Cardinals Ranked 13th in Baseball America Preseason Top 25
January 27, 2010 | Baseball
Jan. 27, 2010
DURHAM, N.C. - The University of Louisville baseball team earned its highest ever Baseball America preseason ranking on Wednesday as the Cardinals debuted at No. 13 in the publication's preseason Top 25.
The Baseball America ranking is the third preseason Top 20 ranking for the Cards, who are also ranked 13th in the Ping!Baseball Preseason Top 30 and 19th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Preseason Top 40. The Cardinals are the only BIG EAST Conference team ranked in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25, while 2009 national runner-up Texas is the top ranked team in the poll. The complete Baseball America poll is available online at www.baseballamerica.com.
After opening 2009 ranked 23rd in Baseball America's preseason poll, the Cardinals finished the season ranked 15th overall after advancing to their second NCAA Super Regional in three seasons. Louisville, the reigning BIG EAST regular-season and tournament champions, returns seven position starters for 2010, including All-American third baseman Phil Wunderlich, along with most of the pitching staff from their 2009 squad, which finished with a 47-18 record overall.
In head coach Dan McDonnell's three seasons in Louisville, the Cardinals have made three straight NCAA appearances overall, two NCAA Super Regional appearances and one College World Series appearance. Louisville also ranks sixth nationally with 135 wins over the last three seasons for an average of 45 victories per year.
Wunderlich led the Cardinals in hitting in 2009 with a .367 average, was second on the team with 18 home runs and 78 RBI and was third on the team with 18 doubles en route to being named Second Team All-America by the NCBWA and Second Team All-BIG EAST. Louisville also welcomes back All-BIG EAST performers Andrew Clark (senior first baseman), Adam Duvall (senior second base) and Thomas Royse (junior right-handed pitcher) for 2010.
Louisville will open the 2010 season on Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. ET, in the first of three games against Bowling Green at Jim Patterson Stadium.
