
Friday
Game 1: Louisville vs. Indiana, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 2: Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky (ESPN+)
Saturday
Game 3: Winners Games 1 & 2, 1:00 p.m.
Game 4: Losers Game 1 & 2, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 2:00 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary, 4:30 p.m.
NCAA SELECTION SUNDAY NOTES:
• The Knoxville Regional features three of the nation's top home run hitters in Tennessee's Kiki Milloy, Indiana's Taryn Kern and Louisville's Taylor Roby. Milloy leads the way with 23 homers while Kern and Roby are tied for second in the nation with 22 home runs apiece.
• The regional field features a pair of familiar opponents for Louisville. The Cards faced Indiana earlier this season with the Hoosiers prevailing 10-5 on April 11 in Bloomington. Louisville picked up a pair of wins over Northern Kentucky this season, defeating the Norse 7-0 on March 2 and 2-0 on March 5 in the Cardinal Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
• This will mark the fourth time Louisville has traveled to Knoxville for an NCAA regional. The Cardinals also competed in NCAA postseason play there in 2006, 2008 and 2010, reaching the regional final in 2006 and 2010.
• The 64-team tournament field also features six ACC teams with three claiming national seeds. Regular season and tournament champion Florida State is the overall No. 3 seed, Duke earned the No. 8 seed and Clemson the No. 16 seed. Louisville, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame also earned at-large bids.
• The league's six teams are the second most of any conference in this year's tournament.Â
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NCAA Softball Regional Schedule
Friday
Game 1: Louisville vs. Indiana, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 2: Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky (ESPN+)
Saturday
Game 3: Winners Games 1 & 2, 1:00 p.m.
Game 4: Losers Game 1 & 2, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 2:00 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary, 4:30 p.m.
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LOUISVILLE QUICK HITS:
• Louisville enters the NCAA postseason with a 35-18 overall record after a quarterfinal loss to No. 23/22 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship. The game set a tournament record for most combined runs.
• UofL stands at No. 24 in the D1Softball poll for the second straight week and is ranked No. 25 in the Softball America coaches poll, slipping one spot after debuting at No. 24 last week. The Cardinals are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches poll.
• Sarah Gordon was named the ACC Softball Freshman of the Year - she joins Korbe Otis and Taylor Roby on the All-ACC first team. Daisy Hess was selected to the second team while Easton Lotus and Alyssa Zabala earned third team honors. Gordon and Zabala were also named to the ACC All-Freshmen Team.
• The Cardinals' 35 wins are the most since 2019 when Louisville finished the season with a 35-23 record after reaching the final game of the Northwestern Regional.
• In 53 games, the Cards have produced 12 shutouts and 13 wins via the eight-run rule.
• Korbe Otis paces the team with a .406 batting average, 69 hits and an ACC-best 62 runs. The speedy leadoff hitter is a perfect 21-for-21 in stolen bases. Otis leads the ACC and tied for third in the nation with seven triples.
• Alyssa Zabala leads the team with 14 wins and 93 strikeouts in 119 innings while Roby carries a team-best 2.56 ERA with 57 Ks in 112 innings of work.
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THE HOLLY APRILE ERA
Head coach Holly Aprile is in 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 128 wins and an NCAA regional final appearance in 2019. She is one win away from her 400th career victory as a head coach.
• 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 VS. THE FIELD
Louisville vs. Indiana
Series Record: Louisville leads 20-4
Last Meeting: April 11, 2023 – Indiana won 10-5 in Bloomington.
In the NCAA Tournament: The teams have never met in the NCAA tournament
Scouting the Hoosiers: Indiana (42-16) was the Big Ten Conference tournament runner-up after falling 2-1 to top-seeded Northwestern in the title game.
• Big Ten Freshman and Player of the Year Taryn Kern leads the Hoosiers with a .411 batting average and 22 home runs, tied for second in the NCAA with Louisville's Taylor Roby.
• In the circle, Brianna Copeland (21-2) carries a 2.81 ERA with 132 strikeouts in 149.2 innings of work.
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Louisville vs. Northern Kentucky
Series Record: Louisville leads 4-0
Last Meeting: The teams met twice this season at Ulmer Stadium in the Cardinal Classic with Louisville winning 7-0 on March 2 and defeating the Norse 2-0 on March 5
In the NCAA Tournament: The teams have never met in the NCAA tournament
Scouting the Norse: Northern Kentucky (23-30) earned the Horizon League automatic bid, claiming the tournament title with a 2-1 win over Oakland on Saturday. This will mark Northern Kentucky's first NCAA tournament appearance.
• Head coach Kathryn Gleason was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year after leading the Norse to a third-place finish in the regular season standings and Maddie Lacer was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
• Ella LeMonier leads the Norse with a .333 batting average with 29 runs and 21 stolen bases. Alicia Flores (7-14) has shouldered the bulk of the pitching duties, carrying a 3.46 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 137.2 innings.
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Louisville vs. Tennessee
Series Record: Tennessee leads 6-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 25, 2019 – Tennessee won 5-3 in Knoxville
In the NCAA Tournament: The teams have met in the NCAA tournament three times with UT winning all three in Knoxville (2006, 2008, 2010)
Scouting the Lady Vols: Tennessee earned the Southeastern Conference automatic bid with a 3-1 win over South Carolina in the championship game.
• Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly was named the SEC Coach of the Year while Karlyn Pickens was named the conference Freshman of the Year.
• Kiki Milloy leads the Lady Vols at the plate with a .421 batting average and an NCAA-leading 23 home runs. She also paces the team with 34 stolen bases.
• Ashley Rogers (16-1) carries a 0.70 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 119.1 innings of work.
• The Lady Vols will make their 20th overall and 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Tennessee has advanced to the postseason every year since 2004 and has hosted 18 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.
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