Cardinals Begin Five-Game Week on Tuesday
April 20, 2015 | Baseball
Sophomore Nick Solak carries a 14-game hitting streak into Tuesday's game at Cincinati.
GAME DAY INFO: #3 Louisville (30-9, 19-2 ACC) at Cincinnati (12-26, 4-8 American)
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 | 6 p.m. ET
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Venue: Marge Schott Stadium (3,085)
Live Stats: Gametracker at GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball
TV: None | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Audio (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: Fr. RHP Sean Leland (2-0, 0.89 ERA)
CIN: TBD
GAME DAY INFO: #3 Louisville vs. Western Kentucky (20-17, 9-9 C-USA)
** Cancer Awareness Night **
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 | 6 p.m. ET
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000)
Live Stats: Gametracker at GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball
TV: None | Radio: 93.9 The Ville
Web: CardsTV Video (Listen) | Live Stats: Gametracker
LOU: TBD
WKU: Jr. RHP Josh Bartley (4-3, 5.19 ERA)
• Louisville Baseball Game Notes (at Cincinnati/vs. Western Kentucky) | Media Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No.3 Louisville baseball team begins a stretch of five games in six days with a midweek visit to Cincinnati on Tuesday before hosting Western Kentucky on Wednesday for Cancer Awareness Night at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Both midweek games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., ET and both will be aired on 93.9 The Ville. Subscribers of CardsTV can listen to live play-by-play of Tuesday's road game and watch live video of Wednesday's home contest online at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville won its seventh straight ACC series while maintaining a five-game Atlantic Division lead with a home sweep of Wake Forest last weekend. The Cardinals, ranked third nationally this week by both Collegiate Baseball newspaper and Perfect Game, have won 19 of their last 22 overall. The 19-2 ACC mark is the best 21-game conference record in school history.
NO. 7 IN THE RPI, NO. 1 IN TOP 50 WINS
With five weeks of action remaining until the field of teams for the 2015 NCAA Championship is announced, Louisville remained at No. 7 in the NCAA RPI released on Monday. According to the unofficial numbers at WarrenNolan.com and D1Baseball.com, the Cardinals have 16 (16-4 record overall) RPI Top 50 wins to match LSU for the lead nationally. Florida State is next with 14, while Texas A&M is fourth with 13.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE RACE
With three ACC series remaining, Louisville is atop the Atlantic Division with a 19-2 conference mark. The Cardinals hold a five-game lead over Florida State (14-7) while Clemson (11-9) and Notre Dame (11-10) are next. Miami leads the Coastal at 15-6, while North Carolina in second at 10-10. Georgia Tech and Virginia are tied for third with 9-12 records.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals own a 96-80 lead all-time against the Bearcats in a series which began in 1924. Louisville has won 10 straight overall against Cincinnati, including a series sweep at Marge Schott Stadium in 2013.
Louisville trails 63-62 all-time against Western Kentucky in a series dating back to 1924. The Cardinals have won three straight against the Hilltoppers and have eight straight wins at home in the series.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati is 12-26 overall and 4-8 in the American Conference after being swept at Houston over the weekend. Last season, the Bearcats were 22-31 and finished ninth in the American with a 6-18 record.
ABOUT THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU is 20-17 overall and 9-9 in Conference USA after winning two of three at FIU over the weekend. Last season, the Hilltoppers were 29-28 overall and finished fifth in the Sun Belt Conference with a 15-15 mark.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Through 39 games this season, the Louisville bullpen has a 1.44 ERA with a 14-0 record, 161 strikeouts to just 52 walks in 137.1 innings and opposing batters are hitting only .166.
• In 21 ACC games, the Cardinals have a 1.95 ERA with 185 strikeouts in 198.0 innings. The bullpen has a 1.04 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 60.2 innings of work in conference action.
• Louisville has won 125 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 25-2 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 25 of 39 games overall.
• 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 39 starts at shortstop. In ACC action, Whiting has a .388 average and has reached base safely in 20 of 21 conference games.
• Corey Ray leads the Cardinals with eight home runs, 38 RBI, 30 runs scored and 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts. He's also hitting .319 overall while starting all three outfield positions.
• 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 6-1 with four saves, a 1.70 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 53.0 innings pitched (13 appearances, six starts.). At the plate, he is hitting .325 with one home run, 18 RBI, 22 runs scored and 26 walks in 32 starts as a hitter.
• In his last six starts, junior Kyle Funkhouser is 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. Overall, he is 5-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 67.1 innings on the season.
• In his last eight starts, Josh Rogers is 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 50.1 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.
• Nick Solak has hit safely in 14 straight games, a career-high streak and the longest for a Louisville player this season. For the season, Solak is hitting .327 with a team-high 11 doubles, 25 RBI, 27 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts. In 21 ACC games, Solak is hitting .385 with eight doubles, 17 RBI and 17 runs scored.
RAY STEALS HOME, HEADLINES IN NINTH INNING AGAINST WAKE FOREST
Considered by many to be the most exciting play in baseball, sophomore Corey Ray took it to a new level on April 18 at Jim Patterson Stadium by not only stealing home, but doing it in the bottom of the ninth inning to score the game-winning run and complete a series sweep of visiting Wake Forest. Moments after the Cardinals had tied the game on a wild pitch, Ray charged down the third base line sliding around the attempted tag and across home plate setting off a wild celebration. The play gained national attention as it was not only featured at No. 8 in Sunday's SC Top 10, but was also used by ESPN during its opening segment of SportsCenter that morning.
LOUISVILLE PITCHERS LEAD NATION IN STRIKEOUTS SINCE 2012
Since 2012, Louisville's pitchers lead the nation in strikeouts with 2,045 overall entering the week. The Cardinals, who had 378 strikeouts through the first 39 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 2,025 strikeouts, while NC State (1,985), Mississippi State (1,943) and North Carolina (1,930) round out the top five.
CARDINALS 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.
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.
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.
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.
