SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Louisville WBB faces #1 Baylor in Sweet 16

-Softball romps Syracuse 9-0

-Happy Easter!

And, so...it had come down to this. The University of Louisville women's basketball team is in Oklahoma City. Their opponent in tonight's 7 p.m. game on ESPN2 is the #1 team in the tournament, the nation, in all of women's college basketball -- the Baylor Bears. Is it unfair that the Cardinals are faced with such a monumental task after two nice wins earlier in the tournament?

Not really. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Out of the sixteen teams that made it this far...there are no pushovers. Some fans have argued that an opponent like Penn State, Kansas or Nebraska might have made a more suitable and winnable game to prolong the UofL season. The bottom line is this:

Eventually, you're going to be tested by someone who have been a better team than you. Whether it be in the regional opener, regioal final, Final Four or National Title game...your "Goliath" will eventually stand in front of you.

Look at this #5 seed. Colorado. A team that bested Louisville earlier in the year (minus Sara Hammond). Their opening game against #12 Kansas looked to be a easy advancement. Guess what? The Buffs lost. Kansas advances.

Fifth seeded Michigan State in the Bridgeport Region skated by Marist before falling to #4 Maryland. Iowa State, another five seed knocked off Gonzaga before falling to four seed Georgia. Speaking of Georgia, Andy Landers' Bulldogs pulled off the shocker of the tournament so far by upsetting Stanford last night. A #4 over a #1. Louisville is the only #5 left. The UK WBB squad rolls into the Elite Eight by downing Delaware and Della Donne. UConn handled Maryland and #2 California is making Nikki Caldwell look like a genius by topping PSU.

When in comes to facing Baylor, Jeff Walz sees it this way:

"I've told our kids that if you come out and play scared, it's not going to matter. So we're going to try to come out and attack."

No fear of Griner, of Sims, of Madden. Pope or Mulkey. Who's afraid of the big, bad Bears? Hopefully, not UofL.

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If you showed up late to the Louisville softball game Saturday, you missed the fireworks. Not the sky-exploding, multi-colored missles...just the high-powered, fence rattling Louisville bats.

The Cards pounded Syracuse early. In the bottom of the first, Sandy Pearsall's crew laid a half dozen runs on 'Cuse pitcher Lindsay Taylor. Katie Keller singled to start the game. Jordan Trimble drew a walk. Maggie Ruckenbrod's single plated Keller. Taner Fowler cleared the bases of Cards with a three-run homer to left. Kayla Soles singled and came home on a Whitney Arion single. Jasmine Smithson-Willett (WOO! HOO!) singled and Keller, batting for the second time in the inning, singled again to score Arion. 6-0 Cards before the clock struck 12:30.

Louisville added two more in the home half of the second. After Alicja Wolny was plunked by Taylor, Fowler unleashed a bomb to left for her second base-cleaner and the score was 8-0.

The Cards tacked on one more in the third. JSW got her second single of the game, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Trimble single.

Meanwhile, Caralisa Connell was "good Carl" in the pitching circle. The Orange touched her for just one hit in five innings. She struck out six in going to 18-2 on the season.

"We had another great performance from Caralisa Connell and some timely defense and great catches out there. Chrisanna Roberts had a great diving catch in right field late in the game. Taner Fowler has truly found her rhythm again. She was struggling early in the season, but what better time than right now, as we're going into conference play, this is what we want to see from her." --Sandy Pearsall, UofL head softball coach.

The Cards (28-6, 2-1) step out of BIG EAST play to host arch-rival Kentucky on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
Let's fill the seats and pack the grassy knoll for this one, Cardinal fans!

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We wish a Happy Easter to all our CARDINAL COUPLE readers. Whether it's attending church services, holding an Easter Egg Hunt, sitting down to a scrumptious Easter dinner or just relaxing and enjoying time with family or friends...we hope it's a day of rest and reflection for you.

Don't get too stuffed and fall asleep early -- the men's basketball team plays at 5:00 p.m. against Duke and the ladies follow at 7:00 p.m. And after that, it's the season-ending episode of AMC's critically acclaimed The Walking Dead at 9 p.m.  Blue Devils, Bears, and Zombies...oh my!



--Paulie


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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Softball Cards sweep in Jacksonville, Lacrosse plays OSU today

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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Softball downs Stony Brook, Bethune-Cookman

-Lacrosse hosts Ohio State

The University of Louisville softball team swept two Friday in the Jacksonville University Tournament...knocking off Stony Brook 8-0 and beating Bethune-Cookman 8-1. A good day for Cardinal pitching...both Rachel Le Coq and Caralisa Connell picking up complete-game wins. The Cardinal bats had 14 hits in the first game and 11 in the second game, continuing their hot-hitting ways. Louisville had 21 hits last week against Minnesota.

CARDS 8 - Stony Brook 0


An early start (9:45 a.m.) in 55 degree weather for the opening game and it took the Cards an inning to get untracked. In the top of the second, Kayla Soles punched a double  to right and rode home on Hannah Kiyohara's home run blast to left field...her first round-tripper of the year. 2-0. C-A-R-D-S!

Louisville tacked on two more runs in the third. Katie Keller singled up the middle, Alicja Wolny advanced her to second after getting hit by a Allison Cukrov pitch and Taner Fowler doubled to right to score Keller. Soles got her second hit of the game, an infield single, to score Wolny...the Cards were up 4-0.

In the fifth, Fowler drew a walk and advanced to third on a Jordy Trimble double to center. Soles hit a sacrifice fly to score Fowler and Maggie Ruckenbrod drove home Trimble on her double to right. Le Coq had allowed just two hits from the circle and UofL led 6-0 after five at-bats.

Keller added another single in the sixth and scored on a Fowler single to increase the lead to 7-0 Cards.

The Cards pushed another across in the top of seventh when
Kiyohara singled and scored on pinch-hitter Chrisanna Roberts single to right. 8-0 Pearsall's squad for the final.

LeCoq allowed a scant three hits, retiring 13 batters in a row, to go to 3-0 on the season.

Cards 8 - Bethune Cookman 1

Katie Keller carried the big bat with a 4 for 5 plate bonanza in game two for Louisville, including her fifth homer of the year.

After a scoreless first, Louisville drew first blood when Trimble doubled to left and scored on a Ruckenbrod sacrifice fly to right. 1-0 Cards after two innings.

Two Cardinal singles helped get the score to 2-0 in the third. Keller and Wolny hit safely and Keller got home on a Soles fielder's choice.

B.C. cut  UofL lead in half with three singles off Caralisa Connell in the top of the fourth. Louisville had scoring opportunities in the 4th but failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity with one out.

The bottom of the sixth saw UofL bust it wide open. Keller started off the inning with a blast to left and touched them all. After Wolny was hit by a pitch (for the fourth time of the day.....seriously...why you gotta be hatin' on her, pitchers?)  Brittany Sims came in to pinch run...advanced when Fowler and Trimble both got on base with errors and scored on a Soles single. Ruckenbrod also reached first on a Bethune miscue and Fowler ran to the plate to make it 5-1 Cards. Soles scored on a BC fielding error and a Kiyohara ground out got Trimble home, and Roberts produced a single to left...scoring Ruckenbrod to make it a six-run inning and 8-1 UofL lead.

CARDINAL COUPLE'S  2012 most popular Lady Card Student-Athlete  (as voted by our readers) Caralisa "Carl" Connell (3-1) gave up four hits in the win and fanned nine batters.

The 6-1 Cards play two again tomorrow...Ohio State at 11:45 and Jacksonville at 6:30.

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The #13 Ohio State Buckeyes come to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium to open their season against Kellie Young's squad at 2 p.m. today.

OSU went 11-6 in 2012 and returns eight starters from a squad that defeated UofL 21-7 last year in Columbus.

Tayler Kuzma and Heather Gravinese star on the defense, Tori DeScenza is solid between the pipes for OSU and leading attacker Jackie Cifarelli returns to lead the offense.

For Louisville, a winner 13-3 over Canisius last Sunday, freshman Kay Morissette led the Cardinal offense with four goals. Last year's leading scorer Nikki Boltja had three in the Cardinal triumph. Morissette was later named LAX freshman-of-the-week.

Bundle up if you go...but show up if you can. This is an exciting squad to watch and they attack the goal....Louisville had 32 shots against Canisius while holding the Golden Griffins to just 18. And, it's "Black Out" Day...so dress accordingly. The first 100 through the gate get a lacrosse t-shirt.

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Lacrosse clobbers Canisius 13-3, Softball outslugs Minnesota

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Early offense, dominating defense corrals Canisius 13-3 

-Softball with 21 hits in 16-8 trouncing of the Gophers

It was a "Golden" day for two Louisville women's sports teams. Lacrosse handled the Golden Griffins by ten and softball blasted the Golden Gophers by eight. Maybe they all went to Golden Corral after the wins...

Al Greener and the pep band were on hand.

A spectacular start for Louiville Lacrosse Sunday afternoon at the Lacrosse Stadium, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first 12 1/2 minutes of the first half and shutting down the Golden Griffins to just three goals in a 13-3 opening-day win in front of 300 fans who braved the 40 degree temperature.

After a nicely done rendition of the National Anthem by UofL red-shirt sophomore midfielder Amy Poteet, the teams got busy and the Cards were doing the majority of the work.

Kay Morissette with an impressive start to her career, the freshman scoring four unassisted goals. Louisville goalie Ashley Herbst collecting seven saves and the Cardinal defense limiting Canisius to just 10 shots on goal.

Freshman Erika Eipp scored first for the Cards with only two minutes gone from the clock and another freshman Cortnee Daly followed with the second UofL score with 23:48 left in the first half. Junior Nikki Boltja made it 3-0 Cards just 24 seconds later on a free position shot and the Cards leading scorer from last season took advantage of another penalty shot at 20:42 to put Kellie Young's squad ahead 4-0.

The Cards got a Morissette unassisted goal three minutes later and it wasn't until the 14:47 mark that Canisius hit the scoreboard for the first time. The UofL defense was styming the Golden Griffins attack and the offense was maintainin long stretches of possession.

Faye Brust collected another Cardinal goal near the net and Morissette tallied her second score of the first half as the clock ticked down to 13:02.

The Cards tenacious defense continued to turn the Griffins away and Katie Oliverio registered her first goal of the season with 7:29. When Boltja got her second net-finder of the game...Louisville led 9-1 with 5:33 remaining in the half. Morissette completed the first half hat trick with her third score 15 seconds before half and Louisville took a 10-1 lead into the YUM! Center locker room.

Six Cardinals had scored for Coach Young and Louisville had forced Canisuis into 12 turnovers, while just committing seven themselves. Louisville held a 17-10 shot advantage and Herbst and the defense allowed only five shots on goal.

Canisius switched goalies to start the second half but it didn't appear to be a wise move at first...because
Louisville got off to a speedy start when Oliverio scored on a fast break just 23 seconds into action. Two Canisius goals followed over the next seven minutes, but the Cards defense tightened up and did not allow another Golden Griffith score over the final 22:28.

Morissette notched her fourth score on an unassisted drive at the 15:59 mark to make it 12-3 and Colleen O'Malley closed out the game's scoring on a free position shot three minutes later for the final 13-3 score.

Louisville attempted 32 shots in scoring their 13 goals and held Canisius to 3 for 18 shooting. Morissette led Louisville with four goals on seven attempts, Boltja was three for nine and Oliverio two for three. Eipp, O'Malley, Brust and Daly all had one score each for the Cards.

Six of the 13 Cardinal goals came from the freshman class.

CARDINAL COUPLE (Paulie and Jeff McAdams) caught up with Coach Young after the contest and got these exclusive observations:

On the play of the freshmen:

"They really are a big impact and change for our program, coming in with their talent and what we call LAX IQ. They're fast, they've got great sticks and they're elevating the players around them.

On the defensive effort:

"It was multi-faceted. We stopped them 7-on-7, we stopped them when we were a player down (from penalties). We stopped them in three different sets that we run. They were very consistent in what they did. From top to bottom, I was very happy with our defensive play."

On Nikki Boltja:

"As I just said to her team-mates, we don't want to call out any one player but we go to Nikki a lot because she is literally out here every day. The reason she takes over a game is because she has done the work. She gets her bag of balls, she takes her shots and with as many saves that the Canisius goalies had today (14) you can bet Nikki will be back out here tomorrow taking twice as many shots. She's a fighter. She just wants to put the ball in the back of the net for her team-mates and they follow her lead."

And a battle well-fought today by Boltja and her teammates. Louisville Lacrosse returns to action Saturday with Ohio State visiting the stadium.

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Louisville softball finished their Vegas stay in booming fashion Sunday afternoon, out-slugging Minnesota 16-8.
The Cards had 21 hits and four home runs. Katie Keller went 3-4 with seven RBI's and two round-trippers and Taner Fowler 3-5 with four RBI's and a fence-clearer.

The Cards scored once in the top of the first when Whitney Arion singled home Alicja Wolny. The Cards narrowly missed a second run when Fowler was thrown out at the plate attempting to score.

Minnesota touched Cardinal starting pitcher Rachel LeCoq for four first-inning runs, the big blow a 2 run homer with two outs.

Louisville came back with the bats in the top of the second. A Katelyn Mann single, Maggie Ruckenbrod double and Jasmine Smisthson-Willett walk loaded the bases with no outs. A walk and fly out scored two runs and the Cards were within one. Taner Fowler followed with her first home run of the season... a three run blast to make it 6-4 Cards 

A Minnesota two-run homer with one out sent LeCoq to the dugout and Caralisa Connell took the circle. Carl got the Cards out of the jam and it was 6-6 after three innings.

Louisville took a 7-6 lead on a solo blast by Keller in the fourth and Connell held the Golden Gophers at bay in the bottom half of the inning.

UofL added four more runs in the top of the fifth on six hits...Keller highlighting the inning with a 2 RBI double. Louisville now led 11-6. Carl got the job done again on the mound, holding UM scoreless.

The Cards exploded for five runs in the top of the sixth...Katelyn Mann with a two-run shot and Katie Keller's three run "touch 'em all" had the Cards ahead 16-6. Carl gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning but held on to retire the side and get the win.

Le Coq pitched 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Connell's relief effort was 4.1 innings of four run, five hit pitching.

So, the Cards leave Vegas with a 4-1 record. Pitching not quite where it needs to be yet, but the UofL bats have covered it in four out of the five games. Much as Pearsall intimated it might be. Once thing for certain, Louisville appears to be never out of any contest so far, if the hitters are "on". 21 hits is a new Cardinal game record.

Softball returns to action Friday with another three day, five game marathon in the Jacksonville (FL) Tournament. They'll face Stony Brook and Bethune-Cookman on the 15th., Ohio State and Jacksonville on Saturday and Stony Brook again on Sunday.
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Monday Cardinal Couple - The Sandy Pearsall Interview

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Interview with Softball's Sandy Pearsall

(CARDINAL COUPLE'S exclusive interview with head UofL softball coach Sandy Pearsall. We hope you like it!)

CARDINAL COUPLE: Looking at this veteran team you have returning...do you have one team leader?

Coach Pearsall: We actually have multiple leaders on this team. We do develop a group of players to lead this team and we start them off in their sophomore year...so we've built this leadership group over a period of time. We have Jordy Trimble involved in that, Chrisanna Roberts..our senior leaders. Also some one who has come on the field and has been involved with leadership is senior Alicia Wolny. We'll miss leadership that we had from Kristin Austin, Chelsea Leonard, Tesha Paysen. Those three were instrumental is leadership, but I think these three are definitely headed in that direction.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Any chance at all of Leonard coming back to pitch at all?

Coach Pearsall: No. The knee won't allow it. She'll graduate this year. She'd have eligibility left, if she wanted to go somewhere else and play...she could...but to get this to work out we had to career end her here. Basically, we couldn't have gone on this year without a replacement pitcher. We wish she could have had four years playing for us.

CARDINAL COUPLE: So, that leaves Caralisa Connell as your main pitcher. Some Cardinal fans are wondering...if there is a weakness on this team this year, it is pitching?

Coach Pearsall: It is our unknown, that is for sure. This is the year we'll expect Caralisa to step up, just like Tori Collins stepped up a few years ago when we weren't getting what we expected out of Kristen Wadwell. Seeing what "Carl", our nickname for Caralisa, did at the end of last year for us...she's done the work for us. I think she's going to have a great year for us. She's our strength on the pitching staff.

We did add Rachel Le Coq, who transferred from Colgate. She's embraced her role here and we've seen a lot of good things from her. Can she carry us? No, not now. Maybe a year from now...but she will give us a lot of innings of support...hopefully

CARDINAL COUPLE: Any truth to the rumor that you've reached a deal to bring Katie Petrino back to pitch...and promised to lend Connell to Coach Trimble on the golf team?

Coach Pearsall: (laughing) I don't know! I'll have to ask Carl how her golf game is! (Laughing). We'd take Katie back any day she wanted to come back because she is just the greatest competitor. I'm not sure that Carl's golf game is going to be strong enough to help the golf team but I'll check with Carl on that...(laughing).

CARDINAL COUPLE: Remember you drive for show and putt for dough.  You've been ranked third in the BIG EAST. How do feel about that? I mean, you only lose five games all year and you win the BIG EAST and third?

Coach Pearsall: Actually, it's probably because of the way the voters are looking at our returning pitching. South Florida had a great NCAA Tournament run, they return a powerhouse team and a great pitcher, so I can see where they deserve the top spot. Same for Notre Dame, they get back a lot of power, speed and good pitching also...so were comfortable with third. And, it's just pre-season stuff. The important thing is where you are at the end of the season .
 

DePaul returns a great team. Syracuse loses Jenna Caira, a great pitcher, but has a good pitcher to replace her that is a senior. You also have to watch out for Rutgers and Pitt, they're very capable teams. It's not a simple conference, it not an easy conference...and it's a case of where we still don't play everybody. We don't play South Florida in the regular season. Good and bad maybe? I'd rather play them in the regular season just to know what we might be facing come tournament time. We don't play DePaul in conference play, but we will go up against them in Vegas. Verdun, their big hitter and pitcher is back for them.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Talk a little about the season opener. You're headed to Las Vegas for three games.

Coach Pearsall: It's a great opportunity for us to see what we've got early on....obviously. Some great teams out there and we're looking forward to the tests. Just to get the season started.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Looking at the non-conference schedule, it looks to be the strongest I've ever seen for UofL softball...

Coach Pearsall: It's definitely going to be a big challenge for us. We schedule over a year out, so you're anticipating what you might have. If I'd known I was going to lose Leonard, I might have had some different thoughts in my scheduling but with that said...we do have a veteran team back and we need to be challenged. Carl needs to be challenged and we need to show we can step up to that next level, that next spot in our toughness. You have schools on there...LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, North Carolina...these are always extremely good programs. Oklahoma being the cream of the crop. They come back very intact and have actually added even more power. It's a great challenge for us. You're not going to get better playing the teams you can easily beat. If you can go out there and beat teams like this, that's a real accomplishment.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Basketball coaches talk about their players either having or lacking a "basketball IQ". Does that apply to softball as well?

COACH PEARSALL: Definitely. Like all coaches, we have kids who have played the game but not learned the game. They're directed, like in youth ball and club or high school, so they're told what to do but they are not learning the game. We work with them on situational things, like what to expect when they are batting and there is a certain count...like 2-1 or 0-2. They have to be able to learn the game to be able to play it at the highest level. Basketball coaches talk about wanting their kids to be "gym rats" and that apply to our players as well. They have to want to go do things on their own like going to the batting cages and working on hitting because the amount of time we are allowed to work with them is very limited.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Who is the hardest worker on your team?

Coach Pearsall: Wow. That's a tough one. There are kids who have really matured from their freshman year, like Hannah Kiyohara. Alicja Wolny. Taner Fowler and Maggie Ruckenbrod. Katie Keller. They go and they do a lot extra on their own. Our pitchers do a lot of work on their own. I have some kids that don't put in as much work on their own like I would like to see, but I'd say 80% of them do the extra work.

CARDINAL COUPLE: There has been talk about some additions and improvements over at Ulmer Stadium. Please go over those.

Coach Pearsall: Expansion is scheduled to take place at the end of this season. Some dugout improvements, like getting some bathrooms in there. In the stadium, there will be about another 100 seats added and a terrace on the top, so fans can walk from one side to the other. An expanded press box, too. And a covering over part of our stands, too that will provide some protection during bad weather or sunny days when people want to get out of the sun. We're also going to be building a new locker room and club house. This is really needed, this is greatly needed. The current one is a tight fit. We actually don't have enough lockers for our players. It'll be where the concession area and restrooms are now, right across from Ulmer.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Any final words for our readers?

Coach Pearsall: Just to thank them for their support and continued support. I hope we can continue to have that great fan support by putting a great product and program out there for them to cheer for and support.
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Sunday Cardinal Couple -- Softball Dinner and Hoops

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Softball Dinner features Danielle Lawrie

- WBB faces St John's today

The 2013 University of Louisville Bullpen Softball dinner was held Saturday night at the Hyatt in downtown Louisville and featured Olympian and NCAA Championship pitcher Danielle Lawrie from the University of Washington. A capacity crowd packed into the Hyatt Ballroom to hear the evening's events that were emceed by Cardinal public address announcer and all-around good guy Sean Moth.

The evening began with a cocktail hour and silent auction that featured everything from Cardinal softball gear to bean bag boards and Charlie Strong Makers' Mark bottles.
 
Unfortunately, CARDINAL COUPLE's bid on a UofL Softball windbreaker and visor fell short of winning...but it was good to stand around and talk with the people in attendance...including Shoni Schimmel, Becky Burke and hundreds of Cardinal Softball fans.

Shortly before the crowd moved from the hospitality area to the ballroom tables, we caught up with freshman Jasmine Smithson-Willett and got a quick Q &A in.

She's thrilled to be at Louisville and really loves the city and her teammates. At first, she was a little overwhelmed by the speed and quickness of the college game but has adjusted nicely. She's willing to do anything for the team and mentioned that when Coach Pearsall was looking for left-handed hitters to do the slap hit and beat out throws to first, she jumped right and showed coach her ability to perform the maneuver. Her biggest smile came when we talked about the road trip coming up to Vegas and the chance for her family to come in from California and see her play.

Before we knew it, we were at our table and got to see several great videos about the team's preparation for the upcoming season and hear several players talk about their dedication and commitment to the team. Coach Carol Bruggerman then took over the podium and awards were presented to Tori (Collins) Heyman, Chelsea Leonard (who led the nation in saves) and Taner Fowler (All-American).

Next it was Coach Pearsall to the podium and she was effusive in her praise for her support staff, coaches and players. She recalled the great moments of last season and could hardly contain her enthusiasm when speaking about the current group of Softball Cards and the challenges they lay ahead for them.

"It's tough competition, but the girls that are back are a year older and that means quite a lot in softball" Pearsall informed the crowd.

At the end of her remarks, Coach was presented with an autographed bat from the players who helped her acheive her 500th. win last season.

"I really wasn't that aware of it when number 500 happened, but shortly after the game...my phone started exploding with texts congratualating me on the acheivement, mostly my players....they're a special group of ladies." Pearsall reflected.
 
Featured keynote speaker Danielle Lawrie has had an amazing journey in her young life and kept the crowd captive and hanging on each word as she recounted it. Chosen to play on the Canadian National Team at the age of eighteen...she was the pitcher that recorded Canada's first win ever over Team USA.

As she recalled her collegiate years at the University of Washington, Lawrie made note of the challenges she faced and her drive and desire to conquer them. From a extremely competitive family that includes a brother in Major League Baseball who plays for the Toronto Blue Jays, she recalled how her father would never keep (and toss in the trash) any second place trophy that someone in the family had been awarded and that her brother wouldn't talk to her for three months after she beat him in a game of bean bag toss.

Lawrie was a wonderfully entertaining and inspirational speaker as she took us through her collegiate years and Olympic experience. Her message to the crowd and players was clear...set your goals and stay dedicated to acheiving them. After fielding a few questions from Sean Moth, Lawrie's time on the stage and the evening was over. It hardly seemed that it had started...

A excellent time with a very special group of college athletes, coaches and Cardinal fans last night. We appreciate the opportunity provided to us to cover the event and can tell you that Cardinal Softball is rip-roaring ready to go this year and the players and staff would love to see you support them even more than last year (if that's possible) at Ulmer Stadium.

We'll be there. We hope you join us! You DON'T want to miss it...

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( Quentin Voigt brings us the scout on Louisville WBB's next hardwood opponent today...the St John's Red Storm.)

ROCKIN' WITH THE RED STORM

St. John rolls into the KFC YUM! Center for a 1:30 p.m. match up against the Cards today. If you go, go early...because it's Louie the Cardinal Bird's birthday and free pizza, ice cream and cake will be provided pre-game for the fans. We think you should go. 

Joe Tartanella has been a coach at St John's for nine years but this is his first as the head coach. He took over for Kim Barnes Arico, who accepted the head coaching job at Michigan. She's currently 3-0 in the BIG TEN for the Wolverines. Tartanella is an excellent recruiter and has two players currently on the roster that he pulled away from ACC schools and will play next season. Danaejah Grant is a 5'9" guard who began her career at Clemson and will have three years remaining as a Red Storm. Selena Archer is a 6'4" post who originally signed with Miami and will have two years of eligibility for SJU.

St.John's averages 59.8 ppg and shoots 39% from the floor. They're 27.2% from beyond the arc. They hit 64.7% from the free throw line and average 40.8 rebounds a contest. The Johnnies dish out 11.5 assists a game, commit 14.1 turnovers and create 8.4 steals a game.

SJU is 9-8 on the year and 3-2 in the BIG EAST. Conference wins have come against Rutgers by four, Seton Hall by 28 and Pitt by 29. Losses occurred to Notre Dame by 24 and to Syracuse by three.

Shenneika Smith leads the SJU attack with 16.1 ppg . Nadriah McKenith adds 12.7, Amber Thompson is good for strong offensive and rebounding as well.

I don't see a lot of Red Storm rain dropping on Louie's birthday festivities today and the Lady Cards give him a 10-point birthday gift.

-Quentin Voigt


Smith and McKenith are better guards than any two Coach Walz can put out there and they proved it twice last year in sweeping the Cards. Does that mean they'll win again today? Not necessarily.

Tartanella is a good coach, but he doesn't have the ability that KBA had when she was there to get over 100% out of the Red Storm players.

Sho and Mo show has a command performance at the matinee today and the ever-steady "Need a" Slaughter?" (Of course, we need a Slaughter!) helps the Cards bring this one home in true Cardiac fashion. Louisville by 3 and it may take five extra minutes to do it in...

Quinnipiac beat you? Serioulsy?

Good guards will only get you so far. Rebounding, coaching and hitting free throws wins you games and I expect the Cards to do all three well today....at least well enough to handle the BIG EAST'S 11th. best rebounding defense team, worst free throw shooting team and a rookie coach. They're 9-8. The talent level suggests they could be 14-3. Losses to Qunnipiac and Boston U are puzzling...and they come to the YUM! on a two-game losing streak.

Time to return the favor to a squad that beat UofL twice last year. Time to get out a little "southern in-hosptiality" as we face the Red Storm maybe for the last time. Think about it, do you really want to schedule a non-conference home and away with a school that struggles to get 500 to watch them when they're at home? Beat 'em and wave good-bye as your showing them the door.

Paulie
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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Softball ready for 2013

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Experience and power on hand for Softball

-Softball Dinner Saturday night @ Hyatt

Even though the weather in Louisville is below freezing, # 18 Louisville Softball is busy preparing for the opening weekend Feb 8th. in Las Vegas. The team uses the indoor Trager Center for the basics of batting and fielding and we're not sure how many holes have been put in the roof by Taner Fowler, Alicja Wolny, Maggie Ruckenbrod, Jordan Trimble and the rest of the Cards wrecking crew...but Sandy Pearsall has bats galore ready to take the Ulmer Stadium field this spring.

If there's any questions at all about the team that swept the BIG EAST last year and won 55 games, it's who will fill in for departed pitchers Tori Collins, graduated and married and Chelsea Leonard who has given up the game because of perpetually bad knees.

Caralisa Connell returns, and went 19-1 last season. Rachel LeCoq, a transfer from Colgate, is there as needed. Both freshman Jasmine Smithson-Willett and returning outfielder Jordan Trimble are able to step in the circle if needed...Coach "P" is very high on the freshman Smithson-Willett and has indicated she'll contend for a spot in the starting line-up if not throwing strikes and balls.

For Connell, a junior...it's a role she's carried before. In 2011, injuries to Leonard and Collins left Pearsall with just one pitcher...the freshman from Murfreesboro, TN. Pearsall combed the campus and came up with Katie Petrino, on campus to play golf for UofL and daughter of former football coach Bobby Petrino to bring to the roster as a backup hurler.

Connell pitched every game, every inning for a three week peroid and won 12 straight while going 20-7 on the season. There is no truth to the rumor that current golf coach Courtney Trimble has petitioned Pearsall to have Connell grab a five-iron and hit the links this spring.

Besides Smithson-Willett, two other freshmen are on the roster this year for UofL. Ally Vaughn was the 8th Region Player of the Year in Kentucky and the first baseman from Henry County High School is known to have great power at the plate. Brittany Sims was the #7 ranked player in the state. The utility player hails from Lexington (KY) Lafayette and was also a top discus performer in track and field.  

It'll be a tough lineup to crack. Fowler, Katelyn Mann, Keller, Whitney Arion, Ruckenbrod, Jennifer Esteban, Trimble, Wolny and Hannah Kiyohara all started regularly or played extensively for the Cards last year. 12 letter-winners return.

The crowds at Ulmer should be thrilled this season with a veteran and powerful lineup. If the pitching can hold, we think preseason #12 South Florida and maybe Notre Dame will be the only teams good enough to push the Cards out of the running for back-to-back titles.

Vegas...opening on Feb. 8th. Would be a great get-away weekend, if you want to combine roulette and round-trippers. I wouldn't bet against the Cards sweeping the Invitational in Sin City.

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The Softball Bullpen Dinner is tonight at the downtown Hyatt. Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 and dinner at 7:30 p.m. Washington All-American Danielle Lawrie is the featured speaker.

CARDINAL COUPLE had a wonderful time there last year and we're pleased and happy to be returning again this year. We'll have full coverage of the event in the Sunday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE and a preview of WBB vs. St. John's.

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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Softball Bullpen Dinner features Olympian Danielle Lawrie

-Villanova for real? Wildcats 4-0 in BIG EAST

The Louisville Softball Bullpen Club Dinner is being held
January 26th. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the keynote speaker is Danielle Lawrie. The Cards will celebrate the success of the record-setting season 2012 BIG EAST Championship season and introduce the 2013 team in their sixth pre-season annual fundraiser.

Lawrie was a pitcher and clean-up hitter for University of Washington and was named the Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player...pitching every inning during the Huskies' 2009 national championship run.

Tickets are still available for the event.

Call 502.852.0706 to be a part of a most outstanding evening that kickoffs a potentially incredible season for Sandy Pearsall's squad.

This 2013 team has hitting, fielding, pitching and talent that just may well be the best in Louisville Softball history.
All American Taner Fowler is just one of seven returning starters and twelve letterwinners that promise to rattle the fences at Ulmer Stadium and send opponents home with "L"s.

We'll see you there!

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One of the surprises of the BIG EAST womens' basketball season, at least for us, has been the Villanova Wildcats. With a win Saturday over a very good USF team, VU is now sporting a 15-2 overall record and 4-0 record in BIG EAST play. Sonja and I have different viewpoints on just how powerful these Cats are and we discuss them below..

Sonya:

They have an unblemished BIG EAST record. That's more than UConn, UofL and Rutgers can say -- three of the top four teams in my pre-season rankings. They're getting it done with team play, too. Laura Sweeney, Rachel Roberts, Devon Kane, Lauren Burford and Taylor Holeman are all capable of putting up double figures anytime the Wildcats take the court. Their win over USF legitimizes that they've "arrived" . They're second in scoring defense in BIG EAST games and have a +13.0 scoring advantage over all opponents. Sweeney leads the BIG EAST in steals. Only Minnesota and Delaware have defeated them this season -- two teams that could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Paul:

15-2 looks great and you have to take your hat off to Harry Perreta for the job he's done with this veteran bunch. They may well go 5-0 in the BIG EAST with Providence up next.

Then, here comes the boom. Syracuse, at Connecticut, at Rutgers and Notre Dame. Hello, 5-4.

There are several tiers of talent this year in the BIG EAST. UConn and Notre Dame are in the penthouse suite. Living in the condos below them are Syracuse, Louisville, St. John's DePaul, USF and Rutgers. I put Villanova in affordable housing with Georgetown. Underneath the 2nd St. Bridge in cardboard boxes are Cincinnati, Providence, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Marquette.

Sweeney, Burford, Roberts and the rest of the Brady Bunch threw a scare into Louisville last year in the KFC YUM!...losing 62-58. The Cards did a little better against them in the first round of the BIG EAST Tourney, getting a 63-48 win. Sweeney had 31 points total in both games. They get Louisville this year in the Pavillion in Philly on Sunday, Feb 24th....a place that holds 6500 but only 500 or so bother to attend. The Cards will get a tough road win there...one of those games where the popular Cardinals will draw 1500-2000 to attend.

Villanova is impressive, so far. Let's see where they are when they face the Cards. My guess is 7-5 in the BIG EAST.
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Friday Cardinal Couple - Softball set to start in Feburary

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Coach P. returns power, speed and hitting for 2013

-Bullpen Softball Dinner coming up!

-Should we name the Ulmer Dome after Jurich or Sonja?

University of Louisville head softball coach Sandy Pearsall spoke to an appreciative crowd at the monthly Sportsmen's
Supper Club meeting at the University Club Thursday night
and CARDINAL COUPLE was there to bring you the exclusive
report on it.

First off the bat, Coach P. expressed her thanks for the fan support that the 55-win Cards had during their magical season last year. She noted that it was very special to the players and also a great recruiting tool for future softball Cards. She explained that the entire success of Louisville athletics was quite important to recruiting for all UofL sports, seeing Cardinal fans in droves at the Sugar Bowl, Cardinal basketball games and at the softball regionals speaks directly to the prospective recruit that the Louisville fan base backs their teams.

Sandy Pearsall has a veteran, experienced and slugging bunch of softball Cards hard at work for the season-opener (less than a month away!) in Las Vegas at the three-day Sportco Kickoff Classic. The only starters graduated from last year's team are right fielder Kristin Austin and pitcher Tori Collins. Chelsea Leonard has had to end her softball career because of recurring knee injuries.

How about this for a lineup to choose from! Jordan Trimble, Maggie Ruckenbroad, Jennifer Esteban, Alicia Wolny, Katelynn Mann, Taner Fowler, Whitney Arion, Katie Keller and (Sonja's favorite player) Hannah Kiyohara all return for the Cards. Pitcher Caralisa Connell will see the majority of balls and strikes work...but transfer Rachel LeCoq and Jasmine Smithson-Willett are available as well. Smithson-Willett, a true freshman from Cailfornia, will likely see some outfield time as well...Pearsall describes her as a powerful hitter and extremely fast on the bases.

Coach has her work cut out for her with one of the toughest non-conference schedules she can remember since arriving at Louisville. The BIG EAST didn't do the team any favors either with scheduling in 2013 or 2014. UofL head baseball coach Dan McDonnell, who also spoke to the group, and Coach P. are pretty sure that their teams will compete in the BIG EAST in this and the 2014 seasons.   

A most informative and heartfelt presentation by Coach Pearsall and if you haven't been to a Louisville softball game, you definitely need to get out to Ulmer Stadium this season! This isn't the slow-pitch softball you played in the church league last summer. It's fast, exciting and competitive.  

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You don't want to miss the upcoming Louisville softball Bullpen Club Dinner to kickoff the season on Saturday, Jan 26th. at the Hyatt Regency. Cocktails at 6 p.m.

The tickets are $50 each and funds go to support Louisville softball. There will also be a cash bar and a great silent auction with items available from many UofL sports.

Sonja and I atttended last year and will be there again this year. It's a blast and we highly recommend you go!

This year's speaker is Olympian and 2009 and 2010 NCAA Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie. She played her college ball at the University of Washington. You'll love her.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 502.852-0706 or e-mailing Christine Krellwitz at christine.krellwitz@louisville.edu

You can also download the form at www.gocards.com

See you there!

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(The following section is a parody. PLEASE don't send any money to Timmy the Intern...)

We spoke at length with Coach after the meeting about her dream and our cause celebe now....putting a dome over Ulmer Stadium. Based on our talk, CARDINAL COUPLE has decided to put Timmy the Intern in charge of fundraising for the auspicious and ground-breaking venture. If you see Timmy and his crack team of fundraising chimps out at local venues, please donate generously. Small, non-sequential bills ($20 and under) are strongly recommended and suggested.

We are also working out the details of installing toll booths near the field at the intersection of Floyd Street and Brandeis...manned by softball players...to speed along the funding. We're hoping former mayor and current Lt. Governor Jerry Abramson will return our calls and pull a few strings to get this approved by city planning.  

We're going on record that the facility be named The Sonja Softball Stadium or SonjaDome...after our beloved operations manager here at CARDINAL COUPLE.

Online donations (all major credit cards) can be processed by going to the website www.TimmytheInternventures.com
You're on your own there...we got nothing to do with it.

We've suggested the brilliant contractor Manual Labor for the job and his construction crew of Wood, Hammer, Beam and Stucco. Now that the floods and labor strikes have ended in Belize...the boys should be available once we get those pesky work permits approved and appropriate bribes donations paid off to certain unnamed parties. The statute of limitations that prevented them from working in the United States has expired and we're confident this will be another "gem" on the UofL campus when completed.

CARDINAL COUPLE construction consultant MArkie MArk predicts it will "be a showplace that will attract both young and old due to it's majestic beauty, innovative design and one-of-a-kind structural integrity." He's pretty smart about stuff like this, so ..."what he said"

A recent staff meeting, poorly attended and...honestly, these people have the attention span of eight-year olds...also came up with other fund-raising ideas...like having Honey Boo Boo throw out the first pitch at a game this year, having a "Dress like a member of the Third Reich" night at the ballpark, letting Bill the Goat pitch an inning for the Cards and having a lobster toss in between innings for the fans. All these ideas were emphatically shot down by operations manager and co-owner Sonja and the meeting abruptly came to an end when Jeff and Paulie ended up exchanging haymakers for the final piece of pizza.

BE SURE to check back tomorrow here at CARDINAL COUPLE for Quentin Voigt/Elvis Redbird's scout on the University of Louisville WBB's next opponent...the Providence Friars. The Cards take to the road for this Saturday game and "Q" has the scoop for you!
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