Monday Cardinal Couple -- Great Scott! -- Courtney Scott headed to Maryland Softball

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Softball assistant to take Terps head coaching position

- Want to see it again? Shoni aerial attack revisited...





If Sandy Pearsall needs to issue "Hello, My Name Is..." tags this fall to her coaching staff, one can give her a dispensation and understand why.

In the third coaching change within a week for Louisville Softball, assistant coach Courtney Scott is expected to be named head coach at Maryland today. 

The move follows the hiring of Stacy May Johnson at UofL earlier in the week and the departure of Carol Bruggermann. 

Someone run down to campus and see if the stadium is still named Ulmer.

The move for Scott is a good one an a return to territory she is familiar with. Scott spent two years on the Maryland staff before coming to Louisville in 2010. Her bio at Louisville is impressive, to say the least:

Under Scott's tutelage, Maryssa Becker was named to the 2014 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-Central Region second team as a pitcher/utility player. She became the first Louisville freshman to earn all-region honors since Keola Calderon was named to the South Region second team in 2000, the program's inaugural season. Becker was named one of the top 25 finalists for the inaugural National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy and earned American Athletic Conference second team honors.

The 2013 UofL pitching staff posted a 2.38 ERA and led the league with 47 wins. Catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod also led the conference with 11 pickoffs and earned NFCA All-Region second team honors. Pitchers Caralisa Connell and Rachel LeCoq were selected to the All-BIG EAST second team while Ruckenbrod was named to the third team.

The Cards' pitching staff was ranked fourth in the nation in 2012, with a 1.39 ERA while Chelsea Leonard led the nation with 12 saves. Pitcher Tori Collins and catcher Taner Fowler were tabbed NFCA All-Americans and pitcher Caralisa Connell earned All-BIG EAST honors. Along with the success of the team came honors for the Cards' coaching staff which was named the NFCA Great Lakes Valley and BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.

In her first season (2011), Scott's pitching staff battled injury, but still posted 38 wins and 13 shutouts. Tori Collins finished the season ranked 10th in the nation with 10 shutouts. Caralisa Connell earned All-BIG EAST honors in her rookie campaign. Fellow freshmen Maggie Ruckenbrod and Taner Fowler teamed to pick off a league-best 13 runners.

Her departure leaves Coach Pearsall with one assistant coach left from the 2013 season...volunteer coach Jim Miller. No word yet on who will replace Scott.

The Maryland search for a new head coach began on June 25th:

After nine years at the helm and following the worst season in the program's history, Maryland softball head coach Laura Watten will "pursue other opportunities."

The Cards mirror the Terps in several aspects...going into a new conference, facing changes in the Softball coaching staff and coming off a less than spectacular season. Pearsall will miss the wise guidance available from Bruggermann and the pitching staff development from Scott...but the fact still remains that the Cards have one of the best head coaches in Division I Softball. Pearsall has great talent returning and a very impressive freshman class waiting to get on the diamond. 

Best of luck to Courtney Scott from all of us at CARDINAL COUPLE in her new job and we hope you can return Maryland Softball to prominence. 

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If you happened to miss the "Schimmel Show" Saturday in the WNBA All-Star game...here's a "brief" recap of the 3-point barrage. 

Yup. Same ol' Shoni. Same ol' magic....Link and address: 

http://www.wnba.com/video/wnba/2014/07/19/ASWSchimmel3ptshotsmov-3332464


http://www.wnba.com/video/wnba/2014/07/19/ASWSchimmel3ptshotsmov-3332464

paulie