Softball Set to Host 2025 Cardinal Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 11-5 University of Louisville softball team is set to host the Cardinal Classic this weekend, starting Friday, Feb. 28th, and concluding on Sunday, March 2nd, at Ulmer Stadium. The Cardinals will host the Central Michigan Chippewas (1-8), the Longwood Lancers (5-7) and the Northwestern Wildcats (6-8).

The Cards come into this tournament riding high off a dominating win over their cross-town rivals, the Bellarmine Knights (1-5), winning 10-0. The game resulted in some history for the Cards as well, seeing a program record eight stolen bases for a single game. Louisville will open the Classic against Central Michigan Friday, then face Longwood later that day. UofL will face Central Michigan again on Saturday, then play against Northwestern Saturday night. On Sunday, Louisville will play Northwestern once more to conclude the Cardinal Classic.

QUICK HITS

Louisville enters the game with an 11-5 record after a 10-0 shutout of Bellarmine on Wednesday.
The Cards set a single-game record for most stolen bases against Bellarmine with eight. Three of which came from redshirt freshman outfielder Char Lorenz, and two stolen from sophomore right-fielder Katie Thatcher.
Before the Bellarmine game, Louisville traveled to USF to play in the South Florida Showdown, where they mustered up a 3-2 record, with wins over Kent State, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Louisville logs a .316 batting average, with a total of 131 hits from 415 at-bats.
Junior outfielder Chelsea Mack leads the Cards with a .429 batting average.
Redshirts Easton Lotus and Char Lorenz lead Louisville in stolen bases with eight apiece, while Lotus is a perfect 8-8 on attempts.
Lotus also leads the Cards in hits with 22, while boasting a .373 batting average.
Louisville is led by junior pitcher Alyssa Zabala, with a 1.95 ERA and a 5-1 record through 43 innings pitched.

Cardinal Classic Schedule
Friday, February 28
10 a.m., Central Michigan vs. Northwestern
12:30 p.m., Central Michigan vs. Louisville
3 p.m., Longwood vs. Northwestern
5:30 p.m., Longwood vs. Louisville

Saturday, March 1
10 a.m., Longwood vs. Central Michigan
12:30 p.m., Central Michigan vs. Louisville
3 p.m., Longwood vs. Northwestern
5:30 p.m., Northwestern vs. Louisville

Sunday, March 2
10 a.m., Central Michigan vs. Longwood
12:30 p.m., Northwestern vs. Louisville

Cards Against the Opponents
Central Michigan (1-8)
Series History: Louisville leads 4-0
Last Meeting: Mar. 3, 2024 – Louisville beat Central Michigan 7-2 in Tampa, FL
Scouting the Chippewas: Central Michigan continued their 2025 campaign at The Marucci Classic where they went 0-4 with losses to Northern Colorado, N.C. State, and Illinois twice. Which brings their record this year to 1-8 heading into the Cardinal Classic. The Chippewas were selected to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) preseason poll.
Last season, the Chippewas finished the season with a 17-33 record. In conference play, Central Michigan went 13-12 where they finished the year fifth. They fell in the first round of the MAC Tournament Championship to Toledo and Ball State.
The Chippewas are lead in the dugout by McCall Salmon who is in her sixth season who has a career record of 334-210.

Longwood (5-7)
Series History: Louisville leads 4-0
Last Meeting: Mar. 2, 2013 – Louisville won 9-1 over Longwood in Orlando, FL
Scouting the Lancers: Longwood swept a doubleheader against North Carolina Central on Sunday in Farmville, Virginia. On Monday they also competed in the Mizuno Classic at Palmer Park where they beat Delaware and lost to Virginia to fall to an overall record of 5-7. The Lancers were selected to finish second in the Big South preseason poll. 1B Sophia Knock was selected as the Big South's Preseason Player of the Year.
In 2024, Longwood finished their season with a record of 19-33. In Big South play they finished second with an 11-7 record. Longwood lost twice to Winthrop in the Big South tournament which ended their season. They failed to qualify for the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
The Lancers are coached by Dr. Megan Brown who is entering her fifth year as head coach with a record at Longwood of 111-116.

Northwestern (6-8)
Series History: Northwestern leads 9-7
Last Meeting: Feb. 26, 2023 – Northwestern beat Louisville 11-1 in Louisville, KY
Scouting the Wildcats: Northwestern continued their season at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, California where they went 1-3. They picked up a win against Utah and lost to California, Seattle, and Saint Mary's. This brings Northwestern's record on the year to 6-8 heading into the Cardinal Classic. Infielder Kansas Robinson is a player to watch as she was picked as a Second Team Preseason All-American by D1Softball as well as Softball America.
In 2024, Northwestern posted a 35-13 overall record and went 19-3 in Big Ten play. After finishing first in the Big Ten during the regular season. The Wildcats were upset in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament by Indiana. Northwestern made the NCAA Tournament and fell to Texas twice to lose in the double elimination in the Austin Regional.
The Wildcats are coached by Kate Drohan who has a career record of 780-426-1, winning five Big Ten Championships and has had three teams qualify for the Women's College World Series.

UP NEXT
Following the Cardinal Classic, Louisville will host a series with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (8-7), March 7-9. The first pitch will be at 6 p.m. (ET) on Friday, with Saturday's game beginning at 1 p.m. (ET), and Sunday's conclusion starting at noon.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Char Lorenz

Easton Lotus

Chelsea Mack

Katie Thatcher

Alyssa Zabala

University of Louisville Athletics