Cardinal Softball Video from Tuesday -- WBB November Tournament -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

CARDS PREPARE FOR EVANSTON

Paulie and our Cardinal Couple Radio Hour friend and associate Daryl Foust, from Kentucky Women Talk Sports and The Crunch Zone joined other members of the media at Ulmer Stadium yesterday to talk with Louisville Softball head coach Holly Aprile and a few of the Louisville Softball players after a practice to prepare them for the Evanston Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament. 



Paulie attached audio clips in yesterday's Cardinal Couple Column featuring Aprile, Danielle Watson, Madison Cousineau and Celene Funke. Today, thanks to Daryl, we have video clips of all but Funke. Just a note, the Funke interview was a Cardinal Couple exclusive and Daryl did not catch this one on video. It was more or less an impromptu chat with the center-fielder. 


Thanks to Daryl for the video feeds! 

Coach Aprile went first and talked about how their placement in the Evanston region of the #16 seed tournament was not so surprising. She claimed she was not nervous leading up to when the Cards were the second-to-last team called. She did mention that she was happy to have a few days off from games so they could practice and get back to the basics. 

LINK:  HOLLY APRILE VIDEO

Next was pitcher Danielle Watson. She was confident that her team would go dancing in the tournament. The sophomore pitcher was happy for her teammates Sidney Melton and Megan Hensley being able to play in the tournament in their final year. 




LINK:  DANIELLE WATSON VIDEO





Madison Cousineau spoke next. The senior catcher has been to the NCAA Tournament one other time, when she was a freshman at Mississippi State. "Cousin" talked about how she has been helping younger players along through her own experiences. She also mentioned some of the ways the team was staying loose, including the fun outing of the "slip 'n slide" at Ulmer Stadium. 

LINK:  MADISON COUSINEAU VIDEO

As Paulie and Daryl were leaving they walked by the batting cages and were greeted by Sidney Melton and Celene Funke. The chance to do a quick, impromptu chat with "Trip" Funke presented itself and the selection show, a look ahead to Northwestern and her success in hitting triples was discussed.

Funke leads DI College Softball in triples and we appreciate her taking a moment to chat with us during hitting practice.

Her advice to aspiring young softballers? Run, run, run. 

 Here's the audio for that one: 



LINK:  CELENE FUNKE AUDIO WITH PAULIE


Louisville begins their quest in the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. against Southern Illinois on the Northwestern diamond. 



WBB ANNOUNCES TOURNAMENT IN NOVEMBER

Although it shouldn't be too cold yet here in the Derby City, the Louisville Cardinals Women's Basketball team will be flying south around Thanksgiving for some early season games. The Cards will travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands to compete in the 2019 Paradise Jam. We'll call this one the "Turkey in the Tropics Tournament". 

Louisville will be joined by Baylor, Indiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington State, Oklahoma State and UT-Arlington for the tournament, held November 28-30. The concept is two four-team brackets competing in round-robin play for two separate championships, 

Louisville is in their bracket with Oregon, Oklahoma State and UT-Arlington. Their bracket is known as the Island division. Daily tip-off are planned for 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. EST. 

Ticket and travel information can be accessed at  paradisejam.com  beginning in June. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday and Go Cards! 

Jared. 

SOFTBALL SENIOR DAY -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

Softball Seniors

Yesterday was the Senior Day celebration for UofL Softball, celebrating the collegiate career endings of 5 UofL seniors; Blaire Bass, a transfer from Auburn who hasn't played this year due to a back injury but has remained with the team; Darrianne Hale, a pitcher that transferred from Butler Community College; Madison Cousineau, a catcher that transferred in from Mississippi State; Megan Hensley, who has been the ace of the pitching staff, from Paul Blazer High school in Ashland, Kentucky; and lastly Sidney Melton, the anchor of the team at 3rd base, and currently locked in a battle for most stolen bases on the team.

Sidney Melton did red-shirt a year during her career at UofL due to an ACL tear, so she is in her 5th year of eligibility, which makes her the highest seniority member of the team.

The Senior Day celebration was a pleasure, as they always are, with the opportunity to see
embarrassing pictures from the player's childhood and early careers.  Occasionally you get see evidence of a player's early experimentation with other sports, as well, such as a picture of Sidney Melton in a swim cap and goggles.  Over the past several years, UofL has also included a quick honor of the seniors from the opposing team, in this case, UNC, which I think is always a nice touch, and I'm glad to see the practice carry over to the new staff.

Credit where credit is due, much of the organization and planning for events like this, and plenty more, throughout the season for any UofL sports team, is done by the various Directors of Operation, which is Casey Bonk in the case of UofL Softball.

The game, though?  Well, there are a couple of bright spots, including a season high 3 home runs, with Darrianne Hale - playing at designated player, Megan Hensley - split time between right field and pitching, and Kyra Snyder - at first base, all taking one beyond the fence.  Ultimately, however, UNC came away with the win 10-7.  The general consensus, including from Coach Holly Aprile, was that UofL played better yesterday than they did Friday, but still have a few things they need to tweak.  Of course, UNC is a quality opponent, holding in 2nd place in the Coastal division of the ACC (VT, UNC, GT, Duke, UVA, Pitt) and 3rd overall in the ACC.

UofL, despite what feels like a really hit and miss season, though with more hits than many expected from this team, is 3rd in the Atlantic division, and 5th overall in the ACC.

The Cards have one more chance against UNC today at noon, and then will head to NC State next weekend to close out the regular season (NC St. is 5th in the Atlantic division) with a typical Friday, Saturday, Sunday series.  After that, the ACC Championship tournament kicks of May 8th through 11th in Tallahassee, FL.

A great deal of love and gratitude for these five seniors who contributed what they could during their time as student-athletes here at the University of Louisville.

Here''s hoping the Cards complete the regular season strong and do well in the ACC Tournament to propel them to success in the NCAA Tournament



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POST GAME WITH HOLLY APRILE:  http://thecrunchzone.com/video-sb-holly-aprile-unc-post-game-two/


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(THANKS TO DARYL FOUST - THE CRUNCH ZONE  - FOR THE VIDEO FEED)

(PHOTOS FROM JARED ANDERSON)

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

The Knucklehead Squad was in effect at the WCHQ studios, yesterday, with Case, Jared, Paulie, and myself reunited as a group for the first time in some time, as the "A" team.  Daryl was missed, but we did catch up with her later in the day at Ulmer Stadium.

As always, we had a great time covering the current news in the UofL women's sports world, and I even refrained from derailing the discussion completely with a discussion of soccer field drainage and heating technologies and techniques, though the temptation was very real.

You can check out the stream at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/419285678884953/

-- 

JMcA

Softball's Final Home Weekend and Golf in NCAA -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Golf Prepares for the NCAA Championship

For the sixth straight year Louisville women’s golf will be playing in an NCAA Regional.  The Cards were invited to the East Lansing Regional, with Michigan State being the host site.  They will compete in the three-day event from May 6-8. This is Courtney Trimble's final season as their coach and hope they can send her out with a bunch of birdies and great shots. 

Louisville comes in as the 11-seed of the 18-team pool.  The top six teams will advance to compete in the 24-team NCAA Championship.  The top three individual finishers that are not on one of the six qualifying teams will also earn a bid to the NCAA Championship.

The Cards placed first in one tournament earlier this year, claiming the title at the Alexa Sterling Intercollegiate.  They finished runner-up at the Moon Golf Invitational and placed third twice this year.

The entire East Lansing Regional is:

1-Stanford

2-Arizona

3- Kent State

4- UCLA

5- Michigan State

6- Campbell

7- Illinois

8- Baylor

9- North Carolina

10- Georgia

11- Louisville

12- Augusta

13- LSU

14- Indiana

15- Long Beach State

16- Xavier

17- Harvard

18- IUPUI

Duke, USC, and Texas are the other three 1-seeds.  They will play at Auburn, Cle Elum (Washington), and Norman (Oklahoma), respectively.

Softball Hosts Senior Weekend

We will get to witness in person the thrill and excitement of Louisville softball for one final weekend.  The Cards are set to square off against North Carolina in their usual Friday-Saturday-Sunday slot.

Friday’s 6:00 game is Service Appreciation Night.  I expect Caitlin Ferguson’s father will be in attendance to throw out there first pitch.

Saturday’s 1:00 game will be Senior Day and the five seniors in Sidney Melton, Megan Hensley, Blaire Bass, Madison Cousineau, and Darianne Hale will be recognized.  Sunday’s noon game will be Bark in the Park as fans will crowd the outfield berm with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Louisville boasts a 32-15 record with an 11-7 conference mark.  They are winners of six straight games and eight of their last nine.  Recent highlights include a victory against Kentucky and a series victory against Florida State.

Celene Funke’s 10 triples on the season is an NCAA-high and tied a Louisville program-best.  Sidney Melton’s 25 successful steals is two shy of tying for second in program history in a single season.  Her 58 career steals is third best in UofL history and three shy of moving into second place.  Funke has 23 successful steals.  Her 43 career steals is sixth best in program history.

At the plate, Megan Hensley's four career grand slams is tied for a program best.  Her 34 home runs stand fourth in UofL history and she needs two more to move into a tie for third.  She is fourth in career RBIs with 165 and needs one more to move up into a tie for third.

The Tar Heels are nearly identical to the Cards, holding a 15-6 record in the ACC and are 31-15 overall.  They are 7-8 against ranked teams and do have wins over Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, and Michigan.  UNC bats .295 on the year and has posted 232 runs.

The pitching staff is stingy.  They combine for a 3.86 ERA and have allowed 274 hits.  Opponents have been limited to 150 runs on the year, an average of 3.125 runs per game.

You can catch most of the Cardinal Couple crew on Floyd Street this week as well as the "A-team" on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour together at 11 a.m. Saturday on WCHQ 100.9 FM or live on Facebook Live.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Sunday Cardinal Couple - Softball Season is a Wrap

Softball Regular Season is a Wrap

Wait, I hear you say...they have a 3rd game in the series against Pitt today at noon!  Nope, weather intervened, and the game today has been cancelled.  So the Softball regular season comes to a close on a pair of losses.

The Cards will play in post-season.  The ACC tournament brings 10 of the 12 Softball playing teams in the ACC to the tournament now.  The Cards will be the 8 seed of the tournament, which means they'll play 9 seed Syracuse in one of the "play-in" games, on Wed.  The first pitch for the UofL game will be at 1pm, with Duke and Virginia Tech to follow at 3:30.  These games will be carried on RSN (Raycom Sports Network), so look for them on Fox Sports South as a likely channel.  There is a Fox Sports Go app for devices and a companion website where you will likely find a stream of the games as well.

The Softball squad was in action yesterday against Pitt, taking the loss 10-2.  Runs came on mostly small-ball style of play.  The first run was scored in the 2nd inning on the efforts of relative youngsters.  Sophomore Celene "Play that funky music" Funke reached on an infield single, advanced on a groundout by Sophomore Caitlin "Fergy" Ferguson, and reached home on a single by Freshman pitcher/1B Kyra Snyder.  Pitt had scored a pair in the first, and would never relenquish the lead in the game.

Pitt put up another 7 runs in the 3rd inning, putting the Cards on their back feet.  The Pearsall squad didn't give up, though.  They battled for a run in the 5th inning, avoiding the run rule for the moment.  Kyra Snyder against coming through with a solid hit, whereupon Freshman Catie Barber was substituted in to pinch run.  The Junior couldn't let the youngsters have all the fun, though, Madison Cousineau walked, and Megan Hensley hit to bring Barber home.

The game would end up in a run-rule win, however, when Pitt tacked on another run in the bottom of the 5th with no outs to (unknowingly, at the time) end the regular season.

With an RPI hovering around 40, and maybe slightly lower than that after taking a pair of losses this weekend, the Cards are quite bubbly, and I'm not talking about their effervescent personalities, here (though many of the players fit that description as well).  A good showing in the conference tournament will help matters, though that will be a fairly tall task.  Looking at past play, the Cards split a weather altered, and shortened, series against Syracuse with scores of 3-2, and 3-4.  If UofL can advance, they have mighty Florida State waiting with a bye and a #1 seed.

Other Cards in Action

The only other Cards in action this weekend is Baseball who will be finishing up their series at Boston College.  The Cards lead in that series 2-0, with both wins being by fairly substantial margins (6-1, 11-3).

Let's also show some love to the UofL Marching Cards, who performed, as tradition, in the infield of the Kentucky Derby festivities playing "My Old Kentucky Home".  We want to show them some love, because NBC surely didn't, giving the Marching Cards exactly zero seconds of screen time during the performance, and by my aural experience, exactly zero mics to pick up their playing as well.  The Cardinal Singers did get good screen and audio coverage during the performance, and they did a fine job representing the University and the City.

Derby, Non-Radio and Other Odds and Ends

The Kentucky Derby was yesterday, of course.  Rain-drenched though it was, a good time seemed to be had by all.  The knuckleheads took the day off from radio due to heading various places to celebrate the municipal show-off event of the year, so there's no Facebook stream to point you to for a replay as their was no play to be replayed.  We'll be back in the studio next week with all the latest news and updates on UofL women's athletics.

Finally, I'd just like to take a moment to share my hearty congratulations to Case.  He, as he shared yesterday, passed his Fundamentals of Engineering exam as a first step on him way to be a licensed professional engineer.  I run in circles with some honest-to-goodness engineers, so I have had the opportunity to see, several times, just how much time and effort goes into preparing for this task in order to be successful.  And while my job title is "Senior Network Engineer", I tend to be careful to disclaim being a "real" engineer in the PE sense, because I know the level of rigor and standards are on a whole other level.

Congratulations, and maybe after the show next week, you can take us up to Frankfort Avenue and tell us all about the trains.

--
JMcA

Back in the Saddle -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Falls at Pitt; 9-8

Despite a furious comeback to tie the game at 7 in the sixth inning, Louisville was ultimately unable to sustain the torrid pace of Pitt's offense and dropped game two of the series. 

The Cards took the lead in the top of the second when Jenna Jordan scored after the Pitt catcher threw the ball away trying to catch Celene Funke stealing. The lead was short lived, though, as Pitt scored four runs on two home runs and a double in the bottom half of the inning. They added on another 3 run homer in the bottom of the 3rd and Louisville found themselves with a 7-1 deficit. After that, Louisville realized this longball thing could be a bit of fun, so they joined in. In the fourth, Caitlin Ferguson knocked a 2 run shot to score Nicole Pufahl, and Alison (Mike) Szydlowski added a dinger of her own later in the inning. The Cards trailed by only 3 runs. In the sixth, Louisville erased those final three runs with solo shots by Ferguson (2 in the game!), Madison Cousineau, and Sidney Melton. 

Danielle Watson didn't have her best stuff yesterday. It happens. After the Cards tied the game in the top half, Watson gave up a walk, triple, and wild pitch for the Panthers to regain the lead at 9-7. Watson finished with 5 hits, 6 walks, and 5 earned. Megan Hensley took the start and the first 4 earned runs, but Watson finished with the loss. Some days you just struggle in the circle. On days like yesterday, a batter's day, you just try to outlast the opposition. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The Cards young pitching will continue to develop. Danielle Watson doesn't have 14 wins this season for no reason. 

In their last chance, the Cards made a bit of noise. Jenna Jordan pulled a run back with a full-count solo home run to open the inning, but the Pitt starter returned to the mound to pick up the save. She retired Pufahl, Funke, and Ferguson in order on 8 pitches. Ball game over. The Cards take on the Panthers in the rubber match today at 1PM. If you can manage to tear yourselves away from the horse track, this one could be fun to watch.

I'm Back!

Well, did you miss me? After a short stint on the DL, both for medical and personal reasons, I'm finally able to return to the pages. It's only fitting that I return on Derby Day so that I can put my title to a nice double meaning use. A bit has changed for me since we've last spoken. The last two Saturdays were dedicated not to Derby Festival activities, but to preparing for and taking the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Taking (and passing) the FE is the first step toward attaining my professional engineering license. I took a practice exam a couple of weeks ago and spent most of my day last week taking a 6 hour exam. I'm happy to report that I found out much sooner than expected, I passed! Now I'll get to put the books aside for awhile before I eventually begin preparing for another 8 hour exam in a few years.

My other big news comes from my ankle recovery. I finally had another doctor's appointment this week, and I'm now doing some in home physical therapy exercises and putting weight on my injured foot to walk with the assistance of a crutch. I've even taken to walking a little bit in the house with no crutches, but that might be a bit ambitious yet. I'm still a long way from returning to the soccer field or the Tough Mudder course, but as I told someone at work the other day, each update is a step in the right direction towards taking steps. I hope to return to the radio next week as my new directives give me a bit more freedom.

Speaking of the radio, we're off today. In case you haven't heard, there's some big race going on in Old Louisville. Something about some horses or something. It's a big deal in this town apparently. I joke, of course. As a native Louisvillian, I'm more than excited for the Derby today. Strangely, because of the circumstances surrounding this Derby season for me, I've not even been able to look too hard at the field. Fortunately, you don't have to look to me for horse picks, as Paulie has an entire site dedicated to handicapping. Enjoy Derby Day today, wherever you may be. We'll be back on the air next week to continue to bring you the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports!

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball adds two...The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

COUSINEAU, HALE JOIN SOFTBALL SQUAD

We haven't had a lot a Softball talk here in the CARDINAL COUPLE articles since the season ended back on May 11th. in the ACC quarterfinals with a 5-2 loss to NC State. One thing we have lamented about is the lack of getting runners on base to home plate. 

Sandy Pearsall is working on that. 

Madison Cousineau and Darrianne Hale are the two newest "Hit and Pitch" Cards to join Pearsall's roster...both coming in via the transfer route. They'll be on campus for the fall 2017 session and both have impressive numbers. 

Cousineau comes to Louisville from Mississippi State. She spent two seasons as a Bulldog and plays catcher. Her knowledge of the game and communication with the pitching staff are strong points for the Otto, N.C. native and she also possess a strong bat.  

Returning from last year behind the plate is senior catcher Jenna Jordan...who started 40 of Louisville's 44 games and batted .286. After that...with Alison Szydlowski now looking to be more of an infielder now than plate guarder and Shelby Graybill...listed as a catcher but used primarily as a pinch hitter...Cousineau's addition adds valuable backup at the position. 

Hale hits the Belknap Campus after a season at Butler Community College. She was a member of the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association championship team. Playing first base and pitching...she complied a .407 batting average and hit 22 home runs for the Grizzlies. She also went 6-0 on the mound with a .187 ERA in 45 innings of work. She comes in as a junior...spending her freshmen year at Incarnate Word...where her numbers were equally impressive. 

The Cards have needs at all three areas of Hale's expertise. WIth Tiarra Sanabria graduated and Michala Riggle transferred to Liberty...first base is open. Pitching wise, the Cards show only Megan Hensley and Sydney Warriner...who spent most of the season injured... on roster. A back up in the circle...especially one who can hit...is a welcome aspect for this squad. 

We haven't seen a list yet of the freshmen that will be on the 2018 squad yet. We imagine there will be a sizable number...a look at the current roster, adding in Hale and Cousineau, shows 16 players. Of those, six regularly saw starting roles for the Cards in the 2017 campaign...so opportunities exist for immediate playing time for the reserves and newcomers to the program. Another key element will be how starting shortstop Sidney Melton comes back from an early season-ending injury last year. 

We'll miss the speedy McNary...but will cover her
future political aspirations as they develop. 

Graduation hit Louisville fairly hard. Gone are Maryssa Becker, Jordan McNary, Morgan Meyer and Tiarra Sanabria...all key starters from 2017. Transferring out of the program were Lillie Goetz (Murray State)...in addition to Riggle. 

Cardinal fans and the players are anxious to see this squad return to post-season play. Hopefully, the returnees and newcomers can accomplish the task. The Cards will play a fall exhibition schedule and we'll watch it with interest as a pre-cursor to what lies ahead for the squad in the ACC for 2018


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BURKE ON THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

We have had a lot of fun and you, the listeners, have really seemed to enjoy the "Catching Up With" segment we've been featuring on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour the last couple of weeks. Believe me, it's been a blast creating the piece and my sincere thanks to Sara Hammond and Asia Taylor for eagerly agreeing to be our subjects of examination and providing us great interviews in the first two episodes. 

We go to a Burke this Saturday. 

No, not musical performer Justin Burke. It's not ESPN announcer Doris Burke (although both would make for pretty interesting interviews). 

#11. "Double B's"...the Gunslinger. Becky Burke joins us to catch us up on life in west central Arizona as she prepares for her second season as head women's basketball coach at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. 

Some teases to listen for..

- What "aged Becky 20 years"? 

- How does she view this current crop of Cardinals? 

- What were her favorite memories as a Cardinal? 

- What is a common misconception about Embry Riddle Aeronautical University? 

- Can she still drill the "3"? 

Becky's segment will run around 11:30 Saturday. The show starts at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 FM locally and on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com

You can go to the Cardinal Couple archives at the radio station website to re-listen to the Hammond and Taylor interviews if you missed them. I think the previous show list goes back about four months currently. 

Go to the site, hover over Programming, click on Cardinal Couple and scroll down to see the previous broadcasts. It's so simple even Paulie can do it! 

Who said we've nothing to cover in the off-season? Join Worldwide, Case, Jared and I Saturday for sports talk radio that "beats anything on the air in Bradenton" according to David Watson.


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ACC MEDIA FOOTBALL DAYS

Normally, this wouldn't be a big area for us to cover here at Cardinal Couple. Since it seems about half the Louisville sports media has descended on Charlotte, however, and it involves Lamar Jackson....I did sample some of the stuff that happened down there yesterday. 

Three things I liked: 

"New look" Lamar

1) I wonder if Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher is an auctioneer in the off-season? Have you ever heard this guy ramble? I think only horse racing callers and ice hockey announcers have a faster delivery style...

Sample a bit of his audio if you don't believe me from yesterday. I surely would not want to have to transcribe him live for visual content. He's the Hannah Koloski of talking! 

2) Head Syracuse football coach Dino Babers has a sense of humor. During the media days yesterday, he walked up to Lamar Jackson and touched him on the shoulder. He then turned to the cameras and said: 

"Did you get that? I just wanted to prove to our defense that you can get to him...he is touchable." 

Reportedly...Lamar got a big kick out of the encounter.  (Last year, L.J. put 610 total yards and five touchdowns on the Orange.)

3) Speaking of Lamar...how about the "new look" for the Louisville quarterback? Sporting a new haircut and a under-toned but stylish suit...it looks like he's undergone a bit of GQ transformation. We approve. We think he'll have a lot of photos snapped of him this upcoming season and you might as well be photogenic, right?  


paulie
xxxxx