After the thrill is gone --MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WITH CARDS SOFTBALL SEASON OVER, WE GO INTO THE VOID FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. 

It was Glenn Frey and Don Henley who wrote the Eagles classic "After The Thrill Is Gone" Although a song about a relationship (or sexual affair) ending...it can easily be about the end of Louisville Softball and Cardinals women's spring sports fading into the hills. 

After TheThrill Is Gone

We will still find things to write about here at Cardinal Couple. We always have... and despite it being just Case and I now. He is a talented and creative writer and I am the old fart that is still doing this. I am no longer allowed to contact or interview Louisville coaches or players...(I envision this "wanted" poster of me hanging in locker rooms and entrances to Cardinals sports venues ) but, we have consistently tried to report on the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics and remind the new "guard" down there to beware of the old dog on the porch. I do have a following. I know "stuff". 

We'll keep an eye on many things. Transfers and recruiting and prospects. ACC news, too. when it affects what is going on with the Cardinals.

What they fail to realize is that I was there way back in the mid seventies when it was a kinder, gentler and most friendly scenario. The days of the Cards in the Missouri Valley Conference. Before the foibles of internet accounts...and them being hacked and a paranoid staff in Louisville athletics. When you could actually go in and talk to a coach and discuss things that are off-base now. 

I have had some good teachers in journalism and some great writers here. I had a very successful radio show. I've also covered some pretty rough and program changing things. I guess all journalists go through the peaks and valleys of writing. It is encouraging to know that several of the previous coaches still follow me and offer the occasional encouragement or point-of-order corrections, ideas and suggestions. My days of covering events in person are done, and my photographer was bullied into ceasing his relationship with me in order to retain his media pass.  Things aren't always "Brady Bunch" happy and smooth sailing down on Floyd Street, y'all.

But, I am an alumni and continue to cover my school. I will, until the senility or health issues take those abilities away from me. A former, long time reader was surprised to see I was still "at it" with the site and sent me a interesting e-mail. She reminded me about a night at a conference basketball tournament when a certain someone engaged in a bit too much spirits and passed out in my room and on my bed. She told me that that person had recently had a debilitating stroke and she was now in a nursing home. She reminded me that the person was only three years older than me.  

Life is funny sometimes. But, as my daddy used to tell me...do the best you can, and settle for the results or look for a way to improve them. The sun will rise in the morning and you can't please everyone. Maybe try pleasing yourself now and then....you might just like it. 

Softball will regroup and recruit and go through the transfer bruhaha that now envelopes the sport. In watching the NCAA Tournament, it is eye-opening to see the former Cardinals shining on other teams. They have a solid nucleus returning (so far) and a great coach to guide them. A coach I had some great interviews with. Back when I wasn't deemed to be a "persona non-grata" on campus by some, who influenced a lot of others.  

Life is funny sometimes. 

paulie

paulie

Cards eliminated from NCAA Tournament in 4-2 loss to South Dakota -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

COYOTES BOUNCE PAST CARDS IN NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT. 

And, so, the 2026 Louisville Cardinals softball season comes to a dull thud with their second loss in two days in the NCAA Tournament. South Dakota, the school from Vermillion. South Dakota sent Louisville home with a 4-2 win in the Lincoln regional. For Louisville, another case of where the bats just never got productive . Sun's out, runs out held true for So. Dakota and not UofL Saturday in Nebraska on Saturday.

As usual, I don't choose to talk very much about Cardinals losses. In this one, it was Madi Reeves selected to begin the game in the circle for the Cards, and one has to wonder why Holly Aprile went with her instead of Brooke Gray or Alyssa Zabala in an elimination game. 4-2 on the season...an ERA of almost six runs a game. But, as I have often said here...I'm not paid to coach or make decisions, I just report on what i see. It was Reeves in the circle when the Coyotes scored their three runs, which proved to be enough to win the game.  Zabala came on in relief and kept the Coyotes at bay with them scoring just one runs the rest of the way...but...yeah...good pitch, no hit Cards in this one. 

Louisville took a 1-0 lead in this one....when Easton Lotus Drove home Chelsea Mack. after that, just one more run...in the fourth when Taylor Monroe crossed home plate. 

Louisville left 11 runners on base in the seven innings. No, that isn't a typo. 11 runners. 

Three runs across the plate in two days. The days of Taylor Roby, Jordan McNary, Chelsea Bemis, Maryssa Becker, Megan Hensley and Melissa Roth are gone, gang.

 A team that is 21-35-1 defeats a team that ended 44-14. 

And...maybe that's as good a way to end today's column as any. 

pauli

Cards Drop NCAA Opener 5-1 -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Offense Falters Against GCU

Louisville softball opened their regional round against Grand Canyon yesterday afternoon in Lincoln, but unfortunately, it seems like the offense thought they had a bit more time off. The Cards managed just one run on four hits, three walks and an HBP. The only extra base hit was Madison Pickens's 11th home run of the season, which scored the Cards' only run in the sixth inning. By that point, GCU had already scored four. 

Louisville got off on the wrong foot straight out of the gate, allowing the leadoff batter to reach on an error. That was followed by a single, a productive fly out, and another single to score an unearned run. A fielder's choice would've been the third out, so the double that followed scored another unearned run. Zabala finally got out of the inning after allowing three hits and the error, and the Cards trailed 2-0. Louisville picked up one of their hits and one of their walks in the bottom of the first, but both came with two outs and they left the pair on base.

Zabala looked to have settled in a bit in the second, getting quick outs from the 8th and 9th batters in the GCU lineup, but the leadoff batter stung again with a solo homer to left. That was the only run in the inning, but the Cards trailed 3-0. A 1-2-3 bottom half, including the Cards' 2nd and 3rd strikeouts of the game kept the score as it was. Zabala picked up another two quick outs to open the third, but a double ended her day. Brooke Gray came on in relief and got a fly out to end the threat. The Cards got another single and another walk, but they also got another strikeout and they left two more on base, raising their count to four. 

Gray earned Louisville's first defensive 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth, but the Cards responded by doing the same thing in the bottom half. Two more strikeouts raised Louisville's count to six through four innings. Yikes. GCU threatened again in the fifth, with back-to-back singles opening and putting runners on the corners. Gray coaxed a pop-out and then the GCU runner got over aggressive on a fly out. Pickens caught the out in left and threw a rocket to Bri Despines at the plate. The runner was a bit late to leave, and tried to retreat to third, but it was a short pickle. Despines threw to Riley Janda for the out. 

The bottom of the fifth saw the Cards strand two more following two more strikeouts. Can you tell that the Cards would have been much better off if they could put the bat on the ball? A solo homer opened the sixth, and, after a fly out, a double ended Gray's day. Jayden Gohs picked up a strike out and a ground out to end the threat. Pickens' home run came in the bottom of the sixth, matching the GCU run, but the Cards couldn't score any more and the deficit remained three. 

The seventh saw GCU's McCray benefit from an error just like in the first. This time she singled and the error came when she stole second and Despines overthrew the attempt to catch her. McCray advanced to third with no outs. A sacrifice fly scored the run and advanced the other runner. Some base running antics ended the inning after another fly out resulted in a double play. Louisville entered the bottom of the seventh trailing by four with the 8th batter coming up. Ava Venturelli flew out, but Janda walked to turn over the order. Chelsea Mack and Easton Lotus hit back-to-back fly outs to end the game. 

Louisville will return to action in the region's first elimination game this afternoon at 3:30 PM. They'll take on South Dakota, the four-seed. The Coyotes fell 4-1 against Nebraska last night. No video availability is listed, but ESPN+ would be a good bet. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Cards Open against GCU -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS MUST GO THROUGH GRAND CANYON TO REACH NEBRASKA

OK, most geography scholars would shake their head in disagreement when they read the headline for today's article. Or, ask the following question. "Where are they travelling from to get to Nebraska." 

Fortunately this isn't a geographical website.  We talk UofL women's athletics here and we are talking about the most likely route Louisville Softball will have to follow in their NCAA Championship quest. Grand Canyon University is Louisville's first opponent in the Lincoln Regional and I'd say it a 99% certainty that Nebraska will defeat South Dakota St. to meet the winner of UofL and GCU. 

GCU has an impressive record, no doubt... at 52-8. They are a snake in the tall weeds for the Cards..with the fourth best winning percentage in the last five years in D1 softball at 253-58 (80%).

The Cards didn't get the easiest draw to reach the sweet Sixteen..if they manage to get by GCU..they'll most likely face homestanding Nebraska. Nebraska is #1 in the nation, according to ESPN.com. D1 Softball has Nebraska #2 . Softball America says #2 also. 

The Cards are #24 according to ESPN Softball. D1 Softball says the same. Grand Canyon was in the "also receiving votes" category in the ESPN poll...so maybe the Cards are a slight favorite to get to the field of 32...it's a close one, though, no doubt. 

What are five things UofL has to do to reach the final game of te Nebraska Regional? 

1) Get good pitching. Honestly, Alyssa Zabala has been less than spectacular lately. Brooke Gray has also been hot and cold. Zabala needs to re-find the fire and domination that made her a pitcher to fear back in the early days of her career. Gray needs to return to her unhittable status when she was the best pitcher in the state back in high school at Ballard.  

2) Clear the bases. The Cards have had problems this season with leaving runners on the bags against opponents. Louisville has the base path speed, no doubt, in their lineup...but not always able to get the runner to the plate or get the speed to reach third and to home plate. We hope they can clear the bases tomorrow. 

3) Eliminate the errors. Louisville was not in the top 50 fielding percentage teams in 2026. Grand Canyon snuck in at 48th. Let's hope they perform better in the playoffs. 

4) Powerball. Keep playing powerball. No, we are NOT suggesting the players play the Kentucky lottery games. We'd jut like to see them continue to amass runs like they did in thee regular season. 

5) Runs Cards Runs! This isn't a takeoff on the line for Forrest Gump movie. Louisville was 10th in the nation in runs scored in 2026 . They were second in the ACC, behind Va. Tech and outscored FSU.  We hope Jenny is yelling from the bleachers "Runs Cards Runs" (and they listen.)

4 p.m. game time against GCU. On ESPNU. Case will recap it tomorrow.  

paulie

Kentucky High School Softball Rankings -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 SOUTH WARREN LEADS THE WAY IN KY. SOFTBALL

Since we are approaching the end of college softball season, let's take a look at the local scene here in the state for Softball. 

A look at the top ten in the Commonwealth starts us out at South Warren. The school, which is located in the Bowling Green area, is 35-0 on the season. The Spartans haven't just been playing  smaller schools, either. They defeated Eastern (Louisville) 10-0 and Assumption 15-0. 

Checking in at second is Daviess County. They are at 29-3-1. Not sure how a  game ends up in a tie. My best guess is either rain, darkness or going past some of the kids curfew? 

Filling out the top ten: 

3) Ballard (Louisville) 20-5. 4) Bullitt East 27-4. 5) Mercy (Louisville) 31-3. 6) Henderson County. 7) Trigg County. 8) West Jessamine. 9) South Laurel. 10) Oldham County. 

Local teams in the Louisville area are Assumption, Atherton, Ballard, Bullitt East, Butler, central, christian Academy, Manual, Eastern, Fairdale, Fern Creek, Holy Cross, J-Town, Male, Mercy, Oldham County, PRP, Portland Christian, Sacred Heart, Southern, and Waggener.

paulie    

Former Cards Awarded -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Familiar Names Earn MLV Accolades

The Major League Volleyball season has just wrapped up and former Cardinals have been in the news as part of the league recently. Last week, the league announced their individual awards, and multiple former Louisville players saw themselves on the list. As part of the only team to have multiple players awarded, Elena Scott (of the Indy Ignite) was named the Libero of the Year. Indy also had the league's best setter, middle blocker, and opposite hitter. The top outside hitter came from the Dallas Pulse, but more on that in a moment. The other Cardinal awarded was Aiko Jones (Atlanta Vibe), who was named the Most Inspirational Player. Jones balances her professional playing duties with being an assistant coach for the Bellarmine Knights. 

I said we'd come back to Dallas, and that's because there is more to discuss than just an individual award. Mimi Colyer was named the Outside Hitter of the Year, which isn't what I came to mention. The former Wisconsin Badger led the league in points and kills this season. In both categories, she narrowly beat out her teammate, Sofia Maldonado Diaz. Colyer had 5.08 points/set while Maldonado Diaz was at 4.94. The third place player was all the way back at 4.52. Dallas finished just behind Indy in total points per set (17.97-17.64), and they were far and away the best teams in the league. Grand Rapids was third with 16.47 points/set. 

The number one seed, Indy, was upset by the Omaha Supernovas in the tournament semifinals, though, depriving Louisville fans of a match of the ages for former Cards. Dallas won their semifinal round and defeated Omaha 3-2 in the championship match. It was the first time an expansion team has won in the league's young history, and it was Dallas's first season in play. It was also the first time the championship match has gone to five sets. Sofia Maldonado Diaz earned the upper hand over her teammate in this one, taking home match MVP honors after finishing with 26 kills. She had five in the decisive fifth set. 

It's always exciting to see former Cards continue to succeed in their post-collegiate careers. Congratulations to these (and all others who had a successful season) and good luck to them in the years to come. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Scouting the 'Lopes -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL PLAYS FRIDAY AT 4 P.M.

Louisville will open their quest in the NCAA Tournament on Friday when they face Grand Canyon University at 4 p.m. in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Looking at the Antelopes, they went 52-8 overall, one of the best records in D1 softball. Shanon Hays is the head coach at GCU, a position he has held since 2022.  He has established them as a top 25 contender...and has taken the Antelopes to the NCAA Tournament in all four years ofbeing head coach there.  

Hays on the school: 

"GCU is a wonderful university and place to work," Hays said. "Tina and I love living here, and we love what GCU stands for. I'm glad I get the opportunity to coach here for the foreseeable future. I also want to thank President Brian Mueller and (Vice President of Athletics) Jamie Boggs for their vision and support of our program. Their leadership is a key component of why our program has had such great success. They both have a vision of wanting to not just compete for championships at the conference level but for national championships, and that's the kind of place I want to be a part of.

paulie

Cards Softball To Begin NCAA Tournament Against Grand Canyon -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL HEADED TO LINCOLN REGIONAL 

Maybe not the best start one could hope for, but the Cards are in the NCAA Softball Tournament and will get their start against Grand Canyon University. And, some of you are saying...who? 

Grand Canyon University Softball had quite the season...going 52-8 overall and defeating Nevada to win the Mountain West Softball Tournament. They came from the WAC last year and GCU is located in Phoenix, Arizona. They are a private Christian university...

Being in the Lincoln Regional means that the winner of UofL vs GCU is going to have to face the winner of Nebraska vs, South Dakota St. Nebraska is the #4 seed overall in this year's tournament. The GCU squad is nicknamed the Antelopes. 

GCU won their first 25 games of the 2026 season, finally falling to Oklahoma St. Other losses have come to Arizona, Nevada (twice), Arizona St., San Diego St.and UNLV, 

“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Louisville coach Holly Aprile said. “We’re just going to go attack it like we have throughout the whole season here. We’re going to try to run. We’re going to try to hit the ball hard. We’re just going to play hard overall.”

Friday 4 p.m. (EST) is the scheduled start time and the contest will be shown on ESPNU. 

We'll have more on this as the tournament draws closer. 

paulie

Six Ex-Cards in WNBA on Opening Night/Day -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 HINES-ALLEN LEADS THE CARDS IN 2026 WNBA

Yes, she's still around. Myisha Hines-Allen is a proven WNBA veteran and Louisville fans can get the chance to see her a lot closer now, with her move to the Indiana Fever from the Dallas Wings. 

Here's what she said about the transition:

"I'm excited to join the Fever. Playing for a contending team was a priority for me in free agency. The Fever check off all the boxes in what I was looking for, so I'm eager to play with these elite women...and to get the best fans in the league cheering for me...as well. Hines-Allen is one of only two forwards on the Fever roster..along with Monique Billings. 

They call her the "mother-hen" of this Fever group of younger players. She should be a great addition for them. 

Emily Engster wasn't a Louisville Cardinal very long, but she showed the grit to make it to the next level and ha recently moved across the nation in her WNBA career. she was a Washington Mystic last season and is now on the expansion Portland Fire. On a roster with six rookies and four second year players..."Double E's" has become a vocal leader for Portland. 

Dana Evans has gone from the Chicago Sky to the Las Vegas Aces...but is sidelined with a leg injury. She is in rehab after having an operation on her knee. evans signed with the Aces...a thing that surprised  lot of us who have followed her, since she seemed to be happy in Chicago and near her home town of Gary, Indiana. 

Sydney Taylor is a rookie in the league and will be on the Chicago Sky roster this season. Taylor, of course, was at Massachusetts before becoming a Card and attributed a lot of the skills that got her to the WNBA as a walk on to what the Cardinals coaches taught her in the time was at UofL as a walk on. 

Laura Ziegler is another example of a mid-major star that came to the Ville to increase her WNBA chances. Leaving St. Joseph's..she turned into a dynamo for Jeff Walz's squad at the Ville and her European experience will no doubt have her ready for the powerhouses in the WNBA. She's on the Sparks developmental roster, I doubt she's there long before they bring her up to the Sparks. 

We'll toss Hailey Van Lith in the group, even though she was a college vagabond ,with stops at the ville, LSU and TCU. She never realized how well she had it at Louisville and I hope she can stick with the Connecticut Sun...after the Chicago Sky dumped her just seven days ago. 

I'll be keeping an eye on these six and wish them the best of luck in the league...even Van Lith, who broke a lot of hearts when she left Louisville but was always nice to me when I chatted with her and interviewed her. 

paulie

Softball Awaits Fate in NCAA -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Sorry for the late post today! I'm on vacation and the day of the week got away from me a bit. All of our Louisville women's sports teams are idle at the moment, so let's take a quick look at the ACC Championship. 

Louisville fell to Stanford in the quarterfinals Thursday and will wait to hear their name called on Monday morning. The Cards were ranked 24th in the ESPN / USA Softball poll entering the week and 30th in the RPI as of the end of yesterday. A win over the Cardinal would have been great, but taking the Palo Alto squad to extra innings was a nice consolation. Louisville should see themselves with a 2-seed in a regional when the names are drawn at 10am on Monday. 

In continued action in the ACC Championship, it was a day of shutouts in the semifinals. Top-seeded Florida State thumped Stanford 9-0 in the first game, and they'll go for their 20th ACC title this afternoon. In the second game, Virginia Tech pulled a minor upset over Duke, beating the Blue Devils 5-0. That was a small retribution for earlier in the year, when the Hokies were beaten in 2/3 in Durham. VT won that series in runs 18-14, but only due to a lopsided victory in the final game. 

Today's game will be the first meeting of Virginia Tech and Florida State this season. The two teams have played 59 games all time, starting in 2005. FSU leads the series 38-21, and the two teams have split the six games they've played outside of conference competition. Surprisingly, Virginia Tech leads the series at neutral sites 5-4. It would be a coup for them to pull an upset today. The championship game is at 2:30 ET on Saturday. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Cards fall to Stanford 6-5 in ACC ChampIonships -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 STANFORD GETS WALK OFF WIN IN BOTTOM OF EIGHTH

Louisville had a chance to advance in the ACC Championships..but that old nemesis...B.L.O.B. came back to haunt them. BLOB? BaseRunners left on base. 

Fighting back from an early 4-2 deficit, Holly Aprile used three different pitchers but could not completely silence the Cardinal (or Trees) bats. It was Home Run Derby for awhile for UofL...Bri Despines had two four baggers for the Cards and Madison Pickens added one as well...but the most crippling event was Louisville loading the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh after tying it at 5-5 and being unable to push anymore runs across the plate. After not scoring in the top of the eighth, the Cards took to the field, but Stanford loaded the bases and got the win on a sacrifice fly to advance to play the Noles.

So, it's tear off the rear view mirror and drive on. It is Stanford who will play today against #1 seed FSU in the ACC Championships. 

Louisville will have to wait and see if they get a bid in the NCAA Softball Tournament when the teams are named on Sunday, May 10th on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. You have to like the Cards chances..but the NCAA can be very unkind sometimes to teams that don't reach the semifinals of their conference tournaments. Unless you are in the SEC. 

44-12 seems to be a record that would get a team in the NCAA Tournament for postseason play .We'll see how it shakes out for Louisville. It's going to be a long trip back from Charlottesville for the Cards...

paulie

Cards Softball rallies to down NCSU 6-5 in ACC Tournament opener -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS PUT UP FIVE RUNS IN FINAL THREE INNINGS TO ELIMINATE NORTH CAROLINA ST. IN ACC TOURNAMENT.

They've been doing it all season long and did it once again Wednesday in their opening contest of the ACC Softball Tournament in Charlottesville, VA. To borrow an old UK monicker...maybe these are the "Comeback Cards". 

Louisville softball found themselves trailing 5-1 going into the home half of the fifth inning against #12 seed NCSU. Wednesday afternoon in Charlottesville at the ACC Softball Tournament. The Wolfpack had put up four runs on UofL in the top of the fifth and a bit of consternation was beginning to develop in Cardinals fans. One thing that I was hoping would transpire, though...was the Cards penchant to rally from behind to win games. And UofL did not disappoint. Alyssa Zabala and Brooke Gray, usually the Cards top two hurlers, had been touched by the Wolfpack hitters and the Cards bats were still sleeping. 

In the bottom of the fifth the Cards got a single from Easton Lotus and a walk to Bri Despines to open the inning. Camryn Lookadoo produced a single to score Lotus and Madison Pickens singled to get Despines and Lookadoo to the plate and...suddenly...it was only 5-4 NCSU. 

After a scoreless sixth for both teams, Gray kept NCSU away from crossing home plate in the top of the seventh. Louisville came to the plate three outs away from elimination..

It did not happen. With one out, Despines doubled  and moved to third on a wild pitch. Lookadoo singled Bri home to tie it up and Pickens launched one into the left field corner to score Lookadoo and give UofL the walk-off win 6-5. 

Holly Aprile's birds advance to Thursday play to face #4 seed Stanford today at 1:30 p.m.

In earlier play Wednesday, Georgia Tech bombed Notre Dame 13-3, After the Cards win, North Carolina eliminated Clemson and Virginia downed Pitt. 

 

ACC Championship Begins Today -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS FACE WOLFPACK IN SECOND GAME OF THE DAY

Of all the silly phrases and non-sequiturs I use here on the site, one that I don't think I've thrown out there yet is..."absence makes the heart grow fonder"  I bring it up because it probably does NOT apply to softball tomorrow.  Louisville Softball just might be tired of seeing the NCSU Softball squad. The Cards are probably not missing NCSU one bit, after ending the regular season against them, maybe still a little mad they lost the middle game of that series to them...because that prevented them from grabbing fourth place in the conference and a first round bye. 

After Notre Dame (the #6 seed) and #11th seed Georgia Tech battle out the Wednesday morning contest, starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday...the Cards and Ms.Wuf's team take to Palmer Park to see who will advance to play #4 seed Stanford on Thursday. They list 1:30 p.m. as the time for Cards and Wolfpack, we all know how time frames are just an estimation when tournament time rolls around. 

Louisville has already had a season to remember...a vast improvement over their 26-25 slate from 2025. They've got possibly the most speed on the base paths of any team in the ACC this season, and their 46 steals are tops in the conference. Without any one noted power hitter in the lineup, these Cards could go by the adage..."Sun's out, runs out" because of their proclivity to get around the bases. The opposing catcher better be ready to be throwin' because you know the Cards will be going.

It's interesting to point out that if the Cards move to Thursday, they'll face a Cardinal team that they won the series against back in late Feb-early March 2-1.hope was off the charts for this Cardinals squad. After that series, the Cards were 13-3.

 Yes, we have that Cardinals vs Cardinal potential again, or as a friend is fond of saying..."Birds vs Trees" .

We'll have the results here for you and you can catch all the action on ACCNX. 

paulie

ACC Softball Tournament Field Set -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Just Miss Bye in ACC Tourney

Louisville's loss at NC State on Saturday was a big one, as they ultimately finished in a three-way tie with Virginia Tech and Stanford, which saw them come out on the wrong end of the deal. The Cards dropped to fifth in the conference, narrowly missing the bye awarded to the top four teams. As a result, Louisville will get a fourth straight game against the Wolfpack tomorrow afternoon. 

Florida State leads the field, which is made up of the top-12 teams in the league. NC State could have done Louisville a solid and taken a dive over the weekend, as they made it in over Cal by two games, meaning they still would have been in with a loss on Saturday. Nevertheless, the Cards line up as the five seed across from the 12-seed Wolfpack. Duke was the second team in the league, finishing one game behind FSU at 20-4. VT took third and Stanford was fourth to round out the byes. The winner of Louisville/NC State will face Stanford in the second round. 

FSU will take on the winner of the 8/9 game, which pits Notre Dame against Georgia Tech. That will be the first game of the tournament, which has first pitch at 11am on Wednesday. All of the tournament games will be on ACC Network, with the championship airing on ESPN on Saturday. The Cards will play game two on Wednesday at 1:30PM. 

Following the afternoon break, 7-seed Clemson takes on 10-seed UNC at 5PM. Clemson was the last team in the league to finish above .500 at 13-11. The last game of the day will be Virginia (13-10) taking on Pittsburgh. 

In the single elimination format, anything can happen. All of the lower ranked teams will be looking to extend their season as much as possible, potentially even stealing a bid to the NCAA tournament. Louisville and it's compatriots will be looking to protect or improve their seeding in the tournament. Louisville would likely need to win the ACC to host a regional, but stranger things have happened. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case 

Despines big blast helps Cards down WolfPack 8-3 -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 THREE RUN BLAST IN SIXTH INNING HELPS CARDS SECURE REGULAR SEASON ENDING WIN

Nothing like ending the regular seaso with a win. And a road win,as well. 

Pretty Bri...

After defeating NC State 8-3 Sunday...looks like these two will face again,  in the first round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday in Durham. Case will have a more detailed breakdown of the tournament in his Tuesday article..for now...just know their re-match will be the fifth and twelfth place elimination game. Louisville was one of three teams, at 18-6 and tid for third, but was placed fifth due to a formula only Einstein could probably decipher. 

 

The Cards took control of the ballgame in the top of the third inning with a five run explosion. That came after the squads were scoreless in the first two innings. Chelsea Mack, Easton Lotus and Bri Despnes loaded the bases with no outs and Carmyn Lookadoo doubled to bring home Mack and Lotus. Madison Pickens got on with a walk and Taylor Monroe walked, forcing in a third run. Jordan Williams singled home Lookadoo and Pickens scored from third on a throw out of Williams trying to steal second.  It was 5-0 Cards and that turned out to be all the Cards would need for the win, of course...not knowing that at the time. 

The Pack would counter with a run in the bottom of the inning, but Cards hurler Alyssa Zabala (who I have nicknamed "Smiley") was in control in the circle and went four innings...picking up her 14th win of the season...allowing just one run. 

The Cards posted their three runs in the top of the sixth inning .  Mack reached on an error and Lotus singled. They came home on Despines second home run of the series. 

NCSU would pick up two more runs, off Brooke Gray but never got any closer that the 5-3 score at the end of five innings. They ended up with six hits on the afternoon and Louisville got 10 hits to go with their eight runs. 

paulie

Softball falls to NC State 10-6 Saturday -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WOLFPACK JUMPS ON BIRDS EARLY

Brooke Gray has been a very good pitcher for UofL Softball this season. Yesterday's game, though, probably won't be one she'll go back to fondly in her memory banks. The NC State diamond dwellers (27-24, 7-15) jumped on Gray and the Cards for seven runs in the first two innings and held on to take a 10-6 win over Louisville (42-11, 17-6) to even up the series at one game each. 

NCST (or NCSU...since the school  really hates seeing NCST used...they say they are North Carolina State University...so they say use NCSU since that is the appropriate shortening of the name. An old-timer like me has called them NCST since the days of Deb Antonelli prowling the hardwood and Jim Valvano winning the NCAA Championship...so , old habits are hard to break. Hank Williams, Jr sang about old habits in his 1980 smash hit..Old Habits. You can hear it below:

Old Habits 

The song has a lot of personal meaning to me, since it came around at a time I was going through a break up with what was probably the first true love of my life. Anyway..I digress, let's get back to the game..if we have to...

Louisville remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning. They sandwiched a few singles around a Camry Lookadoo four bagger to make it 7-4.  Taylor Monroe homered in the inning as well

The Pack (I like that nickname for them) would see the Cards add two runs to their total in the top of the sixth...when two on base scored on an NCSU wild pitch. That made it 7-6 and the Cards were rallying...but the Raleigh school effectively shut the door when they got a three run homer out of Kendall Simmons in the bottom of the sixth to deep left to make it 10-6. And, that concluded the scoring. 

They'll finish the series today at 1 p.m.  ACCNX will show the event. 

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

So...how did your Derby Day turn out? I watched our local coverage here in Louisville and the network hoopla while also betting on twinspires.com. WAVE gets better each year with their production, but the network is losing Donna Barton Brothers after this year and that is a shame. She rode, she knows the jockeys, trainers, owners and the in's and out's of Churchill Downs...as well as many other tracks. I remember her from when she was riding 30-1 long shot up at the old Latonia (now Turfway) Race Track. Gonna be a tough act to replace. On the betting angles, yeah, I know...RunHappy ran happy for about a mile and then folded like a cheap suit. Glad Jose Ortiz finally got a Derby win...beating his brother Irad...when he brought Golden Tempo from last to first with a furious stretch drive, passing Renegade and winning the Run For The Roses. Nice to see Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi doing the National Anthem, too. I first got turned on to Trucks (the son of Allman Brothers legend Butch Trucks)  when he was playing with Warren Haynes...two great guitarists. 

23-1 odds. Woulda been nice...should have handicapped twice, right? Still , I cleaned up on the early card and final two races to end up about $150 ahead on the day. That'll come in handy to lose on the Preakness and Belmont...A year where I stayed away from Derby parties, Churchill Downs or any off-track betting and played the races through TwinSpires.com. It was relaxing and think it'll be the way to go from now on. 

paulie

Derby Day in the Ville -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy Derby Day!

Despite the strange decision to move Oaks under the lights, Derby season has still been a good one this year. After last year's canceled Thunder Over Louisville, things seemed off all through the buildup. This year isn't without its own oddities on the first Saturday in May. The cold front that barreled into town sets Louisville up to see just its third recorded Derby Day under 60 degrees. This year's Derby also looks to see a high temperature lower than the recorded high on Christmas 2025. Strange indeed.

Nevertheless, it should still be a nice day, as long as you dress a bit warmer than usual. The clouds will be off and on, much like yesterday, and it looks like the wind is calming with rain likely to stay away until after the final post of the evening. There's a long time to make a selection before bets are closed, but I like Danon Bourbon so far. Paulie has posted in multiple outlet he is backing So Happy. 

On the Louisville sports front, the Cards softball squad took care of business against NC State in game one of their series, winning 5-1. Alyssa Zabala earned the win in her third complete game of the season and Louisville scored primarily on small ball. The Cards' only extra base hit came off the bat of Bri Despines when she hit a home run in the fourth inning. 

The Cards and Wolfpack are back in action today at 6PM. Virginia Tech won their first game against Syracuse yesterday, so Louisville needs to keep winning to hold onto their bye. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Cards Head to NC State for final regular season series -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 41-10 CARDS HEAD TO RALEIGH TO FACE WOLFPACK

As the ACC Softball Tournament looms ahead, the Softball Cards will end the regular season with three games in Raleigh against the NCST Softball squad. 

It is senior weekend for NC State and they'll say "farewell and good luck" to nine seniors. The first game is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Friday and...if you need a break from Oaks coverage, it'll be shown on ACCNX.

The Pack is 26-23 on the season overall, but a dismal 6-14 in  ACC play. They played East Carolina last time out and romped the Pirates 10-2 in five innings. Before that, it was a trip to Virginia, where they lost three to the Cavs. They lost three in a row to Stanford before that...and they are 12th in the league and the ACC Softball tournament is a 12-team tournament. Syracuse is right behind them at 4-15, but the Orange have Virginia Tech coming to town, and the Hokies are in fifth place at 15-6 in ACC play and will be hoping to win all three and hope they can get into the top four in league standings and get a first round bye.

NC State is led by Mala Townsend at the plate...who is batting .358. Morgen Talley is 13-8 from the circle and Lily Livingston has 12 home runs. 

I have had some people asking me who I like in the Kentucky Oaks today and I am going with PROM QUEEN. That stretch run in the Gulfstream Park Oaks was impressive and the filly is only getting stronger. You might also watch Percy's Bar (where I spent a lot of time in my track-going days) . Happy Oaks Day to ya, hve a lily for the fillies! 

paulie

 

ACC Softball Tournament Looms -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 12 TEAMS WILL MEET IN CHARLOTTESVLLE MAY 6-9

The top 12 finishers in the ACC Softball standings will meet in Charlottesville, VA (where the University of Virginia is) for the 2026 ACC Softball Tournament. Palmer Park, where the games will commence, is pictured below. We haven't done a Cardinal Couple quiz in forever...so here is your question, readers. Who was Palmer Park named after?

A). Arnold Palmer - famous golfer.                                                                                                  B). Lisa Palmer - pitcher at UVA 1986-1989.                                                                                  C). Palmer Luckey -- American entrepreneur.                                                                                D). Jim Palmer -- Hall of Fame Pitcher with Baltimore Orioles.                                                       

(Answer at the end of today's article)

As of today, these 12 teams are "in" (subject to change, of course, as the regular season has a wee bit more softball left:

1) FSU-- The Noles sit atop the ACC with a 18-3 record in league play. They finish the season with three at Boston College beginning tomorrow. 

2) Duke -- The Blue Devils are done with ACC regular season play and went 20-4. They probably wish they would have not dropped one last week down at Clemson. They need FSU to lose one at Boston and force a tie. FSU and Duke did not play during the season against each other, sothe tie-breaker, if it happens, could involve a bunch of factors I never fully seem to understand ,

3) Louisville -- Holly Aprile's Birds are currently 16-5 in the ACC. The best they could finish in regular season is second, providing they win all the final games against NC State and FSU loses all three to B.C. As Princess Anne said to her assailant, back in 1974, during the failed kidnap attempt..."Not bloody likely"  

4) Stanford -- At 18-6 in ACC play, the Trees are landlocked into fourth, unless the Cards lose two against NC State. 

The rest of the league standings:

In fifth is Virginia Tech, currently at 15-6. They finish against Syracuse at Syracuse. Sixth is Virginia, owners of a 13-10 conference slate. They are done, having one conference game cancelled against Syracuse bac in March. Seventh belongs to Clemson (13-11). Eighth currently goes to Notre Dame (11-13). The top four get a first round bye.  In ninth place is Ga. Tech (10-14), tenth sees North Carolina (9-15), 11th is Pitt and in the nervous spot is NC State (6-14). If Syracuse could win all three games against Va Tech, they could sneak into the tournament and send the Gobblers home.. Boston College and California are tied for the bottom spot at 3-18.

We'll have coverage of the action here and wish the Softball Cards the best of luck. 

(Your quiz answer is"B",,, Lisa Palmer...she had 74 wins for the Cavs, the best in school history.)

paulie

                                                                                                                                                            

An interesting Volleyball look -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 NO LOUISVILLE PLAYERS ON UofL VB ROSTER

One thing we've come to expect over the years is the presence of at least one Volleyball player on the UofL roster from the city of Louisville. An early look at the UofL roster for 2026-27, though, indicates no Louisvillians on Dan Meske's roster this season. 

There is one Kentuckian...senior libero Kamden Schrand, from Notre Dame Academy, up in Villa Hills...near Cincinnati. And the Queen City, across the Ohio River from Covington,  has a bit of representation of student-athletes on the Cardinals squad. Jessica Drapp, a senior defensive specialist...Brooke Bultema, a junior middle blocker. Our neighbor to the north..Indiana...has sent Ava Utterback, out of Plainfield, Addison Makun, from Silver Creek H.S. in Charlestown, Chloe Chicoine, from Lafayette, Molly Urban (Martinsville) and Elle Strecker from Zionsville. 

Volleyball is a ways off...due to start for the VolleyCards in Sept. with the Cards facing Missouri in the annual ACC/SEC challenge in the L&N Federal Credit Union on campus on Sept 9th. 

It'll be interesting to see how our coverage goes this year for the wide net sport. with Jeff McAdams and Jared Anderson no longer on the Cardinal Couple writing staff...most of our volleyball knowledge left with them. We're hoping Jeff can get his Wide Net Cards running by September. Jared will be there shooting games but is prohibited from send us any pictures. 

I was talking with another writer of college sports, at  different University, recently and the subject came up about UofL banning me from games because my Twitter account got hacked. I explained to her that I had left Twitter to appease the media department at UofL, but they still won't let me interview players or coaches or grant me a media pass. This other writer found that unbelievable. As she told me..."Paul, I have been reading your site for years and if UofL can't recognize all the publicity you give them for women's,sports...at a free site....I'm glad I don't write for them." 

Life has it's mysteries, don't it? 

Happy Derby Week to you, Here in Louisville, we get the annual Great Steamboat Race today.  Belle of Louisville and the Belle of Cincinnati on the Ohio River. 

paulie

Softball to Vie for Tourney Bye -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Look to Cling to Top-4 Seed

Louisville softball is coming off another sweep over the weekend, putting them at 16-5 in conference play. They're 6-1 in conference series this season and have three sweeps. Louisville has lucked out a bit, as they  avoided the top of the league in their schedule. Louisville did not have to play FSU, Duke, Virginia Tech, or Virginia, the other four teams in the top six of the league. The Cards did take care of business in their only competition against the top six, defeating Stanford in two of three games. While they did lose a series, that one came against the only other team in the league above .500 in Clemson. 

The Cardinals currently find themselves in third place in the league, behind FSU and Duke. They're ahead of Stanford on the merit of win percentage, though just barely. The Cardinal are 18-6 and will be idle in ACC play this weekend. It'll be a scrap for the final bye slot, with Louisville at 16-5 and Virginia Tech at 15-6. VT is at Syracuse, and we all just saw how that went over the weekend. Assuming a sweep from the Hokies, Louisville will need to win two in Raleigh to force a three-way tie. The Cards can avoid that with a sweep of their own. That would give them an advantage over both opponents and leave VT and Stanford to fight amongst themselves.

Fortunately for Louisville, their weekend opponent is also struggling. NC State is 6-14 on the year, and they've been swept in two straight series against Stanford and Virginia. They swept Cal the weekend before, but the Bears are last in the league. The Wolfpack have a get-right game tonight against East Carolina, which is the return game of a home-and-home series. NC State beat the Pirates in Greenville in nine innings earlier this month. 

Louisville has had a stellar season so far this year. A pair of wins would be ideal, but one win would give the Cards their best conference season since 2023. Two wins would net Louisville their best season since 2013. Back then, Sandy Pearsall's Cards went 47-13 (18-4) in the Big East. That was coming off of their best season ever, when Louisville went 55-5 (20-2) in 2012. All that is to say, 41-13 would still be good, but 44-10 would be even better. There is still a lot to do in the postseason, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

Louisville is off in the midweek, but they'll get their final regular season series of the year underway at 7PM on Oaks Day. The ACC Championship will start on Wednesday, May 6th. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Suns out, runs out...Softball Cards decimate Syracuse 13-7

 27 hits, 20 runs between Louisville and Syracuse Sunday

Ava Venturelli  -- Two Home runs

You could call it a slugfest. Maybe a hitting frenzy. Or use your own term. Louisville and Syracuse were putting the ball over fences and where there were no gloves on Sunday in a fun game to view out at Ulmer Stadium on ACCNX.

A beautiful day for softball and the conditions were maybe perfect softball playing weather.  The Cards scored in every one of the seven innings and Ava Venturelli went three for four, had two home runs and drove in four runs. Venturelli, a junior from Taunton, Massachusetts, was batting eighth in the Cardinals order..but that didn't stop her from having what I'd call a player of the game effort

UofL was up 7-0 after three innings and one had to wonder if this just might be a run-rule ending...but Syracuse finally got there bats unleased and touched UofL for four runs in the top of the fourth when Madison Knight went over the fence. night had a second home run in the top of the fourth inning to set the score at 7-6...but the Cards responded with three runs to make it 10-6.

Brooke Gray got the win for Louisville and is now an incredible 13-1 on the season. Venturelli's second homer made it 13-7 after five innings. 

It's truly a shame no one does post game interviews out there anymore with Coach Aprile or the players. I thought that I used to do a good job of them...but the media influences at UofL shut me down and bullied my former photographer into disassociating himself with me.  Imagine all the dangers a 70 yr old man with kidney failure and no hope of transplant could afflict, right? 

The Cards go back into action on May 1st with a three game serie at NC State. 

 

Reeves dominates Syracuse Saturday -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

 CARDS SOFTBALL CURTAILS ORANGE 5-1 SATURDAY

When Madi Reeves is "on"..she's "on" 

The junior from Yorkville, Illinois started her college softball at Miami University (OH) and had two pretty successful seasons there. As a freshman,  she went 22-4 and was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.  She was 24-12 her sophomore year and named to the M.A.C. First team. She also beat UNC in the NCAA Tournament last year. 

Holly Aprile saw a lot to like there and wen after her. Reeves wanted a step up in competition , a chance for new opportunities and growth and her nation-leading innings pitched showed Aprile she was a quality pitcher that just might fit in well in the ACC and her program. 

With the complete game win, Reeves went to 4-1 on the season and the Cards got their 40th win of the season...to go to 40-10. 

Louisville jumped out early 2- 0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Chelsea Mack and Easton Lotus started the game with singles. Two fly outs advanced Mack to home and then Madison Pickens singled home Lotus to make it 2-0 Cards. 

The next four innings were scoreless. Syracuse would make it 2-1 in the top of the sixth but Louisville responded well in the bottom of the sixth when Despines took first after getting hit by a pitch, stole second and Lookadoo drew a walk. A Pickens single scored Despines and then Venturelli singled to the center field wall and drove home Pickens and Lookadoo to make it 5-1. 

Reeves allowed just six hits for her second complete game of the season. Louisville now has a seven game win streak and is two games back of league leading FSU. Duke, with three more conference games than those two..is in second by percentage at 9-4 in the ACC. 

The Cards and Orange will face again Sunday at noon. It'll be on ACCNX if you can't make it out to the ball park. 

paulie