Friday, April 10
South Bend, Ind.
5:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
University of Notre Dame
Photo by: Mallory Peak | Louisville Athletics
Louisville Closes Out Road Swing With Trip to Notre Dame
April 09, 2026 | Softball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville softball team (32-8, 8-4 ACC) closes out its seven-game road swing with a trip up to South Bend, Indiana to face Notre Dame (16-23, 5-10 ACC) in a weekend series. The games will take place April 10-12 at 5 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. ET, and 1 p.m. ET on ACCNX.
The Cardinals are coming off a series win at California, taking game two and three by a combined 13-run margin. Senior Chelsea Mack led the Cards with a .643 batting average last week, tallying nine hits, four runs, three stolen bases, and a .706 on-base percentage.
QUICK HITS
- Chelsea Mack leads the team with a .485 batting average, tallying 66 hits in 136 at-bats, 44 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, and 18 RBIs. Her 31 stolen bases rank first in the NCAA.
- Bri Despines is second on the team with a .411 average, posting 46 hits, 40 runs, 12 doubles, five home runs, and 43 RBIs, with a .688 slugging percentage.
- Madison Pickens is third on the team with a .407 average, collecting 50 hits, 41 runs, 11 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, and 47 RBIs.
- Louisville leads the ACC in stolen bases (91) and triples (21) and is fourth in the conference in on-base percentage (.447). The Cards rank fourth in the ACC and 12th nationally with a .357 batting average on the season.
- Through 40 games, four Cardinals have at least 30 RBIs and six have recorded at least 40 hits.
- Sophomore Anna Wise leads the Louisville pitching staff with a 2.86 ERA and eight wins in 58.2 innings pitched, giving up just 24 earned runs and striking out 38 so far.
- Senior Alyssa Zabala leads the team with 77 strikeouts and nine wins in 88.1 innings. She has made a team-high 28 appearances in 14 starts, limiting opponents to a .232 batting average.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
- Series Record: Notre Dame leads 29-20
- Last Meeting: March 7-9, 2025 – Louisville won two out of three hosting Notre Dame with the final game going into 14 innings to decide the series winner
- Scouting the Fighting Irish: Notre Dame enters the week at 16-22 overall, with a 5-9 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Fighting Irish are set to host Louisville following an ACC weekend series loss at No. 10 Florida State, with a midweek matchup against Valparaiso leading into the weekend series.
- Junior Kami Kamzik anchors Notre Dame's pitching staff, posting a 3.83 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 75 innings in 25 appearances. Micaela Kastor and Brianne Weiss have also been key contributors in the circle, combining for 160.2 innings pitched, 160 strikeouts, 10 wins, and one save.
- On offense, freshman Ava Zachary and senior Mickey Winchell lead the Irish. Zachary boasts a team-high .402 batting average with 13 extra-base hits, including four home runs, 24 RBIs, and 16 walks. Winchell is hitting .326 with six extra-base hits, one home run, 12 RBIs, and 13 walks.
- Kris Ganeff is in her second season as head coach after 23 years as an assistant and associate head coach with Notre Dame. In her first season at the helm, the Irish finished 23-31-1 overall and 7-17 in ACC play, ending the 2025 campaign with a loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.
Players Mentioned
C/UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
RHP
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