Louisville Visits Notre Dame for ACC Road Debut
March 19, 2015 | Baseball
Nick Solak has reached base safely in 10 straight games while starting all 21 games in 2015.
GAME DAY INFO: #8 Louisville (15-6, 5-1 ACC) at #22 Notre Dame (15-4, 3-3 ACC)
Date: March 20-22, 2015
Location: South Bend, Ind.
Venue: Frank Eck Stadium (2,500)
Live Stats: Gametracker at GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball
Friday, March 20 | 6:05 p.m. ET
TV: WatchND.tv (Watch) | Radio: 1450 WXVW
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Jr. RHP Kyle Funkhouser (1-2, 3.19 ERA)
ND: Sr. RHP Scott Kerrigan (1-2, 3.99 ERA)
Saturday, March 21 | 2:05 p.m. ET
TV: WatchND.tv (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Fr. LHP Brendan McKay (3-0, 0.00 ERA)
ND: Fr. RHP Brandon Bielak (2-1, 5.26 ERA)
Sunday, March 22 | 1:05 p.m. ET
TV: WatchND.tv (Watch) | Radio: TBD
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: So. LHP Josh Rogers (2-1, 5.68 ERA)
ND: Jr. RHP Nick McCarty (3-1, 2.15 ERA)
? Louisville Baseball Game Notes (at Notre Dame) | Media Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No. 8 Louisville baseball team takes to the road for the first time in Atlantic Coast Conference competition with a visit to No. 22 Notre Dame for a weekend series at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend, Ind. The Cardinals and Fighting Irish will open the three-game series on Friday at 6:05 p.m., ET, while game two is set for Saturday at 2:05 p.m. Sunday's weekend finale is slated for a 1:05 p.m., start.
Friday's Louisville-Notre Dame opener will be aired on 1450 WXVW in Louisville, while Saturday's matchup can be heard on 93.9 The Ville. The station for Sunday's game will be determined and announced on Saturday. CardsTV subscribers can listen online at GoCards.com, while live scoring will be available through Gametracker at GoCards.com. Additionally, live video of the entire series will be available online free of charge at WatchND.tv.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville earned its first ACC sweep and moved into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division with a trio of wins over Boston College last weekend. The Cardinals, who have won 10 of their last 12 games overall after Tuesday's home win over Purdue, opened the BC series with a 5-4 walk-off win in 10 innings in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader before coasting to a 13-0 nightcap win. On Sunday, Louisville gained command early and closed the weekend with a 5-2 triumph.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE RACE
Through two weeks of ACC baseball, Louisville is tied with Florida State atop the Atlantic Division standings with a 5-1 conference mark. The Cardinals and Seminoles are two games clear of Notre Dame and Wake Forest in third place with 3-3 records. In the Coastal Division, Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia Tech lead the way with 4-2 records overall.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame enters the weekend at 15-4 after an 8-3 win over Central Michigan on Wednesday in its home-opener. The Fighting Irish, ranked 22nd by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, are tied for third in the ACC Atlantic at 3-3 after winning two of three at Clemson last weekend. Last season, Notre Dame was 22-31 and finished last in the Atlantic with a 9-21 record.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville holds an 16-8 lead in the all-time series with Notre Dame, including a 16-6 edge when the programs competed as Big East Conference foes from 2006-13. The Cardinals are 5-1 all-time in South Bend and are making their first visit to Eck Stadium since 2010 when they swept a three-game series to clinch a Big East regular season championship. Most recently, Louisville swept a trio of games against Notre Dame on March 28-30, 2013 at Jim Patterson Stadium when both teams carried top 15 national rankings.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
? Through the first 21 games of the season, the Louisville bullpen has an ERA of 2.06 with a 10-0 record, 101 strikeouts in 83.0 innings pitched and opposing batters are hitting just .183.
? Louisville has won 112 straight games when entering the ninth inning with a lead dating back to May 2012. The Cardinals were 43-0 last season and 46-0 in 2013 when leading after the eighth.
? The Cardinals are 12-1 this season when out-hitting their opponents, 0-4 when out-hit and 3-1 when hits are tied. Last season, Louisville was 38-3 when out-hitting its opponents.
? Louisville was 32-8 last season against righty starters and 18-9 against lefties. This season, they are 10-4 versus righties and 5-2 against lefties.
? The Cardinals allowed two or fewer earned runs in 40 of 67 games last season, something they did in 36 of 65 in 2013. So far in 2015, they have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 of 21 games overall.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
? In five games last week, Sutton Whiting hit .381 overall, while in his six ACC games, he has a .565 average with five runs scored. Overall, Whiting leads the Cardinals with a .416 average and a .541 on-base percentage, highlighted by a team-high 18 walks.
? Freshman Devin Hairston leads the team with 19 RBI this season and he has driven in at least one run in 11 of his 15 starts in 2015.
? Last week, Zach Lucas hit .389 with five runs scored in five games, while in the Cardinals' six ACC games, he leads the team with eight RBI and has a .304 average. Overall, Lucas has hit safely in eight straight games.
? Brendan McKay had an outstanding week from Feb. 24-March 1 starting four games (two at 1B, two at DH) and going 6-for-12 with a double, four RBI, four runs scored and five walks. On the mound, he earned three saves and had eight strikeouts in three shutout innings of relief.
? For the season, McKay is 3-0 with four saves and has 30 strikeouts without allowing a run in 19.0 innings pitched (eight appearances, one start.). At the plate, he is hitting .362 with 15 walks and nine RBI in 14 starts as either a first baseman or a designated hitter.
? Sophomore lefty Drew Harrington has allowed only one earned run in eight appearances on the mound this season. In 18.2 innings of work in 2015, Harrington has a 0.48 ERA with 27 strikeouts to just two walks while opposing hitters are batting just .108 against him.
LOUISVILLE PITCHERS LEAD NATION IN STRIKEOUTS SINCE 2012
Since 2012, Louisville's pitchers lead the nation in strikeouts with 1,878 overall (through Tuesday's game). The Cardinals, who had 212 strikeouts through the first 21 games of 2015, finished with 563 strikeouts last season, had an NCAA best 629 in 2013 and finished with 474 in 2012. Mississippi State ranks second since 2012 with 1,836 strikeouts, while Vanderbilt (1,831), NC State (1,808) and North Carolina (1,784) round out the top five.
TEN CARDINALS MAKE COLLEGIATE DEBUTS IN 2015
A total of 10 Cardinals have made their collegiate debuts thus far in the 2015 season. During the Opening Weekend Challenge in Florida, Devin Hairston, Colby Fitch, Lincoln Henzman, Kade McClure, Brendan McKay and Blake Tiberi took the field for Louisville, while Butch Baird and Sean Leland saw their first chances for the Cardinals in the series against Arkansas State. On Feb. 24, Chandler Dale became the ninth player to see action with a relief appearance against Butler. Junior Jimmy Faul added his name to the list as the 10th player when he had a pinch hit single against Boston College on March 14.
SMITH NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
On March 11, Louisville sophomore Will Smith was among 75 catchers named to the official watch list for the 2015 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com. Because the award is given annually to the top division one collegiate catcher, the list will be updated to include other candidates until May 4. The watch list will be narrowed to the semifinalists on May 14, while the finalists will be announced June 2. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 18th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 25, 2015.
STRONG WORK IN THE CLASSROOM CONTINUES FOR LOUISVILLE BASEBALL
The 2014 fall semester proved to be another good one for the Louisville baseball team in the classroom as the Cardinals earned a cumulative team GPA of 3.251 marking the seventh straight semester the team has finished above a 3.0 as a group. A total of 29 Louisville players finished the fall semester with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
FUNKHOUSER EARNS ACC, NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS FEB. 16
Junior righthander Kyle Funkhouser was chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 16 while also being named as a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. He matched a career-high with 12 strikeouts and allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings to lead the seventh-ranked Cardinals to a 5-1 season-opening win over Alabama State on Feb. 13 at the Opening Weekend Challenge. Funkhouser retired the final 20 batters he faced and equaled his strikeout total at Temple last May and improved to 19-4 in his collegiate career with the performance.
CARDINALS ENTERED THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON WITH TOP 10 RANKING
Receiving its second highest preseason ranking in school history, Louisville entered 2015 ranked as highly as No. 7 in the USA Today preseason coaches poll. The ranking, which marked the third straight season the Cardinals are positioned in the top 10 in a preseason poll, was second to only the No. 4 ranking by Baseball America in 2013. Louisville was ranked in the top 12 in each of the five preseason national polls in 2015. The Cardinals were also at No. 9 in the Perfect Game preseason Top 25, No. 11 in the D1Baseball Top 25 and No. 12 in both the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball newspaper polls. Louisville was ranked in the preseason for the eighth straight season and the Cardinals have remained in the national polls every week since the release of the 2012 preseason rankings.
LOUISVILLE PICKED SECOND IN ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION
The Louisville baseball team was named as the second choice in the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division race by the league's head coaches. Entering their inaugural season in the ACC, the Cardinals received four first-place votes and 84 total points to trail only Florida State, winners of eight straight Atlantic titles and the top choice again in 2015 after garnering seven first-place votes and 91 points overall. Clemson was third with three first-place votes and 77 points and was followed by NC State (53 points), Wake Forest (39 points), Notre Dame (25 points) and Boston College (23 points).
Virginia, which reached the College World Series Finals last season, was named by 13 coaches as the top team in the Coastal Division (97 points) and was the preseason choice as overall champion by the coaches. Defending Coastal champion Miami received one vote for first place. The Cavaliers totaled 97 points in the voting and were followed by North Carolina (78 points), Miami (75 points and one first-place vote), reigning ACC Tournament champion Georgia Tech (54 points), Duke (43 points), Virginia Tech (24 points) and Pittsburgh (21 points).
FUNKHOUSER RECEIVES MULTIPLE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Junior righty Kyle Funkhouser was tabbed as a preseason First Team All-American by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball newspaper, the NCBWA and Perfect Game while D1Baseball.com named him as a second team choice entering 2015. A native of Oak Forest, Ill., Funkhouser earned multiple All-American honors in 2014 finishing 13-3 overall with a 1.94 ERA and 122 strikeouts (third most at Louisville) in 120.1 innings pitched (second most at Louisville) as the Cardinals' ace. He was named First Team All-America by ABCA, a Second Team Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, Second Team All-America by NCBWA and was Third Team All-American by both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
During his first two collegiate seasons in Louisville, Funkhouser was 18-4 on the mound with a 2.01 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 175.0 innings and 24 total starts. Last summer, he was 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA (four earned runs in 28.1 innings) and a team-high 36 strikeouts in six appearances and five starts for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
LUCAS, WHITING AND KIDSTON NAMED LOUISVILLE CAPTAINS IN 2015
Senior infielders Zach Lucas and Sutton Whiting and junior righthanded pitcher Anthony Kidston were chosen by Louisville players and coaches as team captains in 2015. A Third Team All-American Conference selection and a team captain in 2014, Lucas hit .270 with five home runs, 44 RBI and 13 doubles in 65 starts as a junior. In his first three collegiate seasons, the Louisville native had 120 career starts and played in 142 games.
A team captain last season, Whiting finished in the top five nationally with 37 stolen bases while hitting .216 with a .369 on-base percentage and 51 runs scored in 2014. Named to the 2014 NCAA Louisville Regional All-Tournament Team, Whiting had 123 career starts and played in 145 games overall during his first three seasons. As a sophomore, he earned Second Team All-BIG EAST accolades hitting .308 with 30 RBI, 41 runs scored and 24 stolen bases in 63 starts.
In two collegiate seasons, Kidston compiled a 14-1 record with a 2.60 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 124.2 innings pitched. Last season, he was 9-1 with a 3.40 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 14 starts. In 2013, Kidston was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American finishing 5-0 with a 1.31 ERA.
FUNKHOUSER NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST
Junior righthander Kyle Funkhouser was named to the 50-player preseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list on released on Feb. 10. The preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons. On April 9, USA Baseball will release its 60-man midseason watch list, shaped by the Golden Spikes Award committee. On May 22, USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow the amateur game closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 37 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2015. Friday, May 22, marks the day when amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list. On Tuesday, June 3, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting will once again commence that same day. The 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on Tuesday, June 23, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Dinner that evening at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
SIX CARDINALS NAMED TO PERFECT GAME TOP 100 LISTS
Louisville had six players named to the Perfect Game Top 100 class-by-class rankings released in January. Leading the way for the Cardinals was righthanded pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, who was slotted as the No. 2 junior in the nation by Perfect Game. Infielder Zach Lucas was ranked at No. 20 on the Top 100 Seniors list while outfielder Mike White landed at No. 68 on that list. Righthander Zack Burdi was tabbed as the 22nd-best sophomore in the nation, while outfielder Corey Ray was ranked at No. 62 on that list. With the release of the Top 100 Freshmen, lefthanded pitcher and first baseman Brendan McKay was placed at No. 60 overall.
CARDINALS IN SELECT COMPANY WITH ANOTHER 50-WIN SEASON IN 2014
Following the 2014 College World Series, Louisville was one of only three programs to have three or more 50-win seasons over the last five years. Louisville (2010, 2013, 2014), Virginia (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014) and Vanderbilt (2011, 2013, 2014) are the three schools with three or more 50-win seasons since 2010. Only five schools, including Louisville, have more than one 50-win season over that span -- Louisville (3), Virginia (4), Vanderbilt (3), North Carolina (2), South Carolina (2).
LOUISVILLE IN A GROUP OF 16 SCHOOLS WITH FOUR OR MORE NCAA SUPER REGIONAL APPEARANCES IN LAST EIGHT SEASONS
Louisville is one of 16 Division I schools with four or more NCAA Super Regional appearances in the last eight seasons (since 2007). Joining the Cardinals on this impressive list is Florida State (7), Arizona State (5), Cal State Fullerton (5), North Carolina (5), South Carolina (5), Virginia (5), Florida (4), LSU (4), Rice (4), Stanford (4), Texas (4), TCU (4), UC Irvine (4) UCLA (4) and Vanderbilt (4).
CARDINALS AMONG 11 SCHOOLS TO HOST FOUR OR MORE NCAA REGIONALS IN LAST SIX YEARS
Louisville is one of just 11 Division I schools to have hosted four or more NCAA Regionals over the last six seasons (since 2009). That list includes seven schools serving as hosts for 2014 Regionals -- Florida (5), Florida State (5), Louisville (4), LSU (4), Rice (4), South Carolina (5), TCU (4) and Virginia (5). Also joining that group are Cal State Fullerton (4), North Carolina (4) and UCLA (4).
FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
