Four former Cards Left on 2024 WNBA rosters. -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

 Hines-Allen, Engstler, Evans and Dixon remain on WNBA rosters 

We've always tried to keep up with the former Louisville Cardinals who make it to the WNBA and as we look at most teams having completed over two dozen games this season, we also see four Cards still on rosters. Our columnist Jeff McAdams gave you his look at the Cards in th "W" in Sunday' s write...I had already planned to do the same today, and just kept my original write to present today, instead of going for a new subject. 

The Washngton Mystics have half of Louisville's WNBA contingent on their roster with Myisha Hines-Allen and Emily Engstler. Hines-Allen has been in the league since 2018 and serves as a reserve on this year's Mystics squad. She has the highest shooting perentage on the squad at 52.1% In 22 games for the Mystics, she is averaging 8.4 ppg, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 

Engstler was the fourth pick in the 2022 by the Indiana Fever but was waived and spent time aat Minnesota before the Mystics acquired her. She also comes off the bench, and is averaging 4.7 points per game and 3.7 rebounds. 

Washington is in sixth (last) place in the WNBA's Eastern Division with a 6-19 record as of this writing. 

Dana Evans plays for the Chicago Sky and is in her fourth year in the league. She's a part time starter at Chicago (12 of 22 games so far) She averages 8.3 p.p.g. a game and 3.2 assists. Originally drafted by Dallas, she played a half dozen games in "Big D" before getting traded to the Sky in the 2021 season. . 

The Sky are currently in 4th place at 9-14 in the Eastern Division. 

Liz Dixon is on the Phoenix Mercury team. She went undrafted in 2023 but did play for the Connecticut Sun and the Mercury in 2023. The Mercury did waive her this season on July 2nd, but was brought back almost immediately to be a reserve on the squad with a seven-day contract. She is averaging 1,8 p.p.g. and 2.4 rebounds. . 

Phoenix is 13-12 on the season, good for fourth place in the league's Western Division.  

We, here at Cardinal Couple, wish all out Cards pros the best of luck the rest of the way and hope they can etch out long careers in the "W". 

paulie

 

Welcome to the ACC, SMU -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

As we approach the 2024-2025 sports season, we will see three new schools regularly appearing on the other side of the field/pitch/court from UofL. The addition of Southern Methodist (SMU), California (Cal), and Stanford took effect recently. We will go through the sports that each school offers over the next few weeks.

Southern Methodist University (SMU)

SMU currently fields 16 varsity sports, noticeably less than the 21 Louisville has. 10 of those teams are women's programs while the remaining six are men's programs. The only sport they carry that Louisville doesn't is Equestrian. There are currently 21 Division I schools that field Equestrian. 

Women's Sports offered:

-Basketball: Last season, the Mustangs went 14-16 and fell in the opening round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

-Cross Country: Unlike many schools, SMU does not have both men's and women's cross country. Their women's team had a fairly successful run last fall, tying for fifth in the NCAA Regional round.

-Equestrian: SMU is the reigning back-to-back national champions, narrowly beating out top-ranked TCU for the title back in April. 

-Golf: The Mustangs have a strong women's program. They advanced to the national championship and finished 24th overall last year.

-Rowing: The Mustangs won a tight one in the AAC Championship.

-Soccer: At 11-6-1 and falling in the AAC title game, SMU was one of the first schools out to miss the NCAA Tournament.

-Swimming and Diving: The Mustangs finished second in the AAC Championships. They did not send a team to the NCAA Championships but did have a couple individual divers compete.

-Tennis: A 14-12 overall record would not have gotten SMU into the postseason, but they won the AAC title to earn their way in, where they advanced to the second round after upsetting #33 Alabama.

-Track and Field: This is another sport where you typically see men's and women's programs together. SMU only carries a women's team. With just three points recorded, the Mustangs placed 50th overall in the NCAA Championships.

-Volleyball: SMU went 26-7 overall and 18-1 in the AAC en route to a conference championship. They fell to Texas in the second round.

Although we won't see them in on the lacrosse or field hockey fields, since they don't field sports in those two areas, it still appears that SMU is pretty strong in the women's events they do offer. Granted, the step from the AAC to the ACC is a pretty huge one. but the WBB home court...Moody Coliseum, as been described as a being a very tough place for opponent to come in and win. The legend of "Moody Magic" for SMU against incoming opponents is an interesting local tradition. . 

Men's Sports offered:

We found it interesting that a school of almost 12,000 enrollment only offerss (6) men's sports. We don't cover men's sports in our Cardinal Couple columns, but a cursory glance indicates that the men's sports they do carry at SMU did pretty daggone good in the AAC last year. 

-Basketball: 20-13 last season

-Football: 11-3 last season with AAC Championship

-Golf: 2nd in AAC, 26th at NCAAs

-Soccer: 14-3-2 last season

-Swimming and Diving: Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Champions, 18th at NCAAs

-Tennis: 17-11 last season

We will break down the sports Cal and Stanford bring to the table in the future.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Elif Istanbulluoglu Could Be Front Line Force for Cards WBB in 2024-25 -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

Turkish Star set for sizzling sophomore year. 

One of the more pleasant surprises in the 2023-24 UofL WBB season was the emergence of front line factor Elif Istanbulluoglu. Her freshman season was an impressive start, she played in all 34 UofL WBB contests, and drew two starts. In the Cards NCAA contest against MTSU, she scored seven points and had a three in her first ever NCAA Tournament action.  

She had a double-double in her third-ever collegiate game, with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Bellarmine.  She recorded her career high points total against Boston College with 11 points. 

This summer she's with the Turkiye squad in the U 20 squad and is a starter for the team where Jeff Walz is an assistant coach.  They recently beat Lativa by 20 points for seventh place in the euroBasket U 20's. She;s averaged 20 points and eight rebounds in U20 play and is consdered one of the top five players in the Euros Round of 16

The european leagues are no stranger to Elif...she played for the FIBA Fenerbache squad that won the Turkish U20 euros for the first time in team history last summer. 

Her game is multi-purpose...she can score both inside and out, and at 6'3" that's a nice card to have in your hand. She also showed a sense of toughness and passion for the Cards, another valuable thong to possess in the ACC. 

Elif's older sister Sevval

She comes from a basketball family. Both her parents played in the Turkish leagues and her older sister, Sevval, started for four years at Siena. 

With Elif and returnees Nyla Harris and Olivia Cochran, plus several and talented freshmen and redshirt freshmen on the roster, the Cards should be one of the top rebounding teamsin the conference this season. Jayda Curry and Merissah Russell returning at the guard spots gives Louisville WBB a sold core of players for 2024-25....plus the influx of transfer guard Ja'Leah Williams out of Miami (FL) and four talented freshmen guards, including five star Imari Berry.

Remember them? 

A first glance indicates the Cards should be a deep and strong team and 2024-25 should be a fun and productive season for Louisville WBB.

paulie

Cards in the Pros - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Cards in the Pros

WNBA Basketball

It's been a little while since we've caught up with some Cards in the Pros, so let's do that today.

The WNBA has benefited from a huge surge of awareness and popularity, and I think it's fair to say it's largely driven by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.  Ultimately, I don't much care what the genesis of the attention is, I just like to see it happening.

Unfortunately for UofL rooting interests, former Cards, well they're doing fine, and we'll look at some quick season-so-far stats for that in a moment, but the teams they're on?  Eh, we're looking at mid-pack at best.

Dana Evans

Dana Evans is continuing to impress in Chicago despite her diminutive height.  The team overall?  They're in 8th (out of 12 teams), so not spectacular, despite the presence of the aforementioned Angel Reese.

Evans has played in all 23 games of the season so far, and started 12.  She averages 20 minutes per game, and in that time is managing to put down almost eight points on average.  Evans is never going to be an incredible rebounder at merely 5'6", but she does manage to get about one defensive board a game.  She gets about three assists and a steal per game and she'll hit about 36% of her field shots, frneom wherever she takes them.  Overall she's at 37%, and 35.9% from beyond the arc.  At the charity stripe, however, she's Ms dependable, scoring a whopping 97.1% of her free throws.

Myisha Hines-Allen

Myisha Hines-Allen has had a solid career with the Washington Mystics, and she continue to contribute solidly.  Unfortunately, the Mystics are in 11th place in the league (only Dallas is keeping them out of last place).

Hines-Allen has also played in all 23 games of the season thus far, starting in eight of them.  Playing just under 19 minutes a game, she's scoring eight points in that period, typically pulling down an offensive rebound and about four defensive in the process.  2.5 assists per game on average is fine, but I'd like to see a few more steals and blocks from here as I think she's capable of more than the .5 steals per game, and .1 blocks per game that she's currently averaging.  She is solid on offense, however, with 50% shooting from the field overall, and over 42% from beyond the arc.  OK, she's not a super prolific three point shooter, but she has dropped 14 of them in the hoop on the season, not bad given her playing style here at UofL.  Over 80% from the free throw line is quite acceptable.

Emily Engstler

Also with the Mystics, and seeming to carve out at least a niche for herself this season, Engstler is also mostly an offensive threat.  She's played in 16 games thus far, with no starts yet, but averaging a touch over 12 minutes per game.  3.5 rebounds per game is a nice stat, though the numbers do fall off compared, again, to what we all believe she's capable of, with .6 steals per game, and .3 blocks per game.  OK, she may be a bit undersized to be much of a blocking threat at 6'1", but she was always great at getting into passing lanes and disrupting the other teams offense.  I'd love to see more of that.  She shooting a solid 43.5% from the field, 40% beyond the arc, and again a completely acceptable 85.7% at the charity stripe.

Pro Volleyball Signings - PVF and LOVB (and AU)

None of the pro volleyball leagues are in action this time of year, but I believe all of the first year PVF contracts were considered one year contracts that expired on June 30th.  With basically the whole league being free agents, and LOVB just getting going with signing players to their teams, the end of June and early July had rapid-fire signing announcements.

So, a quick rundown of where our VolleyCards in the pros are going to be playing this year.

First, Erin Fairs continues her significant involvement with Athletes Unlimited and their quirky structure and scoring system.  AU will play their 2024 season in Mesa Arizona in October and November.  Their season lasts five weeks, and you might remember that they re-draft their four teams every week.

The only other "re-signing" for pro Cards is Tori Stringer (nee Dilfer).  Midway through last season she was traded from the Atlanta Vibe to the Columbus Fury.  She'll continue her tenure there.  That trade did reunite her with head coach Ángel Pérez, who also was Stringer's head coach in the time that she played in Puerto Rico before the PVF started.  She very much likes playing for Pérez, so it's a good connection.

Speaking of Columbus, Pérez and Puerto Rico, however,  Wilma Rivera, from Puerto Rico, will be switching from the Orlando Valkyries to play for the Columbus Fury as well.  Yes, Stringer and Rivera, both UofL alumnae, are both setters, and they are (at least so far) the only setters on the 2025 Fury roster, so it looks like a UofL alumnae will be setting in Columbus one way or the other.  Which one?  Good question, my guess is that Rivera will get the starting spot, but I don't think that's a given.  It could be quite a position battle.

Aiko Jones, our favorite Jamaican, now with a US Green Card, can be gainfully employed in the US now.  (She was very restricted previously because she was on a student visa.)  I thought there was a good chance that she would be signed by Columbus, which would have been a great life situation for her as her wife is a veterinary student at OSU, but that didn't come to pass.  She did find her way onto a PVF roster, however, signing with the Atlanta Vibe.

Over to LOVB now, a new professional league starting early 2025.  They, too, have been announcing players and two are former Cards.

The first to sign with LOVB Madison was Anna "Stevie" Hall (nee Stevenson).  Stevie was getting a bit tired of playing on the international scene and was excited to come back to US soil and get to play professionally.  She has also been making appearances with the US WNT in Volleyball, and was picked as a non-traveling alternate for the Olympics.

After the June 30th expiration of all of the PVF contracts, Claire Chaussee announced that she would be getting her cheesehead back on, also joining LOVB Madison, alongside Stevie.  Another wonderful life situation, Chaussee has always been listed as hailing from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and I don't know if you've ever looked on a map, but Sun Prairie is basically a suburb of Madison.  So that makes a nice homecoming for her.

So there you go, a rundown of Cards in the Pros for you.  Did I miss any?  Probably, feel free to get in the comments with updates on any that I miss if you know of any.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We had fun on the CCRHP yesterday.  We had a wonderful discussion of monorails and other light rail systems.  OK, maybe a bit off topic, but it was a lot of fun.  We heard a report from Daryl about her chat with new Basketball assistant coach Amanda Butler, we covered some Olympics appearances to come, and just had a great, widely roaming discussion centered around UofL women's sports (yes, even the monorail/light rail had some bit of tie-in).

Check it out:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/A-Cardinal-Couple-Quiz-e2lf2lh

 

-- 

JMcA

Cards Head to Nexus Championship -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Field Hockey to be Represented by 8 at USA NXC

For the third year in a row, Louisville will be represented at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center in mid-July. The 2024 USA Field Hockey Nexus Championship begins tomorrow, and is a shorter overall window, as it runs only until the 16th. NXC is an opportunity for players on the Team USA radar to come together all in one place to show their best for a chance to be selected to national team camps of all ages and to various levels of the national team squads.

This will be Louisville largest contingent of both active players and overall participation. The Cards will have four returning members and four incoming freshmen attending. Previous highs are three returners and five overall (2022 - three active Cardinals were joined by an incoming freshman and an alumna). After both joining Izzy Bianco in her second year last season, Lauren Masters and Sophia Parker will attend a second time this year. Bianco is not among attendees, as she has established herself with the program by being selected for the Junior Pan-American Championship team earlier this year. Masters and Parker are joined by Tyler Everslage and Rylie Wollerton from the Louisville roster. Also trialing for the senior teams are incoming freshmen Emily Eaton (MF/D - Charlotte, NC) and Megan Mauzy (D - Fisherville, KY). Louisville's last two representatives will be incoming freshmen participating in the U21 NXC. Those players are Alessia Cicuto (GK - Raleigh, NC) and Mary Wordelmann (MF/F - Mickleton, NJ).

We wish the best of luck to all the Cardinals (and all players really) participating for a chance to represent their country in the sport they love.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

I'm out again this week, but the show returns. There will be four on the call, so be sure to tune in to hear more from Daryl after her chat with Coach AB. There will be more news and notes to cover as well, plus a regular helping of the standard nonsense. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

A couple of questions with WBB Asst. Coach Amanda Butler -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Good morning everyone and welcome back to my favorite day of the week!
   

Cardinal Couple officially welcomes Amanda Butler to the Louisville women's basketball staff and the city of Louisville and I got the chance to pop over to the practice facility at meet our new coach!  

Daryl Foust (l) and Amanda Butler (r)

So I wanted to share a couple things we chatted about!  I really appreciate Amanda's time and look forward to supporting another basketball season from the sidelines.  

Coach says she spent the first solid week in Louisville and will be going out recruiting trips soon.  Says they have gone to check out some restaurants with some of the coaching staff and is taking recommendations of where to visit.  Enjoys cooking at home with family (has two boys 4 and 7).  Fan of bourbon.  From Tennessee, family lives right across the border..  which made a 'personal pull' for her to want to relocate to Louisville.

Amanda Butler: Thank you for the coverage cant underestimate how important that is and telling our stories and generating coverage beyond social media. Its so important.  We've got a great product and a great leader we want to soar from the mountain tops and we appreciate the megaphone you provide us. 

Daryl Foust: How are you getting acclimated with the city and the program. 

AB: Love the city, been here many times.  Majority of times its to recruit and to play so you don't get to enjoy and experience the charm and the city and all that Louisville has to offer, always watch the Derby every year and (Head Coach) Jeff's been a friend over the years and you have an idea of Louisville but actually being here and living here and seeing the things, eating food and learning the places outside just the work experience.  Then there's the eliteness of what Louisville basketball means and the program that's  been built and the eliteness of the people that are drawn to it, the student athletes the staff that Walz has put together, its fantastic to be a part of something so special. 

DF:  You familiar with Walz prior to this so how did this link up come to fruition?

AB:  The basketball community is big and small. its big as in its grown significantly but its small in that if you are fortunate enough to stay in the business for a long time you create connections and relationships and if you're fortunate enough to be in a position where there is an opening and this is what were looking for you could have someone in your network of people who think 'this might be a good idea', it was something we talked about a couple times and here we are.  

DF: We are glad to have you and look to help take the program to the next level, a national championship..

AB:  Its a definite goal and a definite challenge.  I really hope I can contribute in a way that helps us achieve that. I'm doing a lot of learning right now, the processes, the culture.   Walz and Steph Norman and AJ and when you have a player like Cortnee Walton who's played here, you've got a tremendous combination of people who have been around the program for a long time who have who have worked very hard to put us in the position were in and where we can have legit final four , national championship, ACC championship conversations.  An athletic culture that Josh has created to win national championships

DF:  What was your knowledge of the program before you arrived and now that you're in it?

AB:  Jeff is one of the most underrated coaches, the level of consistency and the string of elite 8's, throw in a few final fours, you can count on one hand who have done the things he has done in the post season.  Its a very hard thing to do to go to an elite 8 and final four and to be able to claim multiple ones, not enough people understand what an accomplishment that is.

When you're competing against that, you know they're going to be tough he's an excellent strategist and  great in game adjustments.  They've always done an outstanding job of recruiting the players that can be successful here.    Whether it's a top 10 or 20 kid or it's seeing the fit for someone who isn't, but they're a championship level competitor. Jeff and his staff are known for their creativity and work ethic in recruiting so its exciting to be a part of that and hopefully contribute but also learn a lot as well. The culture, the steadiness, the toughness, and the pride that's the magic in what Jeff has done.  He's gone out and got superstar players (like Dana Evans and Myisha Hines Allen) and then will combine them with someone who's super foundational (like Mykasa Robinson) and made magic happen.   

DF:  You played, so are you drawn to that position when coaching?

AB:  Always been drawn to point guard position.  I think when you have an extended HC career, that's the low hanging fruit because that's what I played but then you develop more curiosities about other parts of the game and you find what you value in a "big" or a shooting guard.  But really, I'm a student of the game, I'm a basketball junkie.  I have been getting to work early, leaving late and when I'm not at the office I have a game on at home.  I really love what I do, I love strategy and solving problems, I'm drawn to all of it.  Right now I'm the rookie on the staff so right now I'm trying to get to know everyone and find out how I can help everyone get what they need whether that be a co-worker or a player.  If Coach Walz gets back from Türkiye and asks me to coach the "bigs" or defense, I'm all in!!

*******************************************

Quick Questions! 

Coach Butler's responses are in bold caps

Tacos or SUSHI ?

DOGS or Cats ?

MUSIC or BOOKS (tie)

Mountains or BEACH ?

Skydiving or SCUBA ?

APPLE or Android ?

TEXTING or Calling ? 

Polka dots or STRIPES ?(vertical)

Only 115ish days until another WBB season!  We wish Coach AB success in her new found home here in Louisville and look forward to covering the Cardinals all the way to a national championship!!! 

As Always
Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

Jayden Ulrich Headed to 2024 Summer Olympics -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ulrich is First UofL Track and Field Athlete to Represent United States

Photo by GoCards

The success of Jayden Ulrich continues. Louisville Track and Field's top woman student-athlete is headed to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She will compete in the discus throw.

Ulrich is the first woman on Louisville's track and field team to represent Team USA in program history. She is the second woman in program history to compete in the Olympics. Chinwe Okoro, who represented Nigeria in the discus throw in the 2016 Rio Olympics is the first.

In 2024, Ulrich finished NCAA Runner-Up in the women's discus throw. She also won an ACC Championship in the event. The rising senior was named ACC Female Athlete of the Year. 

Photo by GoCards

The women's discus throw will begin on August 2. If she advances to the finals, Ulrich will compete on August 5 at 2:30pm ET. 

Other Louisville track and field athletes to compete in the Olympics in the past include Matt Hughes (Canada - 2016, 2020), Wesley Korir (Kenya - 2016), and Ben Williams (Great Britain - 2020). Former coach Ron Mann was one of the coaches for Team USA in 2008.

NBC will carry the Olympics again this year. You can also stream all events on Peacock. $7.99 to watch every single Olympics event is a pretty solid deal.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

We Never Stop Learning -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 MAKING HEALTHY HABITS LAST

One of the things I have learned since my heart surgery and subsequent cardiac rehab is that making healhty habits and a healthy lifestyle is something that should become a daily habit. I know... they probably tried to teach me this 60 years ago, but. uh, I was busy. Maybe. Better late than never for life's lessons to sink in, right?    

Sometimes, we can have a lapse in the healthy habits we want to pursue. We can get off track. We know what to do  but can't quite remember or rediscover the motivation to stick with it. A buddy of mine loves to use the phrase: 

"It's hard to remember your initial objective was to drain the swamp when you are up up to you ass in alligators." 

As many of the student- athletes at UofL and other schools prepare for their upcoming seasons, the dilemma comes in sometimes hitting the "pause" button. A LAPSE FOR A FEW DAYS, WEEKS OR MONTHS CAN CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE. MAKING HABITS LAST FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE are more like a marathon instead of a sprint.. I have learned that, even at my advanced age....exercise can do a body a great deal of good.  Done in moderation with my set skills. Here are some ideas to help you prevent those lapses in your quest to keep helathy habits. Call these five concepts "Paulie's Progress". Or, hell, call them whatever you want, I didn't invent the concepts....Bob's a nice name, call them Bob if you want. 

KEEP SETTING NEW GOALS-- The more you think about achieiving specific accomplishments and celebatng them, the harder you'll want to work. Start small and focus on small adjustments rather than radical changes that just may not be obtainable yet. One of my more recent goals was a simple one... walking the driveway. Besides creating the illusion in my neighbors' mind that I had finally "lost it" I was working on meeting a goal, then slightly increasing it when i reached it. Increasing in small steps. And on rough weather days, your local grocery store or Walmart has plenty of aisles in climate controlled comfort. Plus you sometimes get a glimpse into just how crazy some of the people in this world are.. Remember... one step at a time and stay focused. 

STAY FOCUSED -- when an obstacle comes up that throws you off, review what you want to accomplish. Staying focused makes obstacles seem much smaller when put them into perspective. Remember you past sucessess and remember you are trying to create a healthy liffestyle. And remind youself why you want to be healthy and be realistic in your goals and  acheivements 

BE REALISTIC --  Remeber, setbacks can and probably will happen. No one is perfect and it is only how we react that makes a big difference. The quicker you get back on track, the better. Planning for setbacks can also reduce their impact. If you have Monday, Wednesdy and Fridays set for fitness or health training and miss a Friday...just try to make a little time on Saturday or Sunday to make it up. i missed a day last week because of a national holiday. But, I took a little time to make it up the following day. 

RECOGNIZE DISTRACTORS --  Become more aware of factors that can weaken your motivaton and commitment. Remember, these can be internal as well as external. I had a friend compliment me recently because of some diet changes. I asked her to stop. Why? Because I am not doing them to impress or please others. These changes are for my heart and health. Praise, while nice to get, can also weaken the resolve to succeed. If it's an ego thing for you, you will probably fail.

 

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH REMINDERS -- External memory aids can remind you why it is important to stick with new behaviors. Having constant reminders of why it is important for you to stay on track can help you remember the benefits of living healthy or whatever your goal is.  Do you remember the old Minnesota Vikings motto from the 1960's? "40 for 60" ? It meant they they were all involved in the game (back then there were 40 players on the roster) for the entire 60 minutes they were on the field. One that an intramural basketball team that i played on used was "five guys, four quarters, three (points) is better than two, two halves and one win." Whatever it takes for you to remind yourself to keep your eyes on the prize. do it

Have a great Wednesday and keep pushing...straight ahead. 

(CONCEPT FOR TODAY'S COLUMN FROM MY CARDIAC REHAB INSTRUCTORS AT UOFL.)

paulie

  

Zabala Makes FGCL All Star Roster -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville's Zabala Makes All Star Roster in Rookie Debut

Photo from FGCL Facebook page

Summertime softball is nearly over. Before it comes to a close, Louisville's Alyssa Zabala gets to play one more game. She was recently named to the All Star roster in the Florida Gulf Coast League's 2024 season.

Zabala is a rising junior for Louisville softball but just competed in her rookie campaign down in Florida. She ranks high in several pitching categories. Currently, Zabala is fourth in ERA at 1.94, third in strikeouts with 46, fourth in batting average against at 0.200, and third in WHIP with a 1.11. Zabala and Mackenzie Childers have been a one-two punch for the Manatee Impact. Savannah Henley is also provided strong relief for the Impact, who lead the league with a 14-4 record. The Impact and Bradenton Slice played a late game last night, which the results were not final when typing this.

Anna Maria Aquanauts (14-5), Myakka City RiverMocs (13-6), Lakewood Ranch Rodeo (12-7), and Bradenton Slice (10-8) are the other teams to hit double-digits wins. The bottom half of the league finished below .500.

(Photo from some guy named Jared that Paulie knows)

The All Star game and Home Run Derby are scheduled to be played today with the double elimination tournament set to run July 10-13. The entire postseason is set to be played at Lakewood Ranch Softball Complex in Bradenton, Florida. Online viewing is pay-per-view only.

The offseason practice is sure to help Zabala stay fresh for the 2025 Louisville softball season, where she is expected to retain her position as the team's ace.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Cardinals Softball Camp Registration Open -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CAMP SET FOR JULY 17th

UofL Softball will be holding a one-day camp for softball players that are due to graduate from high school in the years 2025-28 on July 17th at Ulmer Stadium on the Don Dobna Field, The Wedneday camp with run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be held in two divisions -- pitcher portion will begin at noon and run to 3 p.m.

The camp will be run by UofL staff, cooaches and player on the squad.  The camp is designed to help players work on their skills, metrics and a look on what it takes to be a competitive player in the ACC, 

After a morning skills session the players will break for lunch and then live competition until 3 p.m. . Players will be evaluated at their primary playing postition and also on their batting skills. 

To get more information on the camp and registration please go to the following website: 

   https://louisvillesoftballcamps.totalcamps.com/shop/EVENT

There is information at the website about other Cardinals softball camp, including a Lil' Cards camp on Friday, July 24th.

Louisville's camps for up and comng players are excellent opportunites for them to learn the skills and get tips from the players and coaches involved in DI NCAA Softball and also fun for the participants. 

paulie