Tuesday, March 31
Richmond, KY
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
Eastern Kentucky University
Photo by: Paige Kuwata | Louisville Athletics
Louisville Begins Seven-Game Road Swing at EKU on Tuesday
March 30, 2026 | Softball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville softball team (29-7, 6-3 ACC) begins a seven-game road swing with a midweek trip to Eastern Kentucky, facing the Colonels on Tuesday, March 31 at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Cardinals are coming off a series sweep of Georgia Tech, the first ACC sweep for Louisville since the 2023 season. Louisville came back in the first two games to secure an 8-5 win in game one and a 6-5 walk off win in game two. Alyssa Zabala's three-hit complete game on Sunday gave the Cards a 3-1 victory to secure the sweep.
QUICK HITS
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
The Cardinals are coming off a series sweep of Georgia Tech, the first ACC sweep for Louisville since the 2023 season. Louisville came back in the first two games to secure an 8-5 win in game one and a 6-5 walk off win in game two. Alyssa Zabala's three-hit complete game on Sunday gave the Cards a 3-1 victory to secure the sweep.
QUICK HITS
- Chelsea Mack leads the team with a .467 batting average, tallying 57 hits in 122 at-bats, 40 runs scored, 28 stolen bases, and 16 RBIs. Her 28 stolen bases rank first in the NCAA.
- Madison Pickens is second on the team with a .417 average, collecting 45 hits, 36 runs, nine doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 36 RBIs.
- Bri Despines is third on the team with a .410 average, posting 41 hits, 34 runs, 10 doubles, four home runs, and 37 RBIs, with a .670 slugging percentage.
- Louisville leads the ACC in stolen bases (85) and triples (20), and is fourth in the conference in on-base percentage (.447). The Cards rank fourth in the ACC and 15th nationally with a .354 batting average on the season.
- Through 36 games, five Cardinals have at least 25 RBIs and six have recorded at least 30 hits.
- Sophomore Anna Wise leads the Louisville pitching staff with a 2.96 ERA and eight wins in 54.1 innings pitched, giving up just 23 earned runs and striking out 35 so far.
- Senior Alyssa Zabala leads the team with 66 strikeouts and seven wins in 77.2 innings. She has made a team-high 24 appearances in 13 starts, limiting opponents to a .242 batting average.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
- Series Record: Louisville leads 9-5 (W1 streak)
- Last Meeting: March 12, 2025 – Louisville defeated the Colonels at home 10-2 (5 inn.)
- Scouting the Colonels: EKU is 18-15 this season, with a 7-2 ASUN record. They have picked up some quality wins this season and are coming off a three-game sweep at Lipscomb on top of winning their last three series (Lipscomb, Bellarmine, Austin Peay). EKU has won all its ASUN series this season. The Colonels are riding a three-game win streak coming into this matchup, having swept Lipscomb, mounting 22 runs in three games while only allowing three.
- EKU is led by junior pitchers Baylie Hunnicutt and Victoria Byrum Hannicutt owns a 6-4 record, leading the team in strikeouts (77). Byrum leads the team with a 3.05 ERA. Redshirt junior Tayteum Vigansky has the most saves on the Colonels pitching staff with two.
- Leading the team in hits, runs, doubles, and at bats is senior Jaelin Haynes with 95 AB, 25 R, 31 H, and 7 2B. Junior Sharyn Duncan has the highest batting average with a .364 average. Junior Reese Knox and sophomore Jada McLeod both follow with a batting average of .348 in 69 at bats each.
- EKU is led by head coach Jane Worthington, who is in her 34th season at the helm of the Colonels and has a 770-688 record. She is the only coach EKU softball has ever known, coming into this season ranked 18th in wins among active D1 softball head coaches. This past season she chartered EKU to the ASUN Championship, capturing the ASUN Gold Division title and completed its first regular season in the league without dropping a single conference series.
Players Mentioned
C/UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
RHP
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