Softball Battle of the Bluegrass tonite!...Transfer rumors abound...-- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS, CATS MEET FOR 38th TIME

UK Softball comes down I-64 to play the Louisville Softball team tonight at 6 p.m. The Cards lead the overall series 19-18. Game time is 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium and it is one of the few times you'll actually need a ticket to get in the ballpark. Those are $5 and can be purchased on site tonight. 

The broadcast will be on the ACC Network Extra and our buddies Don Russell and Daryl Foust will handle play-by-play and color commentary. "D" squared...as we like to call them around here...They don't work together very often, but when they do, it's a fun affair. 

Louisville enters the game at 22-12 after going 1-2 at Boston College over last weekend. The Cards are 5th in the ACC standings at 6-4. The Cards couldn't get the bats going against the Eagles...but Nicole Pufahl leads Louisville with a .394 batting average. the fiery red-head from Moorpark, CA. has also slugged six home runs this season, in addition to patrolling center field for Cardinal head coach Sandy Pearsall. 

We hope Puf makes the ball go *poof* over the fence tonight

Coach "P" will most likely send Maryssa Becker to the circle to face the Cats. Everyone's favorite Oregonian is 17-7 on the season and sports a low, low 1.97 ERA. She's also no slouch at bat (when they choose to pitch to her) with a .292 batting average. She has drawn a team high 25 base on balls...mostly intentional. 

The Cats come to Louisville with a 24-11 mark. They are 7th. in the SEC with a 5-7 record. Most recently, they were swept in Knoxville by the Vols in three games. Hitting has been a problem for UK recently as well...they managed only six runs against UT pitching. 

Kentucky goes to Bailey Vick for hits...she's batting .357 and has seven doubles on the season. Abbey Cheek checks in at .347 and has deposited seven taters over the garden fence. Meagan Prince will most likely get the start for the Cats...she's 11-6 on the season with a 1.52 ERA.

Yes, Kelsey Nunley has finally graduated.

Sonja says Morgan Meyer looks like
Marsha Brady. Yeah, I can see that...

Last year the Cats won the only game between the two schools 2-1. Nunley pitched a complete game...surrendering just four hits while striking out seven. It was the "lightning delay" game...action was stopped for almost an hour going into the seventh inning and Louisville leading 1-0. The Cats got their two runs in the top of the seventh after the game resumed and the Cards couldn't push one across in the bottom of the inning.

Becker went the distance for Louisville...allowing 11 hits. The second scheduled game between the two was cancelled due to weather issues last year. This year, only one game is scheduled between the two squads. 

This should be a fun one tonight. It has been decreed a "red out" game...so dress accordingly. 


There's a full moon out...be prepared for anything! 


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TRANSFER SEASON IN WBB IS UPON US

The middle of April each year usually involves four things for Paulie to negotiate. 


1) Taxes. Yeah, I wait until the very end because I just plain hate doing them. Out of the way, fortunately...a marathon session Monday closed that chore.

2) Getting the lawnmower up and running. Another one to check off the list. A successful yard-cutting was performed Sunday. Each year, it seems to take me longer to do and it isn't because the yard is expanding...

3) Derby season is approaching. Sharpening the handicapping skills, deciding what events to attend and getting a list together of what relatives and friends will be coming into town and where we can put them. 

4) UofL WBB transfers. 

Let's look a little closer at #4. I don't think it is presumptuous or negative for me to expect a few to leave the program. History shows us that the Cards average 2 or 3 a year that leave the program. Last season it was Taja Cole, Erin DeGrate and Syd Brackemyre. The year before that, we saw Megan Deines and Ariana Freeman change locations. 2013-14 it was Starr Breedlove and Monny Niamke. 

Why do they go? It's usually because of one of three reasons. Playing time, wanting to play closer to home or unhappy with current situation. Sometimes it's a little of all three. 

Recruiting is a gamble. The player takes a chance that a school is the right fit for them. The coaches take a chance that the player is the right fit for the program. It usually is....about 75% of the time. Looking at this year's roster, we see that fifteen players were listed at the start of the season. Three graduated. One (Cortnee Walton) spent her entire career at UofL. Three were juniors. All three of them (Moore, Hines-Allen and Carter) have been here the entire time. Two played and one sat out. Three were sophomores. All three started their careers here. Six were freshmen. 

People want to know, and I get comments and e-mails about transfers. I get questions and have discussions about the subject. I even had a guy a couple of weeks ago stop me at Churchill Downs and ask me why a particular player was still on the roster. I sarcastically told him it was because the excellent quality of Louisville's water. He was wearing blue. I passed on the opportunity to spend the next half-hour lining out all of UK's transfers. After all, it's the Lenten season

Who will leave this year's team? I'm not a mind-reader nor do I have a crystal ball. It is a subject that coaches don't like to discuss for public record and, quite frankly, a topic that rates low on my list of things I think about when I review the program. Do I have any inside information? Nope. What do I think of all the rumors? It's inevitable, so I deal with them each year. I do look at chemistry and body language from time-to-time. I hear things about so-and-so said this-and-that about so-and so. Always, it seems...from a friend of a friend close to someone in the program. 

So who is leaving and who is staying, Paulie? I was asked...Give me your three most-likely to transfer...the other day. I replied, I could see maybe a freshman going, a possible sophomore and, after that, I'm hard pressed to come up with a third...but will say that maybe someone that people wouldn't consider a likely candidate to go could be leaving. Or not. 

It's like looking at a 15 horse field and trying to pick who will come in 13th, 14th and 15th. 

So, let it play out, dear readers. Time will tell soon enough.

Will anyone come in? That's a question I get, as well. I absolutely love Erin Boley's game and would be quite happy if she chose Louisville as her next destination...but there are hurdles to clear there as well...in terms of conference to same conference transfer issues. And, is she even interested in Louisville or vice versa? 

Time will tell. Twitter up anyone you think might be a candidate and look for clues is the recommendation from one of our readers. Or, just sit back and allow the process to happen. It's out of your control and no need to get frustrated about it. Looking at Keeneland's Wednesday card...that's frustration. 


paulie
xxxxx