Louisville Hosts Wake Forest for ACC Weekend
April 16, 2015 | Baseball
The Cardinals are 16-3 at home this season and 264-85 all-time at Jim Patterson Stadium.
GAME DAY INFO: #3 Louisville (27-9, 16-2 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (22-16, 9-9 ACC)
Date: April 17-19, 2015
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000)
Live Stats: Gametracker at GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball
Friday, April 17 | 5 p.m. ET
TV: None | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Video (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Jr. RHP Kyle Funkhouser (5-2, 1.96 ERA)
WF: Sr. RHP Matt Pirro (6-2, 3.04 ERA)
Saturday, April 18 | 1 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3 (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Fr. LHP Brendan McKay (5-1, 1.91 ERA)
WF: So. RHP Connor Johnstone (2-2, 6.75 ERA)
Sunday, April 19 | 1 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3 (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: So. LHP Josh Rogers (6-1, 3.20 ERA)
WF: So. RHP Will Craig (1-2, 7.11 ERA)
? Louisville Baseball Game Notes (vs. Wake Forest) | Media Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following back-to-back weekends on the road, the No.3 Louisville baseball team returns home to Jim Patterson Stadium for an ACC series against Wake Forest starting Friday at 5 p.m., ET. The weekend will continue on Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., with free admission offered throughout the series.
All three games will be aired on 93.9 The Ville, while ESPN3 will have TV coverage on Saturday and Sunday. Subscribers of CardsTV can listen to live play-by-play online at GoCards.com and live scoring will be available through Gametracker at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
With its highest ranking in school history at No. 3 in this week's Perfect Game Top 25, Louisville won its sixth straight ACC series while extending its Atlantic Division lead to five games after winning two of three games against Duke last weekend in Durham. The Cardinals, who dropped a midweek game at Ohio State on Tuesday, have won 16 of their last 19, while the 16-2 mark in ACC action is the best 18-game league record in school history.
FEELING AT HOME IN PATTERSON STADIUM
Since opening the gates at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005, the Cardinals have won more than 75 percent of their games in the ballpark posting a 264-85 record (.756 winning percentage), including a 16-3 mark this season at the corner of Third and Central.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Wake Forest have no previous meetings on the diamond. This weekend marks the first visit to Louisville for a school from North Carolina since the Cardinals swept a three-game series against Elon University on April 12-14, 2013 at Patterson Stadium.
ABOUT THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest enters the weekend at 22-16 overall and at 9-9 in the ACC after dropping two of three at Pittsburgh last weekend. Last season, the Demon Deacons were 30-26 overall and finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 15-15 conference mark.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE RACE
Through six weeks of ACC action, Louisville is atop the Atlantic Division with a 16-2 conference mark. The Cardinals hold a five-game lead over Florida State (11-7) with Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Clemson tied for third with 9-9 records. Miami leads the Coastal at 14-4, while Georgia Tech and North Carolina are each at 9-9.
NO. 7 IN THE RPI, NO. 1 IN TOP 50 WINS
With six weeks of action remaining until the field of teams for the NCAA Championship is announced, Louisville landed at No. 7 in the NCAA RPI released on Monday. According to the unofficial numbers at WarrenNolan.com and D1Baseball.com, the Cardinals lead the nation in RPI Top 50 wins with 15 (15-5 record overall), followed by Texas A&M with 13 and LSU with 12.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
? Through 36 games this season, the Louisville bullpen has a 1.44 ERA with a 12-0 record, 153 strikeouts to just 48 walks in 131.0 innings pitched and opposing batters are hitting just .162.
? In 18 ACC games, the Cardinals have a 1.89 ERA with 164 strikeouts in 171.0 innings. The bullpen has a 0.99 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 54.1 innings of work in conference action.
? Louisville has won 123 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 22-2 this season when out-hitting their opponents, 1-6 when out-hit and 4-1 when hits are tied. Last season, Louisville was 38-3 when out-hitting its opponents.
? 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 23 of 36 games overall.
? Louisville is 9-0 this season when scoring in the first inning and 19-0 when scoring first.
? From March 21 to April 10, the Cardinals played 83 consecutive innings against ACC opponents without trailing.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
? Sutton Whiting leads the Cardinals in hitting with a .360 average overall in 36 starts at shortstop. In ACC action, Whiting has a .392 average and has reached base safely in 17 of 18 conference games.
? Corey Ray leads the team with six home runs, 34 RBI, 26 runs scored, three triples and 17 stolen bases on 20 attempts.
? As the first player in Dan McDonnell's nine seasons to start on the mound and play virtually every day as a position player/hitter, freshman Brendan McKay is 5-1 with four saves, a 1.91 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 47.0 innings pitched (12 appearances, five starts.). At the plate, he is hitting .324 with one home run, 17 RBI, 20 runs scored and 25 walks in 29 starts as a hitter.
? In his last five starts, junior Kyle Funkhouser is 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. Overall, he is 5-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 62 strikeouts on the season.
? In his last seven starts, Josh Rogers is 6-0 with a 1.04 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched. Opposing batters are hitting just .216 in those games.
? Sophomore lefty Drew Harrington has allowed only one earned run in 15 appearances on the mound this season. In 30.0 innings of work in 2015, Harrington is 3-1 with four saves, a 0.30 ERA, 42 strikeouts to just nine walks while opposing hitters are batting just .096 against him.
? Ray and Whiting lead the Cardinals with 14 multiple-hit games each this season, while Nick Solak (12) is next. Devin Hairston has eight multiple-RBI performances to lead the club, while Ray is next with seven.
LOUISVILLE PITCHERS LEAD NATION IN STRIKEOUTS SINCE 2012
Since 2012, Louisville's pitchers lead the nation in strikeouts with 2,024 overall (entering the weekend). The Cardinals, who had 357 strikeouts through the first 36 games of 2015, finished with 563 strikeouts last season, had an NCAA best 629 in 2013 and finished with 474 in 2012. Vanderbilt ranks second since 2012 with 2,003 strikeouts, while NC State (1,961), Mississippi State (1,923) and North Carolina (1,921) round out the top five.
ROGERS CHOSEN AS ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK ON APRIL 13
Sophomore lefty Josh Rogers was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on April 13. Making starts to open and close the week, Rogers went 2-0 with a pair of ACC road wins for the Cardinals. On April 6, the New Albany, Indiana native delivered seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits in a dominant effort at No. 14 Virginia to lead Louisville to a 4-0 win and complete a series sweep. Rogers earned his second victory in seven days on April 12 after striking out seven and allowing just one run in five innings in the Cardinals' 11-1 triumph to clinch the series win at Duke.
LOUISVILLE IN NATIONAL POLLS EVERY WEEK SINCE BEGINNING OF 2012
The Louisville baseball program has enjoyed a historic run by remaining in at least one of the major national polls every week since the release of the 2012 preseason rankings -- the longest such span in school history. On April 13, the Cardinals earned their highest ranking in school history rising to No. 3 in the Perfect Game Top 25 after opening the season as high as No. 7 in the USA Today preseason coaches poll. The coaches ranking marked the third straight season the Cardinals were positioned in the top 10 in a preseason poll.
Earning a preseason national ranking for the eighth straight season, Louisville was ranked in the top 12 in each of the six 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.
RAY NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON APRIL 6
Sophomore Corey Ray was chosen as the ACC Baseball Player of the Week on April 6. Ray hit .600 in three games during the week, finishing 9-for-15 with two home runs, nine RBIs, three doubles, six runs scored, two stolen bases and a 1.333 slugging percentage. After opening the week by going 3-for-5 with a home run, double, triple and four RBIs in a nonconference win over Miami (Ohio) on March 31, Ray kicked off the Cardinals' series win at No. 9 Virginia by connecting for his first career grand slam in the seventh inning of an 8-1 triumph and finished 2-for-5 overall. The Chicago, Illinois, native kept things rolling on April 5 by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, one RBI and two stolen bases in an 11-4 victory over the Cavaliers.
FUNKHOUSER, MCKAY NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST
Junior righthander Kyle Funkhouser and freshman pitcher/first baseman Brendan McKay were named to the 60-player midseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list on April 9.
A native of Oak Forest, Ill., Funkhouser is 5-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 62 strikeouts in nine starts and 59.2 innings pitched this season. Named to the preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list and an All-American last season, Funkhouser is 23-6 with a 1.99 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 234.2 innings pitched during his collegiate career.
McKay, from Darlington, Pa., is 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 47.0 innings and 12 appearances on the mound, including five straight weekend starts. At the plate, McKay has a .306 average with one home run, 17 RBI, 25 walks and 20 runs scored in 28 starts at first base, designated hitter and pitcher.
Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award. The watch list will continue to be a "rolling" list until May 27 -- when the semifinalists for the award are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award. 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. 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 June 2, 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 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.
CARDINALS COMPLETE MOST SUCCESSFUL MARCH IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Louisville finished with its highest winning percentage ever for the month of March after compiling a 16-3 record overall (.947 winning percentage) this season. The Cardinals surpassed the previous best record for March of 15-3 (.833) during the 1984 season, while the third highest winning percentage in the month came during the 2010 season when Louisville finished at 14-3. The month of March has proven to be a successful one for the Cardinals under the guidance of coach Dan McDonnell. Louisville has never finished with a losing record in the month while seven of the nine seasons they have won 13 or more games in March.
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.
FUNKHOUSER EARNS ACC, NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS FEB. 16
Kyle Funkhouser was chosen as the ACC 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 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.
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.
