Spring Training... NCAA Appeal... WBB Fundraiser Night... Softball... WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

APPEAL FAILS

The man responsible for the sanctions

The warm weather here in Louisville has been delightful.  For our student athletes involved in fall sports it has made their early morning condition a little more tolerable.  Field hockey and women’s soccer have both been active in their early conditioning and practices to prepare for the 2018-19 seasons.  It is never too early to start, right?

Some say the warm weather in February is a curse.  Unfortunately, that curse came in the form of the NCAA.  The University of Louisville lost its appeal regarding the 2013 national championship.  In fact, all wins between 2011-2015 are being vacated including two Final Fours and the 2013 banner.  The =university will also be forced to pay approximately $600,000 in fines.  Last night, the KFC Yum! Center removed the banner hanging in the rafters and is rumored to have removed the trophy from the Hall of Honor located in the lobby.

NCAA receiving information? 

It sucks.  I think many of us were expecting something along the lines of it.  Vince Tyra called it “closure” but I think it brings up more questions.  I do not understand the pick and choose punishment process.  Louisville gets hit hard while other schools walk away free for other types of violations.

To conclude my rant about the situation I know that the banner and title have been removed according to the NCAA, but the memories and emotions remain.  I was in New Orleans with pep band for the women’s Final Four.  I remember the band hanging out in the hotel lobby with the women’s team for a watch party and how loud we all cheered and how hard we celebrated.  The NCAA cannot take that away.


PLAY 4 KAY

Speaking of women’s basketball, they found another way to win Sunday afternoon.  The slow start at UNC took a while to come back from, but they did it.  Next on the list is Virginia tomorrow night.

Paulie discussed in great detail about the Play 4 Kay fundraising event.  To quickly summarize: for every person over 10,000 to attend the game Jeff Walz will donate $1; thanks to an anonymous donor the amount has been raised to $3.  Based off the KFC Yum! Center capacity we could theoretically see $36,000 going towards the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.  A chance to see one of the best teams in the country for a cheap price and a way to help raise money for cancer research? Count me in!

Cortnee will be there, but as a sideline reporter and not
in the #13 jersey. 

Virginia sits at 16-11 overall and 9-5 in the conference.  They have struggled on the road this season, winning just four out of nine games.  Dominique Toussaint has been the go-to player this season, averaging 11.3 points per game.  The sophomore guard also has been known to be generous with the ball, dishing out 100 assists.  Two other players, J’Kyra Brown and Aliyah Huland El, are also averaging over 10 points per game.  The player I would focus on is sophomore guard Felicia Aiyeotan.  She has the touch from the arc and is one missed shot shy of shooting 50% on three-pointers.

The Cards have been in some tight games lately.  Even some of the games that ended in blowouts took until the fourth quarter to wear down opponents.  I would like to see a victory that is under control from the get-go.  Dominate the boards and limit the turnovers.  Let Asia and Myisha do what they do best.  Hopefully this is a game where all 10 healthy players on the roster.

Walz has called a 12:45 presser today to discuss the game and, we assume, his pledge and the cause. Paulie will be there to listen and will touch on what Coach said in tomorrow's CC. 


SOFTBALL REVIEW

I mentioned in Friday’s article last week that for softball to go 3-1 or 2-2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to consider it a success.  The Cards swept Northwestern and got swept by Ohio State to go 2-2.  Both wins against the Wildcats were late game heroics on offense.  One game against the Buckeyes went into extra innings only to fall due to a walk-off hit.  Sitting at 6-3 on the year headed into their final road weekend for a while is not bad.

Jenna Jordan leads the way with two home runs while Megan Hensley and Nicole Pufahl each have one.  Eight Cardinals sent one over the fence last season so there should be plenty more to come.

Maryssa Becker and Hensley were the dynamic duo in the circle last season.  Sadly, the boss graduated.  Hensley has taken over as ace and is captaining a fairly large bullpen.  Only two other pitchers have seen action: Danielle Watson and Kyra Snyder.  Snyder played some during the first weekend while Watson has taken on a heavy load and sits at 4-2 on the year.

In nine games the bullpen has struck out 57 batters while allowing 44 walks and giving up 46 hits.  That compares to only 48 strikeouts, 30 walks, and 39 hits for the ladies in red and black.  UofL has also outscored opponents 71-46 on the year.  Defensively, Louisville has already committed 19 errors- too many!  We will see how they fare during the weekend.

My Wednesday advice is to cherish the memories from the successes of past UofL teams.  Do not let anyone break your spirits.  Continue to support OUR Cards.  They need us even more during the difficult times.  So, I say “Go Cards!”

Jared