Orange Takes on Louisville in BIG EAST Championship
5/15/2010 12:31:28 PM | Softball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fifth-seeded Syracuse (31-24) takes on No. 3 Louisville (38-16) in the BIG EAST Championship at Ulmer Stadium on Saturday, May 15 at 5 p.m. It is the first BIG EAST Final appearance in program history for the Orange who upset No. 4 Villanova in the quarterfinals and top-seeded DePaul in the semifinal to advance to the championship game.
Follow the Action
Saturday's championship game will be televised live on CBS College Sports. Syracuse graduate Dave Ryan will provide the play-by-play while former Creighton shortstop Ann Schatz will be on color commentary.
Fans can also find all their BIG EAST Championship information at the Championship Central page. Saturday's game will be available via live stats and the SUAthletics live blog.
Syracuse in BIG EAST Championship
Syracuse upset top-seeded DePaul, 3-2, on Friday, May 14 in the BIG EAST Semifinal to advance to the first BIG EAST Final in program history … Thursday's 4-3 triumph against No. 4 Villanova marked the programs first postseason victory under fourth-year head coach Leigh Ross and the only upset in the quarterfinals of the 2010 BIG EAST Championship.
Fifth-seeded Syracuse is the lowest seed in BIG EAST Championship history to reach the tournament final … Prior to 2010, the No. 4 seed was the lowest to ever reach the conference championship, No. 4 Notre Dame most recently accomplished the feat in 2007.
The Orange has made six-consecutive BIG EAST Championship appearances and seven in program history … SU has been seeded as high as third (2005) and has qualified as the fifth seed each of the last two seasons … SU secured its first BIG EAST Championship victory in 2005, the then No. 3 Orange defeated No. 4 Villanova, 5-1, during the double-elimination portion of the tournament … Syracuse lost in the first round in each of the past four seasons, since the implementation of single elimination.
All-Time Series
Louisville leads the all-time series, 10-1, which dates back to April 22, 2006 after the Cardinals joined the BIG EAST Conference. U of L won the first seven meetings between the two teams, before the Orange earned its lone series victory, upsetting then No. 17/18 Louisville, 10-5, in the top half of a doubleheader.
The two teams met early this season in a doubleheader on April 21, 2010 at Ulmer Stadium, which was televised live on ESPNU. The Cardinals swept the doubleheader, winning 6-4 and 7-2.
Winning Season Success
With Friday's win against Villanova in the BIG EAST quarterfinal, the Orange improved to 31-24 on the season, marking the second 30-win season in as many years ... Syracuse has notched 30 or more wins three times in the programs 10-year history, including a program-record 36 wins during the 2006 season … SU has compiled six winning seasons in its ten year existence.
BIG EAST Honorees
Three Orange earned All-BIG EAST Team honors at Wednesday night's annual awards banquet … Sophomore pitcher Jenna Caira and sophomore outfielder Lisaira Daniels were named to the All-BIG EAST second team at their respective positions while freshman pitcher Stacy Kuwik was named to the All-BIG EAST third team as a pitcher/designated player.
On Deck
The winner of Saturday's contest will earn the title of BIG EAST Champion and recieve an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
