Baseball Officially Opens Fall Workouts
September 14, 2009 | Baseball
Sept. 14, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In preparation for the 2010 season, the University of Louisville baseball team officially opened its fall workouts on Monday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
After sweeping the BIG EAST Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advancing to an NCAA Super Regional for the second time in three years, the Cardinals enter the fall with expectations for even greater success in 2010. Entering his fourth season as the Cards' head coach, Dan McDonnell will lead his team through more than five weeks of full-squad practices before closing the fall with the fourth annual Pizza Bowl intra-squad series on Oct. 20-22.
Though the 2010 Cardinals will be without two of the greatest players in school history in third baseman Chris Dominguez and left-handed pitcher Justin Marks after both players signed professional contracts, McDonnell's fourth Louisville squad returns seven everyday starters as well as the vast majority of its talented pitching staff. Leading the Cards' list of returning players will be Second Team All-American and All-BIG EAST utility player Phil Wunderlich, as well as All-BIG EAST performers Andrew Clark (1B), Adam Duvall (2B) and Thomas Royse (RHP).
Wunderlich led the Cards at the plate in 2009 with a .367 average and was second on the team with 18 home runs and 78 RBI. Clark was second on the team with a .350 average to go with nine home runs, 55 RBI and a team-leading 55 walks. Duvall led the team with 83 runs scored while hitting .328 overall with 11 home runs and 51 RBI and Royse was 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA and two saves.
Other returning position starters for the Cardinals include shortstop/outfielder Ryan Wright, who hit .335 with 66 RBI and five home runs, including a three-run shot off of top 10 draft pick Mike Minor to give Louisville the lead for good against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Regional championship game, as well as catcher Jeff Arnold and outfielders Josh Richmond and Drew Haynes.
Among the Cards' other numerous returning pitchers for 2010 are RHP Matt Lea, LHP Dean Kiekhefer, RHP Tyler Mathis, LHP Bob Revesz, RHP Gabriel Shaw, RHP Neil Holland, RHP Derek Self, RHP Tony Zych, LHP Joe Stilphen, RHP Mike Nastold and LHP Keith Landers. Along with all of the returning players, McDonnell and the Cardinals also welcome another talented group of newcomers for the 2010 season setting the stage for yet another memorable season in Louisville.
U of L finished with a 47-18 record overall in 2009, highlighted by the program's first ever BIG EAST regular-season championship, its second straight BIG EAST Tournament championship and its first ever 40-win regular season. Making their third straight NCAA Regional appearance, the Cardinals were selected as a host site for the first time in school history and delivered an exciting title-game win over Vanderbilt.
After being eliminated in the NCAA Super Regional by host Cal State Fullerton, the Cardinals closed 2009 ranked 14th in the final Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 30 rankings and in the top 20 in all of the major national polls.
In his three seasons as the Cards' head coach, McDonnell has led Louisville to unprecedented heights, including its first ever College World Series appearance (2007), three straight 40-win seasons and 135 wins overall and three straight NCAA Championship appearances for the first time in school history.
