WBB Visits BC and More! -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

On the Road Again

This time tomorrow I'll be en route to visit Katy down at Florida State.  She just submitted grad schools applications, including ones to Louisville Seminary and UK (UofL doesn't offer her program), so wish her luck!



(EDITOR NOTE. WE WILL, OF COURSE, DROP JARED FROM OUR STAFF IF KATY ENDS UP AT UK. STRICTLY BUSINESS, NOTHING PERSONAL. STAY TUNED.) 






Basketball Visits Boston College

The B.C.mascot is Baldwin the Eagle

Tonight, our beloved women's basketball team will also be on the road, and hopefully will have arrived safely to take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill.  The 9-7 Eagles have had a roller coaster season that's seen them not win or lose more than two games in a row.  They are coming off a loss to Virginia but took down Notre Dame prior to that so no superstitions to fret over here.

Boston College is 0-2 at home in the ACC this year with losses to Virginia and NC State.  I was told that Ms. Wuf did not make the trip. We're pretty sure Baldwin flew in for Wolfpack vs. Eagles. .

Give the BC offense credit, as they are averaging 76.8 points per game, ranking second in the ACC.  They topped 100 twice on the year in wins over Delaware State (109-69) and St Francis Brooklyn (106-69).  Their 15.8 assists per game ranks second in the league.

With five players averaging double-figures, this Boston College team is scary.  You can often shut down one or two players but trying to shut down a full five-player lineup is a much greater challenge.

Cards WBB had no trouble with BC when MHA was here.

Taylor Soule (12.8), Cameron Swartz (12.6), Emma Guy (12.1), Marnelle Garraud (10.3), and Makayla Dickens (10.1) are all in a race for the points trophy at the end of the year for the Eagles.  Dickens, Swartz, and Garraud are all three-point threats, all shooting above .300 and all making at least 22 treys on the year.  Milan Bolden-Morris is in the three-point club too with a .338 mark and 24 made threes.

Defensively, Boston College has been abysmal.  They allow 68.2 points per game, putting them near the bottom of the barrel in the ACC.  They have surrendered 70 or more points in eight games so far.

Louisville's defense has been one of the best, allowing 57.2 points per game.  That number is even better in the ACC, as they have allowed 53.0 points per game in league play.

(Let's hope the "Iron Cardinals" punch in for work onight.) 

The Cards are the one team better than Boston College in assists with 15.9 per game, a sign of
outstanding ball movement.  I'm sure Jeff Walz is thrilled with that mark.  Assists are a key factor in both the FRED and CASE reports, so that is sure to help bump up a letter in each report.

Coach Walz spoke of the balanced attack the Eagles present to opponents...so the game plan probably isn't going to revolve around Louisville focusing on shutting down just one player.

Coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee was an assistant at Maryland at the same time Jeff Walz was. She's been at Boston College two years and has complied a record of 23-23.

The Cards have owned the series 6-1.  Last year, Louisville steamrolled the Eagles at the KFC Yum! Center 87-51.  The last and only time the Eagles took down the Cards, Case and I were not born yet.  (sorry, Paulie and Jeff).


Field Hockey USWNT News

Erica Cooper one of five UofL Stick
Girls on the USWNT. 

With UofL remaining rather quiet on this it almost slipped by us.  Thanks to some fortunate shares by some players and parents on social media we caught wind of this exciting news.

Five current UofL field hockey players were named to 32-player the U-21 USWNT for 2020.  That's pretty darn good, especially when it means 16% of the roster is occupied by Cardinals.

Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, Margot Lawn, Megan Schneider, and Minna Tremonti are the Cards listed.  Cooper is the only Kentucky native formthe USWNT, playing her high school hockey at Louisville Assumption, while Pennsylvania was the most common state with 12 players from there.  There are a trio of players from San Diego, including Schneider.

Training will be Feb. 20-24 in Chula Vista, Calif.  They will add extra training Marc 27-29 in Chapell Hill and Durham.

The Pan-American Championship will be held in Santiago, Chile from Nov. 30- Dec. 13.  Hopefully the Cards will have just wrapped up their first NCAA Championship a week prior up in Virginia.

Softball

If you haven't gotten to listen to Paulie's sit down with Holly Aprile in yesterday's article I highly
suggest you check it out.  Aprile seemed ecstatic about the upcoming season.

Here is the link again:

LINK: https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1744mp3

Obviously, Celene Funke is the leader on the team as she commands the outfield and will most likely lead off.  She has a teammate who can nearly match her energy in Maddy Newman, who we should see back at second base.

Caitlin Ferguson has been a solid defender in her three years so far on the left side of the infield and will control the shortstop position.

The top pitcher is Taylor Roby.  As a redshirt freshman last year she showed extreme poise in the circle and was a go-to in tight situations.  With Megan Hensley graduated and Danielle Watson transferred it will be up to Roby to lead a rather young pitching corps.  She's also been known to pack a mighty punch at the plate with her bat. Transfer from Auburn Chardonnay Harris led the Tigers in strikeouts last year as a sophomore and was the 2016 Illinois High School Softball player of the year, so she should be a big boost to the pitching contingent and is a hard-throwing lefty.

Also with a strong bat is Rebecca Chung, one of three catchers on the team.  She did have the big walk-off hit against Florida State on Monday night on ESPN.  She also has a cannon of an arm.  One of her partners behind the plate is Cassady Greenwood, who Aprile has praised for her off-season work both on defense and with a bat.

Greenwood's sister, Carmyn, is one of two transfers in from Auburn, along with Harris.

The other set of sisters on the team are Paige and Riley Schindler, twins from Borden.  Paige is healthy and will be a good accompaniment in the circle.  Riley, who recently got engaged, will spend her time rotating the corners in the outfield in a shared role with Jordyn Wolfe and a fully recovered Charley Butler.

The corners of the infield are a big question mark.  Sidney Melton graduated.  Besides, holding that third base position, Melton nearly matched Funke's speed and the duo were in a battle for most steals and most runs scored last year.  Kyra Snyder transferred out, leaving first base wide open.  I suspect Cass Greenwood and Chung will alternate the spot along with the catcher role, assuming both keep their batting average up.

My guess is that when the preseason polls get released soon the Cards will be in the receiving votes category.  The Cards were a pair of runs shy from upsetting Northwestern to reach their first ever Sweet Sixteen, but showed a great amount of improvement over the season.

I am fully confident they will be back in the NCAA Tournament and flirting with that Sweet Sixteen appearance.  There are a few tough foes in the ACC, including powerhouse Florida State and Virginia Tech, so my guess is that the Cards will finish either third or fourth in the regular season.

Note: The opinions expressed here about 2020 Cards softball are those of the author, Jared Anderson, and may not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of Cardinal Couple nor the program. 

AND...

If you're wanting more basketball this weekend head down to the KFC Yum! Center to see the Harlem Globetrotters in action on Saturday, Jan. 18.  They'll also be at Rupp Arena the day before.  Hoops Green is a guard and one of five women on the roster.  She hails from Lexington Catholic High School here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

(Today's pictures are from a variety of sources. We're still trying to get Jared to include more of his photos in articles he writes, but it's like trying to lead a mule uphill with a 500 lb. duffle bag on his back...)


Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared