UofL senior catcher Melissa Roth is an All Big East selection and was 2009 Player of the Year in the Big East. She's also has a quite pleasing personality and is a lot prettier than the sterotypical image of the catchers I remember from my youth...Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk.
Believe it or not, softball season is upon us and the #22 ranked University of Louisville women's softball team begins play Friday. They travel to Houston to take part in the Houston Marriott Invitational and will play on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First game is at 11 a.m. against Kansas. Better there than here at ice coated Ulmer Stadium, right?
The Cards are the preseason favorite to win the Big East crown. Besides the returning Roth, ace pitcher Kristen Wadwell returns for her senior year on the mound. The Aussie has tossed 75 wins in her career at UofL and was also an All Big East selection last year.
Both Roth and Wadwell were drafted in the USSSA Professional Fast Pitch Senior Draft recently. The pro league plays in the summer months and Roth was the 3rd selection overall.
Beside the dynamic duo, returning for head softball coach Sandy Pearsall's squad is a solid nucleus from last year's team. Hard hitting Chelsea Bemis, another All Big East selection, returns. Colby Wherry, Vanessa James and Kristin Austin are other starters back for the 2010 season.
The Cards will also play in the Charleston Southern tournament next weekend before opening the home schedule at Ulmer in the Cardinal Classic that starts on Feb. 26th.
Call me crazy, but softball in Louisville before mid-March is a bit dicey, given the area's weather conditions. Let's hope for blue skies and sunny days, not only this weekend in Houston, but also for the Cards late winter home opener against Saint Louis. Maybe a long series against Big East foe South Florida and the other top notch Florida softball team could be the ticket next year in the early season.
Down in Houston, the Cards get five games during the three day tournament...playing Kansas and Baylor on Friday. They face Baylor and Houston on Saturday and end with Ohio State on Sunday. Both Baylor and Ohio State are top 25 ranked.
Written by Paul 02/12/10
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