Louisville Set to Host Conference-Opening Series Against No. 13/16 Stanford

Friday, February 27

LOUISVILLE, KY

6:00 PM

University of Louisville

Stanford University

Alyssa Zabala and Taylor Monroe Celebrating

Louisville Set to Host Conference-Opening Series Against No. 13/16 Stanford

February 26, 2026 | Softball

Louisville Game Notes

By: Kennedy Knisley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville softball team opens conference play this weekend, playing host to No. 13/16 Stanford on February 28-March 1. Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on ACCNX (6 p.m. and 1 p.m.), and Sunday's game will be featured on the ACC Network (6 p.m.).

The Cardinals will face Stanford for the first time since 2008, marking the teams' first ever in-conference matchup.

Louisville recently completed a perfect 5-0 weekend at the Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic. The Cards opened the tournament with a 10-6 comeback over Buffalo and a tight 3-2 win against host FGCU. Taylor Monroe matched a career-high four RBIs in the opener, while Riley Janda scored three runs across both games. Alyssa Zabala and Anna Wise combined for multiple wins and a save, with Zabala tossing key scoreless innings.

Day two featured two dominant 10-run wins, first over Wisconsin (10-5) and then UConn (10-2). Madison Pickens drove the offense with seven RBIs on the day, including a career-high four against UConn and her second home run of the season versus Wisconsin. Four Cards scored three or more runs, and eight different players logged RBIs in the pair of wins. Louisville closed out the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Buffalo. Brooke Gray earned the win with 5 innings of stellar pitching, while Chelsea Mack, Bri Despines, Pickens, and Janda led the offense, combining for multiple hits, RBIs, and stolen bases.

QUICK HITS

Chelsea Mack leads the Cards with a .500 batting average, totaling 24 hits and 16 stolen bases in 48 at-bats. She leads the NCAA in stolen bases so far this season.
Madison Pickens is second on the team with a .477 batting average. She has a team-high three triples and 19 RBIs, paving her way to a team-high a .841 slugging percentage.
Bri Despines is third with a .452 batting average and 18 RBIs while tallying 19 hits and four doubles.
Jordan Williams is making her mark with four doubles and three triples while hitting .417.
Camryn Lookadoo leads the team with five doubles, sporting a .351 batting average (13-for-37) and a flawless fielding percentage.
Freshman Jayden Gohs leads the pitching staff with a 1.31 ERA and a win in 10.2 innings pitched, allowing just two earned runs this season.
Louisville as a team is hitting .351 with 94 runs, outslugging opponents .512 to .330. The Cards have hit nine triples, the most in the ACC and fourth nationally.
Eight Cards have at least five RBIs and four Cards have at least 15 hits through the first 15 games. Seven Cards have tallied multiple stolen bases this season.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL

Series Record: Stanford leads 1-0 (W1 streak)
Last Meeting: February 29, 2008 – Stanford won the game in Fullerton, Calif. 9-1
Scouting the Cardinal: Stanford is 10-4 this season and will face Louisville for both teams' first conference series of the season.
Stanford's pitching staff is led by junior Zoe Prystajko and freshman Elena Krause who have a combined 8-2 record for the Cardinal this season. Prystajko has been key for Stanford's early success as she ranks top 50 in the nation for innings pitched and tied for sixth in the country with 62 strikeouts. Junior Alyssa Houston has been another featured part of the Cardinal rotation with a team best 1.71 ERA that ranks eighth in the ACC along with 24 strikeouts.
The Cardinal batting lineup features freshman Addyson Sheppard and senior Taryn Kern. The two players are tied for the team lead in hits with 17 and have combined to drive in 27 runs. Sheppard leads the team with a .447 batting average. Kern is batting .415 with a team-high four home runs.
Stanford is led by head coach Jessica Allister, who is in her ninth season and has a 290-144 career record coaching the Cardinal. This past season, she led Stanford to a 42-13 record and an NCAA Tournament berth, making it to a regional final.