Louisville Baseball Post-Game Notes
May 19, 2011 | Baseball
May 19, 2011
Louisville Team Notes
- With the win, Louisville is one victory away from its 10th straight BIG EAST series win at home. The nine-series home win streak is the 11th-longest active string in the country. U of L's last home series loss in conference play came to Notre Dame in 2009 (April 24-26).
- Consecutive conference series wins at home, Division I (active, entering weekend)
Rank Streak School Conference Streak began Last lost to/split with1. 38* Oral Roberts Summit 4.26.98 Western Illinois (S)2. 21 Coastal Carolina Big South 5.19.06 Birmingham-Southern (L)3. 18 Bethune-Cookman MEAC 4.8.06 Delaware State (L)4. 15 Arizona State Pac-10 4.25.08 Oregon State (L) 15 Texas State Southland 3.27.09 Sam Houston State (L)6. 13 Virginia ACC 4.3.09 Miami (Fla.) (L)7. 12 Charlotte Atlantic 10 4.11.09 Fordham (L)8. 11 TCU MWC 4.3.09 San Diego State (L)9. 10 Cal State Fullerton Big West 5.1.09 Pacific (L) 10 Connecticut BIG EAST 5.8.09 St. John's (L)11. 9 Louisville BIG EAST 5.14.09 Notre Dame (L)
- U of L improves to 8-2 in BIG EAST home games this season and 58-21 (.734) since joining the league for the 2006 season. Louisville's 2011 home win percentage in conference play (.800) is currently tied for its best since the 1984 squad went a perfect 3-0 at home in Metro Conference play (6-1 overall in the league).
Louisville records at home in BIG EAST play
2011 - 8-2 (.800)
2010 - 12-3 (.800)
2009 - 9-3 (.750)
2008 - 9-6 (.600)
2007 - 9-3 (.750)
2006 - 11-4 (.733)
Total - 58-21 (.734)
- Notre Dame is trying to become the first BIG EAST team to win two series against the Cards in Louisville. The Cards are 21-5 in 26 all-time BIG EAST series at home entering the weekend, with one loss each to Cincinnati (2006), Connecticut (2006), ND (2009), Pittsburgh (2007), and St. John's (2008). Louisville has never been swept in a BIG EAST set at home.
- The Cards pushed across three first-inning runs in the game, their highest opening-inning total of the season (just the third time U of L has plated multiple runs in the first inning in 2011). The three-run first was Louisville's first since the NCAA Regional last season (three in the 7-1 win over Vanderbilt on June 5)--the Cards have not plated more in the opening frame since scoring eight in the first in a 14-3 win over Eastern Kentucky exactly 366 days ago.
- The 3-0 first inning lead decreases Louisville's first-inning deficit this season to 21 runs (20-41). The three tallies came against Notre Dame's Brian Dupra, who had allowed just three first-inning runs all season coming in (2.08 ERA).
- The Cards have allowed a first-inning run just once in the past 11 games after doing so 15 times in the previous 29.
- Louisville jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings for the second consecutive game, finishing with a season-high 14 runs, its highest total since a 24-6 win over Rutgers on May 1 of last season. The 14 runs are the most by either team in the 19 games of the Notre Dame-Louisville series, which the Cards now lead 12-7 after five straight wins over ND.
- U of L has won 10 of the past 13 and 12 of the last 16 in the series.
- The Cardinals needed just three innings to saddle Dupra with a season high in earned runs (he had not allowed more than five in a game this year). Dupra, who entered the contest with an 11.0-inning scoreless streak and the sixth-best ERA (2.37) in the league, allowed a career-high nine earned runs in the game.
- The two highest hit totals surrendered by Dupra in his four-year career have both come against Louisville, 12 each on Thursday and on April 25, 2009. The latter game actually saw Dupra get the win in an 11-5 Notre Dame victory.
- Louisville has outscored the Irish 27-5 in the teams' past two meetings. It marks the third time the Cards have scored 13+ runs in consecutive games against a BIG EAST team, also doing so against Seton Hall (wins of 18-6, 13-1, and 16-6 in succession from May 20, 2006-April 21, 2007) and Villanova (14-3 and 13-6 from May 21-23, 2008).
- The Cards matched a season-high with three home runs, a mark they also reached in the 11-2 win over Kent State on March 22. Louisville had seven extra-base hits in the contest, its second-highest total of 2011 (behind only that game with the Golden Flashes).
- Louisville improves to 17-1 this year when scoring 6+ runs and 24-5 when registering as many or more hits than the opposition. The Cards outhit the Fighting Irish 14-10, the first time in 11 games U of L has had more hits than its opponent.
- The stellar pitching performance lowered the Cardinals' already-dazzling ERA in wins this season to 1.59. Louisville has allowed an earned run or less in 20 of its 28 victories in 2011.
- After a five-run seventh on Thursday, Louisville has now put together an inning of five runs or more in six of its last eight wins.
- Freshman Ryan Seiz's strikeout to end the first inning was the first for any active Louisville hitter against any hurler on the current Notre Dame roster (those who have made at least one appearance this year). The 2011 bunch of Cardinal hitters had previously made 49 career trips to the plate against Dupra, Will Hudgins, Cole Johnson, and Todd Miller without fanning.
Louisville Player Notes
- A month and a week after his school-record 16-game win streak came to an end in a relief outing against Kentucky, junior Derek Self began a new streak, winning his 17th career game to move into sixth place in the Louisville record books. Self is 17-2 in 68 career outings, including 15 starts.
- Career wins, Louisville history
1. 29 - Justin Marks (2007-09)
2. 22 - Brian Bentley (1997-00)
3. 21 - Mike Shields (1975-78)
4. 18 - B.J. Rosenberg (2004-08)
4. 18 - Brian Halford (2003-06)
6. 17 - Derek Self (2009-Present)
6. 17 - Zack Pitts (2005-08)
6. 17 - Zach Jackson (2002-03)
6. 17 - Glenn Meyers (1990-93)
6. 17 - Scott Reburn (1983-84)
6. 17 - Chuck Schupp (1976-77)
6. 17 - Richard Spalding (1960-63)
6. 17 - Ted Zimney (1937-39)
- Self has tossed at least 5.2 innings in each of his five starts this year after throwing 6.0 innings in a game just once prior to that. He has thrown a total of 36.1 innings in those starts, an average of 7.27 per outing. Four of the five starts have been of the quality variety (6.0 innings or more, three earned runs or less), but only Thursday's has produced a victory for Self, as the Cards scored three more runs in the game than they had in his previous four starts combined.
- Self has walked just one of the 122 batters he has faced over his last 29.2 innings, going walk-free once again on Thursday. Self's career walks-per-9.0-innings average is 1.87, while his season mark his even lower (1.54).
- Over Louisville's past 11 seasons, only Brian Halford and Dean Kiekhefer have put together longer stretches of innings in which they allowed just one walk. Halford had a 32.2-inning stretch in 2003, while Kiekhefer walked just one batter in 33.2 innings spanning his final seven outings of 2009 and his first start last season.
- Longest stretches of innings with only one walk allowed, since 2001
1. 33.2 - Dean Kiekhefer - 5.1.09-2.20.10
2. 32.2 - Brian Halford - 3.4.03-5.10.03
3. 29.2 - Derek Self - 4.21.11-Present
- Self extended his career-long streak of not allowing a long ball to 63.1 innings, a stretch dating back to his March 4 outing against Kent State. That streak is the third-longest by a Cardinal since 2001, bested only by Justin Amlung's 71.2-inning stretch earlier this year and Justin Marks' 65.2-inning streak in 2007.
Consecutive innings without allowing a home run, since 2001
1. 71.2 - Justin Amlung - 4.28.10-4.2.11
2. 65.2 - Justin Marks - 3.4.07-5.18.07
3. 63.1 - Derek Self - 3.4.11-Present
- Freshman Adam Engel reached base two more times on Thursday, the 24th and 25th times he has gotten on base in 53 plate appearances in May (.472 on-base percentage). In 12 games this month, Engel is hitting .417 (20-for-48) with seven runs scored, five walks, six steals, and just four strikeouts.
- Rookie Jeff Gardner set new career highs with three RBI and three runs in the game and tied a career mark with three hits. Over his last five appearances, Gardner is 6-for-13 (.462) with two homers, four RBI, six runs scored, and one strikeout.
- Gardner is the first Louisville freshman to notch 3+ hits, 3+ runs, and 3+ RBI in a single game since Josh Richmond went 3-for-6 with four runs and four RBI against Eastern Kentucky on March 25, 2008.
- Gardner now has a trio of three-hit games this year despite registering just 61 at bats and starting only 15 games.
- Gardner's homer was his second in a span of 12 at bats.
- Junior Ryan Wright entered the Louisville career top 10 for hits, with his 28th career three-hit game (seventh this season) propelling him into a tie for ninth place with Nick Haley, who had 247 from 2003-06. Of all the three-year players in Louisville history, only Tommy Barnes (school-record 287 hits from 1991-93) and Chris Dominguez (252 from 2006-09) have recorded more hits than Wright. (Dominguez played three full seasons with the Cards after his freshman campaign was cut short due to a broken arm in the season's third game.)
- Wright went 2-for-4 against Dupra in the game, giving him five hits in 11 career at bats against the righty.
- Wright made his 69th consecutive start in the contest.
- Wright's seventh-inning circuit clout snapped his RBI drought at five games, the longest of his career. He now has six long balls in the last 17 contests.
- Senior Drew Haynes' second-inning walk was his first since April 17, a span of 16 games.
- Freshman Alex Chittenden notched his first career triple when Irish center fielder Alex Robinson could not come up with his line drive in a diving effort in the sixth inning. Chittenden has eight hits in his last 22 at bats (.364) after a 2-for-4 day.
- Sophomore Cade Stallings homered for the third time in four games, also doubling and driving in a run with a sacrifice fly.
- Stallings has gone yard in each of the past three BIG EAST games. No Cardinal has homered in four consecutive conference games since Morgan Bojorquez from April 28-May 5, 2002. Bojorquez went deep in the finale of the TCU series that season and then in each of Louisville's three games at Tulane (Conference USA play).
- Senior Gabriel Shaw extended his school record by appearing in his 103rd career game on the mound. He has one walk and seven strikeouts in 12.1 innings over his last 11 outings.
- Shaw is now tied for seventh in BIG EAST history with 38 career appearances during conference play. The school record for BIG EAST appearances is 39, held by Gavin Logsdon (2006-09)
Career appearances, BIG EAST pitchers (conference games only)
1. 42 - Daniel Kennedy, Georgetown (2005-08)
2. 41 - Matt Singer, Seton Hall (2008-10)
3. 39 - Kevin Lillis, Seton Hall (2007-10)
3. 39 - Gavin Logsdon, Louisville (2006-09)
3. 39 - Shawn Sanford, USF (2007-09)
3. 39 - Mike James, Connecticut (2001-04)
7. 38 - Gabriel Shaw, Louisville (2008-Present)
7. 38 - Chris Noonan, Seton Hall (2002-04)
7. 38 - Isaac Pavlik, Seton Hall (2000-02)
- Shaw's 103 games give him the highest known total of any pitcher in BIG EAST history (appearances made with a team in the BIG EAST at the time).
- Senior Joe Stilphen retired the only two batters he faced on only three pitches. Stilphen has allowed a run in just two of his 16 career outings; in his 14 scoreless games, he has yielded three hits in 8.2 innings.
- Junior Stewart Ijames broked out of a 2-for-38 slump with a pair of hits and two RBI in four at bats. Ijames has driven in six runs in the last four games.
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