Louisville Welcomes No. 22/21 Clemson for Senior Weekend

GAME INFORMATION
Date: April 26-28, 2024
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Don Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium
Admission: Free
Gates Open: One (1) hour prior to first pitch
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.
Twitter Updates: @LouisvilleSB
Coverage: ACCNX – Suzanne Bush (PXP), Dr. Joanna Lane (Analysis)
Friday, 6 p.m. Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch Link
Saturday, 1 p.m. –Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch Link
Sunday, 12 p.m. – Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch Link

The University of Louisville softball team will return to Ulmer Stadium for their final home weekend as No. 22/21 Clemson visits Ulmer Stadium for a three-game ACC series.

The teams will open the set on Friday at 6 p.m. and continue play Saturday at 1 p.m. with the finale slated for 12 p.m. Sunday. All games will air on ACCNX with Suzanne Bush calling play-by-play and Dr. Joanna Lane providing analysis.

QUICK HITS
• Louisville will honor the senior class of 2024 in a pregame ceremony on Saturday. That class of eight student-athletes includes: Mia Forsythe, Riley Frizell, Paige Geraghty, Kiley Goff, Daisy Hess, Gabby Holloway, Vanessa Miller and Bailee Richardson.
• The Cards enter the weekend series with a 25-21 overall record and a 6-12 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play, good for ninth in league standings.
• At least one Louisville player has connected on a home run in the last six games dating back to April 13 game at Georgia Tech.
• The 2024 campaign marks the 25th season in program history. The program started in 2000 and boasts 15 NCAA tournament appearances and five conference championships.

PLAYER NOTES
• Alyssa Zabala (18-12) carries a 2.80 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 142.1 innings. Her 18 victories lead the ACC and stand 14th in the national standings. The sophomore has earned the last eight wins in the circle and 15 of the last 16 for the Cardinals.
• Riley Frizell paces the Cardinals with a .331 batting average, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .682 slugging percentage.
• Daisy Hess leads the team with 28 runs, 30 walks and a .449 on-base percentage.
• Kiley Goff stands second on the team with 26 runs. She has been hit by a pitch 20 times in Louisville's 43 games and leads the nation in that category. Goff has also earned 28 walks and carries a .443 on-base percentage.
• Vanessa Miller leads the team with a career-best 12 stolen bases and stands second on the team with 10 homers and 32 RBIs - both are career highs for the senior right fielder.

THE APRILE ERA
• Holly Aprile is in her sixth season as UofL's head coach. During her time at Louisville, which includes the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, the Cardinals have amassed 154 wins and earned a pair of NCAA regional appearances with the 2023 Knoxville Regional and the 2019 NCAA Evanston Regional finals. She was named the Leadership Playbook 2022-23 Collegiate Coach of the Year.
• 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 CLEMSON
Series Record: Clemson leads 4-1
Last Meeting: March 25-27, 2022 in Clemson - The Cardinals fell in the first two games 5-2 and 8-0 (5 inn.), but Louisville rallied to avoid the sweep in the final game with a 4-2 win in 8 innings.
Scouting the Tigers: Clemson enters their final regular season weekend of the year with a 31-15 record following a series win over Notre Dame last weekend. The Tigers rank fourth in the ACC standings with a 13-8 record in conference play.
• The Tiger pitching staff currently owns a 2.19 earned run average, standing third in the conference and 18th in the nation.
• Millie Thompson (5-5) leads the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio with 8.63 with an ERA of 1.68. Valerie Cagle (8-5) leads the offense in RBIs (37) and leads the pitching staff in strikeouts (90); she also owns a 2.56 ERA through 84.2 innings of work, including 7 complete games. Reagan Spencer (8-3) leads the team in ERA (1.66), innings pitched (88.1), and opponent batting average (.217).
• Dominating the Clemson offense, McKenzie Clark boasts a .373 batting average and is tied at for the team lead in home runs (9) with Maddie Moore. Clark also tops the team stats in runs (46), hits (53), and walks (23).
CARDINAL CONNECTION: This weekend will be a homecoming for former Louisville softball great Taylor Roby serves as a graduate assistant for the Tigers. Roby played for the Cardinals from 2018-23. The two-way player was a three-time NFCA All-Southeast Region selection and earned All-America honors in 2023.
• She owns the program record for single season (23) and career (63) home runs.

LAST UP
The Cardinals are coming off of a 1-2 showing at North Carolina last weekend. Louisville took the opening game 2-1 behind home runs by Riley Frizell and Maddi Grant. Alyssa Zabala earned the win, surrendering one earned run and scattering two hits and striking out two in a complete game effort.
• The teams played a doubleheader on Saturday, due to inclement weather in the forecast on Sunday. UNC picked up a 9-1 win in the opening game, with Frizell connecting on a home run. In the finale, the Cardinals built a 6-0 lead, but the Tar Heels plated seven unanswered runs in the final two innings to stage a walk-off win in the series finale.

LAST WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
• Maddi Grant led the Cardinals with a .571 batting average (4-for-7) and a 1.429 slugging percentage on the weekend.
• The junior third baseman totaled two home runs in Louisville's three games
• Grant reached base safely via a hit or walk in all three games and boasted a .625 on-base percentage.
• Alyssa Zabala posted a 2.44 ERA and a 1-1 record in the circle after making appearances in all three games at North Carolina.
• In 14.1 innings, she held the Tar Heels to a .226 batting average after they entered the weekend ranked sixth nationally in batting average at .356.

UP NEXT
The Cardinals will conclude the regular season next weekend with a three-game ACC series at Boston College.

Louisville Welcomes No. 22/21 Clemson for Senior Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Mia Forsythe

Riley Frizell

Paige Geraghty

Kiley Goff

Maddi Grant

Daisy Hess

Gabby Holloway

Vanessa Miller

Bailee Richardson

Taylor Roby

Alyssa Zabala

University of Louisville Athletics