Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Four Games, Community Service Work Highlight Louisville's Dominican Republic Schedule
September 29, 2015 | Baseball
Cardinals play Estrellas Orientales on Sunday at 5 p.m., ET at 8,000-seat Estadio Tetelo Vargas
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville baseball team's visit to the Dominican Republic later this week will include a trio of community service opportunities as well as four games against professional competition, highlighted by contests against Estrellas Orientales and Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League.
The Cardinals will depart Louisville on Friday for the program's first ever international trip and will immediately begin the community service outreach upon their arrival in the Dominican Republic with a youth baseball clinic that evening. Saturday's community service schedule will allow the Louisville players and coaches to assist with providing food to an orphanage as well as feeding a local village.
Louisville's game schedule will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m., ET with two split squad games against local independent professional clubs at The Highlands Complex in Boca Chica. The split squad games will allow head coach Dan McDonnell, who is in his 10th season guiding the Louisville baseball program, to provide valuable on-field experience to both the upperclassmen and the newcomers.
The featured game of the weekend is slated for Sunday at 5 p.m., ET when Louisville will challenge Estrellas Orientales in its home venue, 8,000-seat Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís. The Estrellas Orientales baseball franchise began in 1910 and won league titles in 1954 and 1968.
The Cardinals' fourth and final game while in the Dominican Republic is slated for Monday at 11 a.m., ET against Leones del Escogido at the Arizona Diamondbacks Complex-Baseball City in Boca Chica. The Leones del Escogido baseball franchise was founded in 1921 and is a 12-time league champion while also winning four Caribbean Series championships.
The five-day trip for Louisville, which coincides with the university's mid-term break, will conclude on Tuesday with the team's return home. The Cardinals are partnering with SCORE International for its housing, transportation and community service work while on the ground in the Dominican Republic. SCORE International is a short term mission organization with extensive experience providing all-inclusive trips.
ABOUT THE 2016 CARDINALS
The Cardinals return an experienced, talented and deep roster of players from last year's record-setting club, which won the ACC Atlantic Division title with the most league wins in conference history (25-5 record) and advanced to an NCAA Super Regional for the third straight season. Louisville returns more than 75 percent of its pitching starts from 2015, anchored by the 1-2 All-American punch of senior righty Kyle Funkhouser and sophomore lefty Brendan McKay. The pitching staff also returns 83 percent of its relief innings, including All-American junior closer Zack Burdi, talented junior lefty Drew Harrington and Freshman All-Americans Lincoln Henzman and Sean Leland.
Offensively, the Cardinals return seven players who started 30 or more games last season, including the top three hitters in junior outfielder and All-American Corey Ray, junior infielder Nick Solak and McKay, the reigning John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year. Collectively, Louisville returns 78 percent of its runs driven in, 73 percent of its extra-base hits, 72 percent of its total hits and 70 percent of its runs scored from the 2015 team.
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.
LOUISVILLE BASEBALL 2015 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC GAME SCHEDULE
Matchup: Louisville vs. Independent Professional Club (Two split squad games)
Date/Time: Saturday | 10 a.m., ET
Venue: The Highlands Complex
City: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
Matchup: Louisville vs. Estrellas Orientales
Date/Time: Sunday | 5 p.m., ET
Venue: Estadio Tetelo Vargas
City: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Matchup: Louisville vs. Leones del Escogido
Date/Time: Monday | 11 a.m., ET
Venue: Arizona Diamondback Complex-Baseball City
City: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
The Cardinals will depart Louisville on Friday for the program's first ever international trip and will immediately begin the community service outreach upon their arrival in the Dominican Republic with a youth baseball clinic that evening. Saturday's community service schedule will allow the Louisville players and coaches to assist with providing food to an orphanage as well as feeding a local village.
Louisville's game schedule will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m., ET with two split squad games against local independent professional clubs at The Highlands Complex in Boca Chica. The split squad games will allow head coach Dan McDonnell, who is in his 10th season guiding the Louisville baseball program, to provide valuable on-field experience to both the upperclassmen and the newcomers.
The featured game of the weekend is slated for Sunday at 5 p.m., ET when Louisville will challenge Estrellas Orientales in its home venue, 8,000-seat Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís. The Estrellas Orientales baseball franchise began in 1910 and won league titles in 1954 and 1968.
The Cardinals' fourth and final game while in the Dominican Republic is slated for Monday at 11 a.m., ET against Leones del Escogido at the Arizona Diamondbacks Complex-Baseball City in Boca Chica. The Leones del Escogido baseball franchise was founded in 1921 and is a 12-time league champion while also winning four Caribbean Series championships.
The five-day trip for Louisville, which coincides with the university's mid-term break, will conclude on Tuesday with the team's return home. The Cardinals are partnering with SCORE International for its housing, transportation and community service work while on the ground in the Dominican Republic. SCORE International is a short term mission organization with extensive experience providing all-inclusive trips.
ABOUT THE 2016 CARDINALS
The Cardinals return an experienced, talented and deep roster of players from last year's record-setting club, which won the ACC Atlantic Division title with the most league wins in conference history (25-5 record) and advanced to an NCAA Super Regional for the third straight season. Louisville returns more than 75 percent of its pitching starts from 2015, anchored by the 1-2 All-American punch of senior righty Kyle Funkhouser and sophomore lefty Brendan McKay. The pitching staff also returns 83 percent of its relief innings, including All-American junior closer Zack Burdi, talented junior lefty Drew Harrington and Freshman All-Americans Lincoln Henzman and Sean Leland.
Offensively, the Cardinals return seven players who started 30 or more games last season, including the top three hitters in junior outfielder and All-American Corey Ray, junior infielder Nick Solak and McKay, the reigning John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year. Collectively, Louisville returns 78 percent of its runs driven in, 73 percent of its extra-base hits, 72 percent of its total hits and 70 percent of its runs scored from the 2015 team.
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.
LOUISVILLE BASEBALL 2015 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC GAME SCHEDULE
Matchup: Louisville vs. Independent Professional Club (Two split squad games)
Date/Time: Saturday | 10 a.m., ET
Venue: The Highlands Complex
City: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
Matchup: Louisville vs. Estrellas Orientales
Date/Time: Sunday | 5 p.m., ET
Venue: Estadio Tetelo Vargas
City: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Matchup: Louisville vs. Leones del Escogido
Date/Time: Monday | 11 a.m., ET
Venue: Arizona Diamondback Complex-Baseball City
City: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
Players Mentioned
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