Home Sweet Home! Syracuse Opens Home Slate Against Louisville

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse softball begins its 2023 home schedule this weekend, hosting Atlantic Coast Conference foe Louisville for a three-game set. The home opener at Skytop Softball Stadium is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 31 at noon. Game two of the series is slated for Saturday, Apr. 1 at 1 p.m. and the series finale will take place Sunday, Apr. 2 at noon.

Admission to Skytop Softball Stadium is free and all contests will be streaming live on ACC Network Extra.

ORANGE UPDATE:

Syracuse is 3-1-1 over its last five games, sweeping a midweek double at Canisius and splitting a series against Notre Dame in ACC play.
After a game one loss, the Orange beat the Fighting Irish. 5-3, in game two and held one of the conference's best lineups scoreless in a 0-0 series finale tie.
The tie was the second in program history and the first since 2000, the inaugural season of Syracuse softball.
The Orange tallied 11 hits and five runs in the 5-3 win at Notre Dame. The 11 hits and five runs are both highs in ACC play.
Angel Jasso led the way in the Notre Dame series, going 4-for-7 at the plate with an RBI and a double. In the 5-3 win, Jasso went three-for-three at the dish.
In the series finale, left-handed pitcher Lindsey Hendrix threw her first complete game shutout of the season, holding the Fighting Irish to five hits with four strikeouts and zero walks.
Outfielder Madelyn Lopez is excelling in her first season with the Orange. The Montgomery, Texas native leads the team in batting average (.314), slugging percentage (.392) and is third in hits (16).
The Orange are one of the stronger defensive sides in the ACC, ranking fifth in fielding percentage (.969).

YOUTH MOVEMENT:

Head coach Shannon Doepking's 2023 squad is the youngest team in the ACC.
The 10 freshmen are the most on a roster in the ACC and make up 42 percent of Syracuse's roster (10-24).
Underclassmen account for 68 percent of hits, 66 percent of runs driven in and 62 percent of runs scored.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS:

Louisville is 22-10 and received votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches and ESPN.com/USA softball polls.
The Cardinals rank second in the ACC in batting average (.320) and sixth in earned run average (2.63).
Outfielder Korbe Otis and catcher Sarah Gordon are both batting above .400. Otis ranks sixth in the ACC (.414) while Sarah Gordon ranks seventh (.410).
From the circle, Taylor Roby leads Louisville, sporting a 1.85 earned run average with 45 strikeouts over 64.1 innings.

THE SERIES:

Syracuse and Louisville have met 29 times on the softball diamond. The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 12-27.
The Orange earned their first ACC Tournament win in the last meeting, outlasting Louisville in a 2-0 win in the first round. A two-run homer from Jasso made the difference, as Ariana Adams threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Over the past five games, Syracuse is 2-3 against Louisville. The two programs meet at Skytop Softball Stadium for the first time since 2018.

UP NEXT:

Syracuse continues its homestand, hosting NC State for a three game slate, starting on Thursday, Apr. 6 at 6 p.m. Admission to Skytop Softball Stadium is free and all contests will be streaming on ACC Network Extra.

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