Cardinal Nine Ranked in Three Different Preseason Polls
January 24, 2008 | Baseball
Jan. 24, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville baseball team, less than a month away from opening the 2008 season, have been ranked in three different preseason polls.
The Cardinals, who set a school record with 47 wins in 2007 and made their first trip to the College World Series in Omaha are ranked 22nd by Rivals.com and 23rd in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and Collegiate Baseball polls.
The Cardinals were ranked as high as sixth to end last season, the highest ranking in school history.
Louisville will be lead in the 2008 season by preseason All-American and BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Zack Pitts, who won a school record-tying 10 games, adding a 2.52 ERA in a UofL record 121.2 innings. He ranks third in U of L career history with a 3.58 ERA.
He will be followed in the rotation by 2007 Freshman All-American and BIG EAST Freshman of the year Justin Marks.
Marks was 9-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 18 starts, jumping into the weekend rotation as a freshman. He struck out 87 in 104.2 innings pitched and limited opponents to a BIG EAST low .189 batting average.
Pitts was named to the preseason release of the 2008 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List along with Marks and 2008 Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Chris Dominguez.
Dominguez, a redshirt sophomore from Miami, Fla., was the NCAA Columbia Regional MVP after batting .421 (8 for 19) with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and 11 RBI in five games. He hit .262 with 19 doubles and 15 home runs.
He hit .318 with eight home runs and 19 RBI in 11 NCAA Postseason games last year.
Pitts, Marks, Dominguez and Derrick Alfonso were all selected to the preseason All-BIG EAST tea.
Alfonso, a second team All-BIG EAST selection in 2007, played in 70 of the 71 games last season at catcher for the Cardinals, posting a .274 batting average with nine doubles, five home runs and 31 RBI in 66 starts. The Bowling Green, Kentucky native was 4 for 6 on steals and was third on the team with 10 sac bunts.
He threw out 29 of 60 baserunners, adding four pick-offs. Opponents were just 12 for 26 in BIG EAST games.
Alfonso also handled a pitching staff that set a school record for strikeouts (514) and finished the season with the 5th best ERA in the nation. He was on the watch list for the 2007 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award.
Dan McDonnell, 2007 Rivals.com National Coach of the Year will begin his second season with the Cardinals.
The Cards will be hosting their 2008 Leadoff Dinner in the South Wing of the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center on Friday, February 8, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. sponsored by Republic Bank and UBS.
Tickets can be purchased for $50 each, by calling (502)852-2015.
The Cardinal baseball team opens the 2008 season on February 22 when they host Cleveland State in the first of a three-game series at 2:00 p.m. in Jim Patterson Stadium. Admission to all home games is free.
