Women's Tennis to Face Boston College in ACC Tournament -- Walz at Baseball -- WEDNESDAY CARINAL COUPLE

 #14 seed Cards open against BC

Louisville women's tennis begins the ACC Tournament against Boston College today with a 3:30 p.m. first serve in Rome,GA. 

The Cards (8-14, 0-13) haven't had the best of seasons this year, but tournament time is that "second season" and, hopefully, Louisville can pull off the first-round upset. A win ovet BC would set the Cards up tp face sixth-seeded Georgia Tech. on Thursday night. 

The two faced in the ACC regular seaso, GT taking a 7-0 win over UofL. 

Louisville looks to end a eight-game losing streak as they go into the match against the Eagles..

Boston College is 8-12 on the season and 3-10 in ACC play. 

Cards head women's tennis coach Mark Beckham is in his 14th season at Louisville. 

#1 seed North Carolina, #2 seed Duke, #3 seed Miami and #4 seed Virginia received byes and will begin play Friday. If the Cards get by BC and GT, they'd face Miami then. 

Good luck to Louisville women's tennis !!

WALZ THROWS OUT FIRST PITCH AT UK VS LOUISVILLE BASEBALL

A nice honor Tuesday night for Louisville head women's baseball coach Jeff Walz, getting to throw out the first pitch at the Cats vs. Cards baseball game at Jim Patterson Stadium. 

Jared Anderson was there to get photos of the event and reports that Walz sent one right down the middle of the strike zone. 

The Cards won baseball's version of the Battle of the Bluegrass 4-2. 

... (There is no truth to the rumor that Jared stepped in to bat against Walz after the first pitch and got a high and tight "brush back" pitch delivered to him...or that Daryl Foust (a former softball player) went "grass, track, wall...touch 'em all" in the next at-bat against Walz...)   

We're also trying to verify the rumor that Walz invited Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell to receive the first "technical" of the Cards WBB 2022-23 season. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

paulie

More Coaches Add Their Comments -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

More Coaches and Their Thoughts


Paulie mentioned yesterday that a few coaches added some statements to what's going on in our city and around the country right now.  We saw more statements made by coaches yesterday.

Dan McDonnell was one of the coaches adding their comments.  The Louisville head baseball coach McDonnell focused his comments towards love and non-violence including adding Bible quote Matthew 22:37-40.

Caerdinals head football coach Scott Satterfield also took a route focused on his religious beliefs including everyone being created in God's image and wanting unity.  He closed his comments with 1st john 2:9.

John Michael Hayden , Louisville head men's soccer coach, had a similar message with different verbage.  His comments emphasized accountability.  He talked about standing up for the injustices currently happening.

Our Louisville head women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes took a slightly different approaching, retweeting and liking posts by other coaches while posting a "Stop Racism" picture.

Jutine Sowry, Cardinal head Field Hockey coach, added a post with her thoughts headed into the early evening.  She talked about her time being an Australian citizen while also coaching in the United States.  She mentioned her experiences and how it is her, plus and her players' responsibility to speak up and take a stand against discrimination and racism while protecting each other.

Louisville head Volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly typed her messages on the Notes app on her iPhone and posted the screenshot on Twitter.  She prayed for strength and courage while also bringing up the socio-economic backgrounds among student-athletes.

An ample amount of current and former student-athletes have voiced their support in the protests through various social media platforms and how they have their teammates' backs through-and-through.

One of the bigger pieces of news was the arrest of men's basketball assistant coach Kahil Fennel.  Fennel was at the protests downtown but was arrested when he remained outside past the 9:00 p.m., curfew and did not leave.  He has not released a comment on the matter but Chris Mack, UofL men's basketball head coach, voiced his support for Fennel.

Our coaches see student-athletes of all sorts of backgrounds with hundreds of different stories.  Our coaches would do anything for any single one of their players.  They have listened to their players and their concerns on what's going on right now.

I'm glad to have coaches at Louisville who have their players' backs and will stand up alongside them to do what's right, even if it means putting themselves at risk.

I have voiced my opinion on the matter on my social media and will keep the opinions there while reporting facts and statements here.

I do fear that things are going to start getting violent beyond vandalism to buildings as tensions continue to rise.

The term "No justice, no peace" has been a popular rallying cry among protesters. Basically, it means that as long as injustice prevails, acting peacefully is an impossibility.

The t-shirt you see me pictured in we're the words that George Floyd spoke as he slowly died due to police restraint in Minneapolis. Those words have, as well, become a term used by protesters.

 Please make sure to take any needed precautions whether you go out to participate or stay home behind locked doors.  Remember, we are all in this together and as UofL says "We Rise As One."

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Analyzing Contract Extensions -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Tyra Extends Contracts for Walz and McDonnell

Jeff Walz will be in Louisville just a wee bit longer.  Actually, there is a good chance he will spend the rest of his career here, but for now we have him through the 2024-2025 season.  Vince Tyra, Jeff Walz, and the Board of Directors came to an agreement yesterday.

Walz, who joined Louisville women's basketball for the start of the 2007-2008 season is the winningest coach in program history, the first to accomplish a 30-win season, reached the Sweet Sixteen in his first year, three Final Four appearances, one ACC Championship, and two  National Runner-Up finishes.  At 299-96, Louisville has averaged 27 wins per season under Walz.

The entire details of the contract have not been officially released by the university, but with his resume it's hard to imagine Walz not being in the top three or four in terms of women's basketball salaries.  Of course, there will be bonuses tied in for feats such as conference titles, advancing in the NCAA Tournament, and some sort of nice payout when (not if, it's coming at some point) he brings home the championship trophy.

"I'm really excited to extend my contract," said Walz.  "It's not just important to me, it's important to our entire staff.  It's nice to know where you are going to be for an extended period of time and I'm excited about the future."

"Coach Walz has been happy here and we're trying to keep him happy here," said Tyra.  "We're excited that he will be through 2025, and I think that's important to him."

For someone like Walz, who has become an idol around Louisville and has four young children, being able to stay here is important.  It also means we have more opportunities to be serenaded by Lucy and Lola.

Walz has taken three different sets of players to the Final Four. Think about that a minute. The Angel and Candyce Consortium. The Shoni/Slaughter Syndicate. The Myisha/Asia Alliance

Dan McDonnell also learned of his contract changes.  His is not actually an extension, but is more of a restructure.  McDonnell's contract still runs through another eight seasons.

We know even less about McDonnell's contract other than that his salary is increasing substantially.  One of the biggest names in college baseball, McDonnell has led Louisville to four College World Series appearances, seven NCAA Super Regional appearances, and 11 NCAA Regional births.  He has two conference titles, is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year, and two-time National Coach of the Year.  Louisville's 554 wins with McDonnell at the reins leads the country,  and his 53-win season in 2017 set a school record.

"Dan's been happy at the University of Louisville for a long time and we're making sure he's happy into the future.  When you have quality coaches, we know they're going to be approached with other opportunities, but, I'm confident we have everything here Dan wants and needs in order to continue our pursuit of winning a national championship," said Tyra.

Rumors circulated recently about McDonnell possibly leaving Louisville for Mississippi State, although no Louisville media outlets ever showed concern about it.  With this contract upgrade it looks like the Cards have their keeper and the full-time position with the Bulldogs remains open.

Louisville 1, Mississippi State 0

Tyra has been quick to work with coaches at Louisville with hopes of continuing to stabilize the athletics program.  When a new athletic director comes into play it is not uncommon to see a few coaches leave for other schools.  Our AD has been working tirelessly to make sure that doesn't happen here.  With successful contract negotiations for Lolla, Ferguson-Dayes, Busboom Kelly, McDonnell, and Walz we have seen a strong future ahead for Louisville.  Expect to see Arthur Albiero, Mark Beckham, and Courtney Trimble being on the block next for contract extensions.

Imagine the excitement that a new coach, like a Scott Teeter or Chris Mack, has to feel when he joins a coaching fraternity like that. Imagine what a drawing card it will be for a new softball coach.

Dear UofL Board of Directors,

We have some top notch coaches at Louisville.  They have had a high rate of success on the field as well as helping grow and develop the student-athletes to help better prepare them for the rest of their lives.  Remember that 'most of them will go pro in something other than sports.'  Give the coaches their well-deserved contract extensions and upgrades.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Sydney Zambrotta joins George Washington WBB -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

"THREE" Z TO G.W.

Sydney Zambrotta has decided where she will continue her collegiate basketball pursuits and the rising junior will take her game to our nation's capitol...Washington, D.C. and join the George Washington Colonials squad for her final two years of eligibility. 

Per NCAA transfer rules, she'll sit out the 2018-19 season and have two years to play for GW head WBB coach Jennifer Rizotti. Rizotti spoke yesterday about the addition. 

"I'm excited about the versatility Syd can offer at the guard position. Although she's known as a tremendous shooter, she has the basketball I.Q. of a point guard, which wil allow her to both facilitate and score in our offense. I look forward to getting her on campus, so she can begin the next chapter of her career". 

Syd also spoke about the move from Louisville to Washington and seemed excited about what lies ahead for her: 

"I chose GW because of the superior academics, incredible teammates and unparalleled coaching staff. They are a community that I feel privileged to be a part of. They are a family that is allowing me in. What a honor! Raise High"! 

The Colonials are part of the Atlantic 10 Conference and won the A-10 Basketball Tournament back in March with wins over LaSalle, George Mason, Dayton and St. Joseph's. They drew Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament but fell to the Buckeyes 87-45 in Columbus. Overall, GW went 19-14 and 10-6 in A-10 play. 

GW is in the midst of a bit of rebuilding, it would seem. Three freshman join the 10 player roster that has just two seniors. Zambrotta is one of three transfers on the squad. Sarah Overcash comes in from Illinois, Olivia Gumbs previously played at Lafayette. 

Rizotti begins her third season as the head Colonial. A former protege of UConn's Geno Auriemma, she is also President of the Women's College Basketball Association and a USA National Team assistant coach under Dawn Staley. Previously, she spent 17 years as the head coach of the Hartford Hawks and had quite the successful student-athlete term playing for the head Husky in Storrs. Highly respected by her peers.

The "Jen will succeed Geno" rumor mill has been active for several years. Unless Geno pulls a "Pearsall" and hits the sporting community with a surprise retirement announcement, though...it looks like she'll continue to be "the woman in waiting". 

For Syd, a second start. 

At UofL, she came in highly regarded and had gained the reputation as a three-point specialist. Joining a mix of talented guards as a freshman, she served as a reserve for two seasons that Louisville head coach Jeff Walz would employ to bust zones and bring defensive pressure on occasion. As a freshman, she got court time in 29 games during the Cards march to the Sweet Sixteen.  She averaged 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in the 2017-18 season and saw action in 33 games for UofL. 

She could nail the three. 46% from beyond the arc in two seasons for Louisville. A fan favorite, the majority of her action came in games where the contest had long since been decided. Louisville P.A. announcer would emphasize her trifecta successes with the elongated "THREEEEEEE ZZZZZZZZ !!" proclamation. 

The Louisville guard contingent grew stronger each year that Syd was on campus and when Seygan Robins and Mykasa Robinson joined the Cardinal fold with commitments, one can hardly blame her for looking at options where she might get more playing time. 

I last saw Syd at one of the Louisville Lacrosse games this spring. Rushing to get to the press box to cover a game that had already started, I nearly strode past her without recognizing her sitting in the metal bleachers, front row...watching the contest. This was a few days after she announced her transfer intent and did not know her destination. We exchanged a few cordial words, I wished her the best of luck wherever she ended up and I headed to the press box. Later, I mentioned her presence to our columnist Jared Anderson and he wondered if she'd be up for a couple of pictures. By the time he got back down to field level, she had already departed.

All of us as CARDINAL COUPLE wish Syd the best at GW. In Rizotti, she'll have a great teacher and quite knowledgeable student of the game. One of the best point-guards in UConn history. Eight seasons in the WNBA.

Jeff Walz is 0-2 in "Syd retention" at UofL. Syd Brackemyre also spent a couple of years as a Card but with knee injuries...she never got the chance to perform much for the red and black. Her student-athlete college time did find a happy ending when she transferred to U of Indy. She became the scorer and shooter we all saw in high school. We hope the same sequence follows for "Z". 

Light 'em up, Z. Go earn that playing time in the 2019-20 season. And, hopefully, the P.A. announcer for Colonials' games will have tons of opportunities to perform the joyous annunciation.....


"Threeeee ZZZZZ!!!!!"  


DAN MCDONNELL TO....LOUISVILLE

Speculation comes to decision. 

The Louisville baseball community was a-buzz with the possible departure of Cardinal baseball skipper Dan McDonnell to Mississippi State recently.  Sound the "all-clear". Dan is staying at Louisville. 

He did speak with the powers that be in Starkville. Not enough there to pull him out of the Jim Patterson Stadium and Cardinal Community. He believes in the Cardinal leadership of Neeli Bendaputi and Vince Tyra. Has an unfinished agenda at the corner of Central Avenue and 2nd Street. 

Another notch on the gunbelt for the Cardinal Athletic Director. An affirmation of the promising new leadership that Neeli is bringing to the University. 

Dan says it best: 

" I had a chance to learn about the Mississippi State program and what they've accomplished. It's a great program but ultimately we have done great things here at Louisville and we have great things left to do". 

No confirmation on whether M.S.U. A.D. John Cohen made an offer to McDonnell. 

It's pretty clear and obvious to me when it comes to weighing options and it appears it was for Dan as well. Starkville or Louisville?  I think you go with the town that has the greatest two minutes in sports instead of the city which has The Cobb Museum of Archaeology. 

This final just in: 

ACC 1 - SEC 0 


And, the Cards finally got a win over M.S.U. in something. 


(Grateful acknowledgment to GWSports.com for information used in today's article)  


paulie
xxxxx

Cardinal Couple Sunday - Baseball Faces Elimination

Baseball Regional in Lubbock, TX

I feel like we turn into Baseball Couple a little bit each year around this time of year.  While we focus on women's athletics at UofL, we're not exclusive, and our Baseball team represents the school and the city every year with honor and excellence.

This year really is no exception, though they did take a hard shot yesterday in their loss to Texas Tech 10-2 in the 1-0, 1-0 matchup of the Regional hosted by TT.  The lose moves Louisville down into the "Elimination bracket" of the regional, and dramatically drops the likelihood of the Cardinals making it out of the regional.  The winner of the 1-0, 1-0 match goes on to win the regional upwards of 90% of the time.  Part of the reason for this disparity is that the winner of that game only has to win one more game to win the regional, while the other two teams (which at this point in the format, number 2) have to win 3 straight games, including 2 against the team that they just lost to.

So 2-seed UofL will be playing 3-seed Kent State, again.  This is the team the McDonnell squad beat 16-3 to meet up with 1-seed Texas Tech.  Texas Tech beat 4-seed New Mexico State.  Kent State defeated NMSU in the first elimination game to stay alive and meet up with UofL again.  In other words, so far this regional has been completely chalk.  The game will be today at 3pm on ESPN3 streaming.  What may be the hardest part of the march back to success in the regional is a win today means a double-header for the Cards with the rematch with Texas Tech which would be tonight at 7pm...essentially immediately following the end of the 3pm game...while TT will be playing on a day of rest.  If the Cards survive the day with 2 wins, the "If necessary" game would be tomorrow at 7pm to decide the regional.

CCRH Quiz

The famous (or infamous) Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Quiz returned to the airwaves yesterday in the latest indication that the summer news slump is upon us.

All four knuckleheads were in the studio yesterday, with Case back to even driving his own car and not wearing a boot.  We had good fun, and razzed Paulie on several points, but I repeat myself. Such blatant disrespect for a beloved and veteran moderator is shameful and the NCAA has been notified and a full investigation is "allegedly" pending. 

The quiz ended up tied between Jared and I, with Case coming a very close 3rd (once we sorted out how the bonus question scoring had worked in the past).

Check out the fun on the Facebook Live video at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2052302481459691/

--
JMcA

Drafts and Accountability - Friday Cardinal Couple

Mitchell to Denver, No Wait, Utah

In the NBA Draft last night, Donovan Mitchell was officially picked up in the 13th pick by the Denver Nuggets, but with a trade arrangement in place to send him off to Utah, who was trading up with Denver in order to get Mitchell.

I don't follow the NBA much at all, and certainly not their draft process and prospects, but congratulations to Donovan in heading out to Salt Lake City.  Perhaps he can get some pointers on living life in a city that is less than 3% African American from Darrell Griffith.  The great #35 on the men's team played 11 years for the Jazz.  The demographics of the city have become more diverse over the past 20 years particularly, with a huge influx of Hispanic and Latino population, though the portion of African Americans still hovers around 2 1/2%.

Baseball to Louisville, No Thanks to the Men in Black

Dan McDonnell is a better man than I.  Let's get that out of the way first.  In UofL Baseball's loss to TCU in the elimination side of the bracket of the College World Series, McDonnell demurred on the officiating of the game.  The Cards lost the game 4-3 and will be heading home from Omaha.

Let's face it, the officiating was a stinker.

I will be the first to excuse officiating for missing calls in live action.  Plays happen fast, angles and perspectives play a role in perception of what happened, and humans aren't perfect.  I have absolutely no tolerance for not getting it right when there are good camera angles of the play in review, however.  There are times where the available camera angles also don't adequately capture the action to be able to affirmatively overturn a ruling on the field.  In at least one game-changing case last night, however, that wasn't the case.  In the throw at the plate, the replay clearly showed Colby Fitch putting the tag on the runner's knee before the runner's hand touched the plate, and the officials upheld the out called on the field.  Inexcusable.

Maybe I'm just a bit of an anti-authoritarian in general, but I'm a firm believer that there needs to be some degree of visible accountability for officiating in sports...particularly at the college level.  The officials are the only people on the field of play during play action that get paid.  Visible accountability should be part of that deal.  We expect these rhetorically-amateur athletes to answer questions about their play, win or lose, but the professionals get to walk off the field with no after action report, and no real accountability for their mistakes.  Pitiful.

OK, that rant out of the way...

Huge congratulations to the Baseball team for the amazing season they had.  They outperformed every expectation that anyone had for what was expected to be a rebuilding year for the program.  Dan McDonnell is a class act of a coach, and his team exudes greatness, both as players, and as people.

With so many graduating or going to the pros...one would expect a bit of a rebuilding job for 2018 for Dan and his staff. Funny...the same was said about the team last year after Burdi, Funkhouser, Kidston, Ray and Rosenbaum went to  the pros.

Great season, and I can't wait to see this team play again next year, and some of the players in the pro ranks.

-- JMcA

Four More Wins -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Uses Big Inning, Tops A&M 8-4

Before I get into this, I promise that after baseball season ends, in whatever fashion, I will get back to boring you with talks about women's soccer when you'd rather be reading about women's basketball. For now, though, you'll have to settle for reading about baseball when you'd rather be reading about women's basketball. We're an equal opportunity sports site here at Cardinal Couple.

Anyway, Louisville started off their College World Series in a way they haven't done in their previous three appearances. They won their first game. Louisville pitched their ace, Brendan McKay, and it was the star pitching lineup of McKay, Bordner, and Henzman that saw them through to victory. McKay looked shaky at times, and actually gave up all four earned runs, but the bats were strong and the bullpen stronger. Louisville had a 5-0 lead, chasing the Texas A&M starter in the second inning, before McKay was touched for his first run, and Bordner and Henzman combined for four perfect innings.

Big innings have been Louisville's MO this postseason (and much of the rest of the season, but I didn't do the math to back it up). In 7 victories this postseason, Louisville has scored 59 runs. Only 19 of those runs have come in innings where the Cards scored fewer than 3 runs. In fact, Game 2 against Kentucky was the only game in which the Cardinals did not have a three run inning, and they still scored six runs in the game. Louisville used another big inning yesterday when they used a couple of walks and a lot of singles to score 5 runs in the second inning. Texas A&M pulled their starter (who was actually their number 2 guy) after four runs and replaced him with a long reliever (who was actually their ace). When the Aggies cut the lead to 5-4, it looked as though using both pitchers might pay off if they could get the win. When they ultimately fell, the reality set in that Texas A&M had used their best two starters in the same game and now are down to their Sunday guy in an elimination game. I would call that, "not ideal." The bats have been important this postseason, and that won't change as the tournament goes on. As long as pitching can continue to hold serve, and the bats can stay hot, Louisville has a really good chance at this thing.

While Brendan McKay may not have been his normal "Player of the Year" self on the mound
yesterday, he labored to a decent start, and never trailed. Despite A&M's leadoff batter reaching in all but one inning of work for McKay, he limited damage to four runs spread over two innings before he was relieved by Sam Bordner. McKay worked himself out of a lot of jams with the help of his defense, but he got to a point where he wasn't missing bats and the bats weren't missing gaps. Not much the defense could do about it anymore, so Dan McDonnell made the move. Sam Bordner did as he has done all year and twirled 3 perfect innings, snuffing out hopes of an Aggie comeback.

Louisville will get a taste of their third straight SEC matchup on Tuesday night in the winner's game when they take on Florida (who defeated TCU) at 7PM on ESPN. Winning the opening game of the double elimination format is very important. Winning the second game puts you squarely in the driver's seat. If Louisville can stay perfect, they're four wins away from a national title. To quote the team, "[they] didn't come for some of it, [they] came for all of it." Run to the roar, Cardinals, and bring home the hardware.

Until next time, Go Cards

-CH-

Who's Turning Left This Weekend?

Emmonnie Henderson Takes 2nd

Emmonnie Henderson's outdoor shot put career with the Cardinals is over, but she went out with a bang...well, maybe a thud of a heavy metal weight landing in grass, but the thud was a long way away!

With her best ever throw, at 17.92 meters (59 feet 9 1/2 inches), she took second place at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held in Eugene Oregon.  That finish also earns her a first team All American honors, and a spot in the UofL history books with the best ever women's finish at the NCAA Championships.

Many of the Cardinal faithful, of course, remember Henderson's contributions on the hardwood as part of Coach Walz's basketball squad.  She does still have a year of overall NCAA athletics, should she wish to return to Walz's squad and patrol the paint some more, but I suspect that is not in the plans.

We here at Cardinal Couple, will certainly continue to watch E's career, and hope for a continued arc of success and perhaps an appearance in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo?

Congratulations and good luck, E!

Baseball

It's time for some more left turns around the basepaths for the UofL Baseball squad.

Kade McClure will take the mound just hours from the time of this writing, with the Cardinals Ace, Brendan McKay being held for his normal rest, likely for tomorrow's game.  There's been a lot of tongue wagging in the sports media about Dan McDonnell's decision to go with McClure for the first game, rather than the staff ace, although UK has made basically the same decision, to give the extra day of rest to their ace and high altitude weatherman, Sean Hjelle.  At 6'11", I'm sure he never hears the end of the "How's the weather up there?" comments.

Perhaps the biggest matchup in the NCAA Super Regionals, the Cards and Cats were inexplicably given a noon start time by the worldwide leader in sports layoffs.  Tickets have been sold out for this one, both chairbacks and berm space.  If you want to see this one in person, perhaps you can join the Louisville Firefighters out on the overpass beyond left field.  Give them a hat-tip for their selfless work and efforts, they certainly deserve it.  This one is televised on ESPN2, or you can enjoy the aural delight of Sean Moth on 93.9FM.

Belmont

We do have some more horses turning left this weekend in a major event.  With the possibility of a triple crown already off the table for the year, the Belmont does lose a little bit of it's luster, but the Belmont is always a well-done event.

Anyone that has followed Cardinal Couple over the years, and particularly listened to the radio shows, knows of my epic lack of horse handicapping skills.  Head over to Paulie's site for his Belmont picks.

Hippy Hippy Shake

Finally, best wishes to Paulie as he undergoes a hip replacement and will be spending a little bit of time on the IR list.  I know we were all looking forward to an anesthesia powered Paulie article, but it's not to be.  Let's hope Sonja at least gets some audio recordings for posterity.

Good luck to Paulie, and let's hope he's not stuck with a hip that makes him always turn left.  Rest up, recover, and come out and show us that Hippy Hippy Shake.

-- JMcA

Spring Sports Winding Down

Louisville Softball Left Out

Sixty-four teams heard their names called last night as the selection committee built the regional groupings for the 2017 NCAA Softball Championship. Louisville was not among them. As Jeff pointed out yesterday, the team boasted a 13 year streak of tourney bids, but that streak came to an end last night. Louisville's exclusion was curious, but maybe not as much as we'd like to think. The Cards had an RPI of 55 through May 7th, and only 3 ACC teams ranked ahead of them in the statistic. Florida State, the shining glory of ACC softball this season, only came in ranked 7th. A lack of RPI love for the league leads to a weaker showing in strength of schedule, which is, unfortunately, still taken into account by most selection committees. It is a disappointing end to an up and down season, to be sure, but there is nothing else the Cards can do to change it. Coach Pearsall will undoubtedly use this heartbreak as motivation for the returning players next year. The Cards will lose some fire power on both sides of the ball, but the team will still have plenty of pieces for a great year. There will be more throughout the summer on softball wrap-up, but for now, we're on the outside looking in.

Baseball Closer to Clinching

Though the Clemson Tigers have run into a rough patch of late, the Louisville sweep is not any less sweet because of Clemson's struggles. The Tigers haven't been swept at home since 2014 and Louisville continues its dominance in Game 3s. Louisville finished off the Tigers yesterday in another "come from behind" victory. Though not as large a comeback as the 4 run swing on Saturday, Louisville did trail 2-1 after the first inning. The Clemson lead was short lived, though as Louisville regained the lead in the top of the second inning and never trailed again. The win moved Louisville to 23-4 in conference and 46-6 overall. 

After some faltering from North Carolina over the weekend, the Tar Heels trail Louisville by two games for the number one overall seed in the ACC. With three conference games to play, Louisville's magic number is 2. A "magic number" is a measure of a team being able to control their own destiny. It represents the number of games a team must win to clinch (division, playoffs, homefield, etc). This number can decrease based on losses by other teams, but it cannot increase. Louisville's magic number of 2 means that winning at least two games against Florida State this weekend ensures that North Carolina cannot tie Louisville atop the standings. Louisville's 46 regular season wins also ties the school record, and the Cards can reach the magical 50 win regular season if they can extend their winning streak to 19 games by next Sunday. As much as I want the Cards to win every game, I'd be on even more pins and needles if they were riding a 20+ win streak going into the NCAA tournament. That said, this team is really good, and if they wanna stay hot, I'm certainly not going to stop them. Louisville is back in action in Bloomington on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6PM and the game will be available on 93.9 The Ville and the Big Ten Network.

Rowing Places 5th at ACCs

Louisville finished their day at the ACC tournament with a respectable 5th place finish. Though it was only out of 9 teams, Louisville was well clear of the 6th place Clemson squad and finished only three points behind 4th place Duke. Louisville put a boat in all 5 grand final events, with a best finish of second in those events. Virginia won the tournament after nearly sweeping the grand finals. The Cavaliers finished 2nd in only one race, and the loss was by less than a second to the Syracuse team that finished as the tournament runner-up. Louisville's Sarah Podwojski was named to the first team all ACC and Kirsti Harrison was named to the second team. The NCAA Selection show for Division I Rowing will take place tomorrow at 5PM. Here's hoping the Louisville rowers can continue the great season they've had!

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Diamonds are Forever

Two quick updates for today, focusing on the diamond sports.

Softball

The Softball selection show for the NCAA tournament will be this evening at 10pm on ESPN2.  The Cards are by no means assured of a bid.  The program has a remarkably impressive track record for making NCAA tournament appearances, with bids to the big dance every year for the past 13 years.  That is the majority of the time that this program has been existence, with all of it being led by Coach Sandy Pearsall.  (Side note: on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour yesterday, Paulie was asking our special guest Dalton Ray, of the Louisville Cardinal, who was his favorite coach to do post-game interviews with...the answer for me is Coach P)

Will Maryssa Becker get another opportunity to pitch for the red and black?  Will Moe Meyer and Jordon "The Guv" McNary get another opportunity to fly around the base paths, and left and right field?  Will Tiarra Sanabria get another opportunity to wear the "Queen of 1st Base" tiara?  I certainly hope so.

The thought always crosses my mind that you never want to end the season on a loss, but it's a very rare scenario where it doesn't.  For the UofL Softball team, the only scenario I can think of would be to have a bad enough of a record during the season that a last-game win still wouldn't be enough to lift them into the 8 teams (out of the 11 in conference) that go to the ACC tournament.  I don't even really want to contemplate a season like that, to be honest.

In the meantime, let's celebrate the successes of the season so far, and tune in tonight with hopes and expectations of a 2 or 3 seed in a regional.

The 501st Legion of Louisville marching in the
Pegasus Parade...and potential Dan McDonnell
supporters?

Baseball

With the second win of the series against Clemson, UofL Baseball clinched the series win for Dan McDonnell's 501st win.  Probably even more importantly, however, the win clinched a outright win of the ACC Atlantic Division in Baseball for UofL.  Clemson stands in 2nd place tied with Wake Forest at 16-10, so another win by UofL in their game today at noon on ESPN2, would drop Clemson to 3rd (depending on what happens to Wake, of course).  There is still another week of regular season baseball, so they would still have a chance to make that up, but to say UofL is battling against a motivated team would be the understatement of the week.

In the Coastal Division, North Carolina dropped a puzzler to 6th place (of 7) Virginia Tech, moving UofL that much closer to clinching the overall ACC title.  I believe, if my math is correct, the magic number is 4 wins to do the deed.

A mid-week game at IU is Tuesday evening at 6 pm on The Big Ten Network, and the season finale series this coming weekend brings Florida State (5th of 7 in the Atlantic) in to Jim Patterson stadium.  Your opportunities to see Cards baseball don't end there, however, as the ACC tournament will be hosted at Slugger field downtown, and unless the wheels just totally fall off the bus, expect the Cards to host a regional, and likely even a super-regional presuming  they advance, at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Still plenty of good college baseball in the 'Ville.


The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We had big fun yesterday on the weekly broadcast of The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour with guest Dalton Ray in our review of Cardinal Athletics. The rebroadcast can be heard at the link below:

THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 5-13-17

-- JMcA

Baseball strikes early, holds on late for 5-3 win vs UK...What is happening at Maryland? -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS CORRAL CATS 5-3

Our custom here, as the regular reader knows, is to cover the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. There were plenty of UofL women's athletes on hand at Jim Patterson Stadium last night, watching and celebrating Louisville baseball's 5-3 win over UK. A crowd of 6210 in attendance to see the annual battle of the Bluegrass on a beautiful Tuesday evening.

Louisville wasted no time in getting the party started.  Five runs in the first three innings gave the Cards a comfortable margin over the visitors and a revolving door at pitcher getting the work done...Louisville used seven hurlers in the nine innings. 

UK made it interesting in the end. Scoring three runs in the ninth and loading the bases before catcher Colby Finch threw out Zack Reks on a steal attempt for the final out.  

A top ten battle between #2 Louisville and #8 Kentucky that set an attendance record at Patterson. Plenty of blue sprinkled in with the red on the berm and in the stands. 

Cardinal head coach Dan McDonnell breaks it down:

"Our bullpen has been good all year. Fortunately, we got the lead early in that three-inning start. You gotta tip your hat to them. Hopefully, we learned a valuable lesson...that good teams don't quit. They [UK] showed they're a top ten team because they didn't quit..." 

The Cards (25-3) bring in Wake Forest for a three-game weekend set next. 


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THREE TRANSFER FROM MARYLAND

Even though the NCAA WBB season has drawn to a close, there is still news out there in the world of women's college basketball. Three players from the University of Maryland have announced they are leaving the program. Destiny Slocum, Kiah Gillespie and Jenna Stalti have been granted permission to transfer. 

Slocum is big news. The freshman was second-team Big 10 and Freshman of the Year in the in the WBCA Coaches poll and in the Big 10. Cardinal fans might remember that she scored the Terps final seven points in Maryland's win over Louisville back on Dec. 7th...and hit six of nine from the free throw line.  

Gillespie is a 6'2" sophomore forward who displayed a nice touch from outside in addition to her inside scoring skills. Stalti, 6'6" freshman center that saw limited time in the post. 

The Terps also graduate their top two scorers in Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones. 

So, why the mass departure from a squad that went 32-3 and reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Oregon in the Bridgeport regional? 

Let's speculate...Slocum was from Idaho and a long way from an ailing mother with breast cancer. A chance to play closer to home might have been the reasoning there. With Gillespie and Stalti, it's probably a question of playing time. Gillespie had a great start in her freshman year but just never seemed to develop after that and didn't figure into the rotation that much as a sophomore. Stalti never really made much of an impact on the roster...a deep backup to Jones. Players want to play on occasion and other opportunities can come to be more desirable after the realization sets in that your expectations aren't matching your court time. 

Let's not forget that Lexie Brown also left the Turtles a couple of seasons ago...her stated reason was to play against the ACC. 

Transferred in, did well. 

Transfers. Yes. we get questions about them. Do we think this girl might end up here or that girl could leave and go over there? We have readers who monitor Twitter accounts looking for clues on who might leave. And, there's always the "I have a friend who knows someone that talked with someone who overhead that (so and so) might be looking around." 

We have no crystal ball nor direct pipeline to the future. Who goes, who stays? We wait and see, like you do. Do I think anyone will transfer out of or into the Louisville WBB program? I try not to think about it, honestly. We'll cover it if it happens. 

Players come. Players go. It's inevitable. As a coach, you deal with a lot of pressure. From the parents, from the players and from the fan base. The bottom line is this. You play those who give you the best chance of winning. Winning is job stability. Coaches like to be employed. Players have the opportunity to earn their playing time. If it doesn't work out, you decide to work that much harder, accept the situation or move on. 

Let's put it in horse racing terms...since we're drawing close to the Kentucky Derby. A trainer gets a promising two-year old to the race track. The horse runs poorly the first time on the track. You give the horse another chance. Another poor effort. You drop the horse down to a level you think it may compete well in. Nothing. So, you decide that maybe the horse might be better off in another barn and you run it in a claimer-type race. The horse isn't to blame. The horse simply isn't good enough to compete at a certain level. Maybe the horse does better at a lower level or for another trainer at another track. Maybe it doesn't. Or maybe the trainer decides to keep working with the horse. The difference is...the horse can't express their contentment, disagreement or sit down for a long talk with the trainer. 

Transferred out...hopes to do well. 

Players can. They sometimes do. The key is this...what is best for the player? Most coaches want what is best for the player. If it means playing for" fake directional state" instead of "Prime Time U"...then that's how it is. 

Fans speculate. Why did this girl want to go to that school when she could have done "this or that" if she had stayed. What's going on at "this school" to make players want to leave? 

Transfers happen. Get used to them. One man gathers what another man spills.



paulie
xxxxx

Nyemah, Henderson 2nd and 3rd in Kentucky Invitational -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Track and Field stars take second and third in weight throw...shot put today.

We've been firing pretty heavily on UofL women's basketball lately...and with the Cards WBB squad not playing until Sunday...let's take a look at a few other items today. 

Dolly Nyemah and Emmonnie Henderson are the two best "throwers" on the Cards women's track and field team. They traveled to the Nutter Field House in Lexington Friday to participate in the Kentucky Invitational. In the weight throw, Nyemah usually finished a little better than Emmonnie. That held to form yesterday...Dolly getting second with a top toss of 19.82 meters and "E" finishing third with a best of 18.73 meters. The winner was Sade Olatoye from Ohio State. She finished with a 20.13 meter performance. 

Emmonnie goes back in the shot put today. Dolly doesn't put the shot. "E" has the second best qualifying toss as they head into the finals...a 17.17 meter throw she had at Indiana last month. Only Erin Farmer from Arkansas State has throw better in the field of 39...at 17.80 meters. The Cards also have Megan Brooks (13.41m-best) competing. No discus toss tomorrow...that's usually not a indoor event. 

OK...Kay!!!

Former UofL lacrosse standout and All-American Kay Morissette has made the top 25 qualifiers for Team Canada in the 2017 women's lacrosse World Cup. Kay was a master at the draw control for the Cards and has been practicing with Canada since graduation. The Canadians went 0-3 over the summer in exhibition play. They'll need to pare the roster down to 17 before they travel to the World Cup in England and the World Games in Poland this summer. 

Continue to play, Kay! She was always such a fun interview...

Speaking of lacrosse, goal-defender Brittany Read and defense Steph McNamara were selected to the ACC Pre-season teams.  Lacrosse is busily at practice and will begin the 2017 season on Saturday, Feb. 4th. when they host Vermont at the L.L.S. 

Here comes Grayson and the Dookies...

Grayson Allen and the Duke Blue Devils visit the KFC YUM! Center today at noon and we're sure the Cardinal Student section will greet him with fond salutations and optimistic banter. Our Case Hoskins will be present...making sure his trip goes well (sorry about the pun). Coach K. won't be there. 

Case will join us via phone on The CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR (11 a.m. ET) on WCHQ 100.9 FM and at www.crescenthillradio.com live from the YUM! and give us the scoop and a promised rant. Woo-hoo !!

We'll also review the UofL WBB squad's latest games and take a look at Sunday's game against Miami. We got audio from Pitt and much, much more! 

Join us for the broadcast. It's free, you know...and limited studio audience seating is available...just come around to the side door and tell Monk you're there for moral support or a member of the UofL yell leaders. Bring a treat for Punkin' and couple of craft beers for Worldwide. 


COACH DAN RECOMMENDS...

I had the extreme pleasure of hearing baseball coach Dan McDonnell and softball coach Sandy Pearsall speak recently at the monthly Sportsmen's Supper Club meeting. Both were excellent in their recaps of last year and previews for their upcoming seasons. Sandy has her top two pitchers back, her six leading hitters and some talented newcomers...including 6'1" freshman, right-handed pitcher Sydney Warinner. 

Sandy was fantastic, informative and always tosses in her wry sense of humor to the crowd. My application to be bat-boy for the trips to Las Vegas and southern California hasn't been approved yet, though...probably just an administrative delay...Sandy also always brings lots of "swag" to distribute to the audience. I got a great Cardinal pullover jackets and it's why she's probably one of...if not our favorite speakers each year. Treats!!!

Dan always delivers a great speech as well. He always recommends a book we should read and offered Mark Batterson's CHASE THE LION as an excellent read. 

He was right. I've been reading excerpts of it on-line while waiting for delivery of mine. A couple of great philosophies so far...

-- If the dream doesn't scare you, it's too small

-- Run toward the roar. Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. 

He explains that animals will run away from a lion's roar. When they do that, they fall into the rest of the pack... quietly waiting in the opposite direction. Brilliant strategy, right? 

Maybe Walz could get Cortnee to stand screaming underneath the Louisville basket and when the opposition runs away from her...the other four Cards will be wide open.... 

(Just another reason why I no longer coach and Walz feels the need to instruct me on the basics...right?) 

have a super Saturday
Paulie
xxxxx