Tuesday, March 29
Bowling Green, KY
7:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
Western Kentucky
Brendan McKay is hitting .309 with two home runs at the plate this season.
Cardinals Take to the Road for Tuesday Night Tilt at WKU
March 28, 2016 | Baseball
First pitch set for 7 p.m., ET at Nick Denes Field on the campus of Western Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The fourth-ranked Louisville baseball team begins a stretch of four straight midweek games against in-state foes with a visit to Western Kentucky and Nick Denes Field on Tuesday at 7 p.m., ET. Live video for the game will be provided by WKUSportsTV while 93.9 The Ville will have the radio coverage. Live stats for all Louisville baseball games are available at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Ranked as high as No. 4 in this week's Baseball America Top 25, Louisville will play midweek road games at WKU and Kentucky in each of the next two weeks before hosting those same two teams in back-to-back midweek contests. Through three weeks of ACC play, the Cardinals are in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 6-3 record. On the mound, Louisville has five shutouts (second nationally) while allowing two or fewer earned runs in 15 of its 24 outings. The pitching staff is ranked third in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings pitched at 6.13 and 10th with a 2.31 team ERA. Offensively, the Cardinals are ranked 10th nationally with a .323 team batting average, 13th in on-base percentage at .414 and 15th in scoring at 8.0 runs per game.
ABOUT THE HILLTOPPERS
Western Kentucky enters the week at 14-9 overall after earning a series sweep of Middle Tennessee last weekend in Bowling Green. Under the guidance of first year head coach John Pawlowski, the Hilltoppers are paced offensively by third baseman Danny Hudzina, who is hitting .465 with 18 RBI, and outfielder Kaleb Duckworth, who has a .396 average and 19 RBI. Last season, WKU was 24-28 overall and finished 12th in Conference USA with a 10-19 record.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville trails 62-64 in the all-time series with Western Kentucky, which dates back to 1924. The Cardinals, who did not play a road game against the Hilltoppers last season, are making their first visit to Nick Denes Field since 2010 when they earned a 7-6 win at the WKU on-campus facility. From 2011-2014, Louisville and Western Kentucky played games at Bowling Green Ballpark. The Cardinals are 12-5 against the Hilltoppers under the guidance of head coach Dan McDonnell
YEAR TWO IN THE ACC FOR LOUISVILLE
A year after setting the single season record for conference wins in its debut season with a 25-5 ACC mark, Louisville kicked off its second season in the league with a trio of wins against Notre Dame on March 11-12 before suffering its first series loss at Miami on March 18-20. The Cardinals bounced back with a series win over reigning NCAA champion Virginia last week and have complied a 31-8 record in the ACC during its first two seasons, including an 18-3 mark at home.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Collectively, the Cardinals are hitting .323 (10th nationally) with six players hitting .309 or better while starting at least 16 games.
• Louisville has won 157 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 51-of-61 on stolen bases this season (eighth nationally) continuing the aggressive approach from head coach Dan McDonnell. Louisville was fourth nationally with 127 stolen bases last season, second in the nation in 2014 with 133 and second in 2013 with 150.
• Conversely, Louisville's opponents are just 8-for-20 on stolen bases this season as Will Smith has allowed just four of 11 attempts.
• Louisville has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of 24 game this season, a feat achieved in 36 of 65 games last season. In 2014, they did it in 40 of 67 games, while in 2013, they accomplished the task in 36 of 65 games.
• The Cardinals are third in the nation in hits allowed per 9 IP surrendering just 6.13, No. 6 nationally in WHIP (1.03), No. 10 in ERA at 2.31, 10th in batting average at .323, No. 10 in slugging percentage (.492), 12th in doubles (56), 13th in on-base percentage (.414), 15th in scoring (8.0 runs per game) and 26th in strikeouts per 9 IP (9.0).
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
Corey Ray: Ray leads the nation with 25 stolen bases (on 28 attempts) this season, ranks 20th nationally with 30 RBI and is 27th in the nation with his seven home runs.
• 10 of Ray's 18 career home runs have either tied the score or given Louisville a lead.
• Ray leads the Cardinals with nine multiple RBI games this season.
Nick Solak: Solak had reached base safely in 33 straight games dating back to last season before streak was ended on March 25 against Virginia after departing in the third inning with a bone bruise on his right hand.
• Solak ranks sixth nationally in on-base percentage (.564), 10th in hitting with a .455 average and 22nd with 28 runs scored.
• Solak set a school record with five walks in Louisville's 12-0 win over SIUE on Feb. 20.
• In four games from March 8-12, Solak hit .471 with four RBI, five runs scored, four stolen bases and a game-winning walk-off home run in the 11th inning against Notre Dame on March 11.
Blake Tiberi: Tiberi leads the Cardinals with 12 multiple-hit games and is second on the team with six multiple-RBI games this season.
• Tiberi connected for two home runs in the series at Miami on March 18-20 and has eight career home runs.
Devin Hairston: Hairston ranks second on the team with 11 multiple-hit games and second in multiple-RBI games with six.
Colby Fitch: Fitch has hit safely in all 10 games he has started this season and has a .513 average with four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in those 10 starts.
Kyle Funkhouser: Funkhouser continues his climb up Louisville's career pitching charts ranking first in strikeouts (313) and innings pitched (322.1), second in wins (28) and second in starts (47). He also holds the school record for single season wins with 13 in 2014.
Brendan McKay: McKay has recorded eight or more strikeouts in five of his six starts this season and has finished with eight or more strikeouts 12 times in his career. On March 11, he had a career-best 13 strikeouts against Notre Dame, the most for a Louisville pitchers since 2003.
• McKay is 11th in the nation with 51 strikeouts and 21st in ERA at 1.10.
• In 16 career appearances on the mound at home (including 11 starts), McKay is 11-0 with four saves, a 1.01 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched.
• In his 11 collegiate starts at Patterson Stadium, McKay is 10-0 with a 1.09 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 73.2 innings.
Drew Harrington: Harrington has won four straight starts and ranks 23rd in the nation in strikeouts-to-walk ratio at 8.75 (35 strikeouts, four walks).
Kade McClure: McClure has won all five midweek starts this season and ranks fourth in the nation in WHIP at 0.67 and 12th in hits allowed per 9 IP (4.00).
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. The unanimous choice as the No. 2 team in the nation in the six national preseason polls, the Cardinals have received a preseason top 10 ranking in four straight seasons (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and have earned a preseason national ranking in nine straight seasons (2008-2016) overall. The No. 2 ranking was the highest preseason ranking in program history for Louisville, two spots better than their previous preseason high of No. 4 by Baseball America during the 2013 College World Series season. The No. 2 ranking also equaled the best overall ranking in history.
TRIO OF ACC PLAYER, PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS IN 2016
Louisville has accumulated three ACC Player or Pitcher of the Week honors this season, including two honors for Corey Ray. The junior outfielder was named ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 22 and March 28, while sophomore Brendan McKay was tabbed as the ACC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 29.
TRIPLE DIGITS ON THE RADAR GUN FOR BURDI
Junior righty closer Zack Burdi has reached 100 mph on the Jim Patterson Stadium radar gun on two different occasions this season, including once on a swing-and-miss strike three in the 11th inning of Louisville's March 11 win over Notre Dame. Last season, Burdi touched 101 mph on the scoreboard at Clemson's Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
FUNKHOUSER CHOSEN AS CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Kyle Funkhouser was selected on March 14 as a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball. Funkhouser was among 30 baseball student-athletes, who excel both on and off the diamond, chosen to receive consideration for the prestigious award. Funkhouser becomes the second Louisville player in the last three seasons to be selected as a candidate for the award joining former Cardinals outfielder Jeff Gardner, who was chosen as one of 10 finalists for the honor in 2014. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 College World Series in June. For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
MCKAY NAMED NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Sophomore lefty Brendan McKay was selected as the National Pitcher of the Month for February by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. One of the top two-way players in the nation, McKay has been nearly untouchable to start 2016. The Darlington, Pennsylvania, native boasts a perfect 0.00 ERA in 14 innings across two starts, including a three-hit shutout at No. 21 Ole Miss on Feb. 27. McKay was named ACC Pitcher of the Week for that performance, where he struck out eight Rebels and didn't issue a walk.
CARDINALS ON THE NATIONAL WATCH LISTS
The Louisville baseball program is well represented on the early season watch lists for multiple national awards. Here is the current list of Cardinals on those watch lists:
• GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST: Kyle Funkhouser, Brendan McKay & Corey Ray
Kyle Funkhouser, Corey Ray and Brendan McKay were named to the 50-player preseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list released Feb. 16. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the 39th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 30 in Los Angeles to the top amateur baseball player in the country. The preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season. Louisville and Florida lead all schools in representation with three players each on the list. Funkhouser is among four players named to the preseason watch list for the second consecutive year, while McKay is one of just two players on the watch list who were also named as semifinalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award in 2015.
• STOPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST: Zack Burdi
Zack Burdi was named on Feb. 15 to the initial watch list for the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The 2016 Stopper of the Year Watch List will be updated with a midseason release on Wednesday, April 27, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, June 8, prior to start of NCAA Super Regional competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced at the 2016 College World Series. Previous winners of the award include former Louisville standout and 2014 recipient Nick Burdi, older brother of Zack.
• JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST: Will Smith
Will Smith was named March 9 to the official watch list for the 2016 Johnny Bench Award as announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The award is given annually to the top NCAA Division I catcher. The watch list will be narrowed to the semifinalists on May 18, 2016. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2016. 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 19th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 30, 2016.
BURDI, SMITH AND SOLAK NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2016
Junior righthanded pitcher Zack Burdi, junior catcher Will Smith and junior infielder Nick Solak were chosen by Louisville players and coaches as team captains for the Cardinals baseball team in 2016. Burdi was a Third Team Louisville Slugger All-American and All-ACC First Team selection last season while earning a 6-1 record with nine saves and a 0.92 ERA in 20 relief appearances. Smith started 47 games behind the plate in 2015 hitting .242 with two home runs and 15 RBI. Solak emerged as one of Louisville's top offensive players in 2015 hitting .324 with three home runs, 40 RBI, 15 doubles and 18 stolen bases while starting all 65 games.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
| GAME DAY INFORMATION Location: Bowling Green, Ky. Venue: Nick Denes Field (1,500) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Series History: Louisville trails 62-64 all-time Game Notes: Louisville | WKU #4 Louisville at Western Kentucky Tuesday, March 29 | 7 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: WKUSports (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville (Listen) LOU: So. RHP Kade McClure (5-0, 2.00 ERA) WKU: Jr. RHP Cody Coll (0-1, 4.42 ERA) |
Ranked as high as No. 4 in this week's Baseball America Top 25, Louisville will play midweek road games at WKU and Kentucky in each of the next two weeks before hosting those same two teams in back-to-back midweek contests. Through three weeks of ACC play, the Cardinals are in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 6-3 record. On the mound, Louisville has five shutouts (second nationally) while allowing two or fewer earned runs in 15 of its 24 outings. The pitching staff is ranked third in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings pitched at 6.13 and 10th with a 2.31 team ERA. Offensively, the Cardinals are ranked 10th nationally with a .323 team batting average, 13th in on-base percentage at .414 and 15th in scoring at 8.0 runs per game.
ABOUT THE HILLTOPPERS
Western Kentucky enters the week at 14-9 overall after earning a series sweep of Middle Tennessee last weekend in Bowling Green. Under the guidance of first year head coach John Pawlowski, the Hilltoppers are paced offensively by third baseman Danny Hudzina, who is hitting .465 with 18 RBI, and outfielder Kaleb Duckworth, who has a .396 average and 19 RBI. Last season, WKU was 24-28 overall and finished 12th in Conference USA with a 10-19 record.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville trails 62-64 in the all-time series with Western Kentucky, which dates back to 1924. The Cardinals, who did not play a road game against the Hilltoppers last season, are making their first visit to Nick Denes Field since 2010 when they earned a 7-6 win at the WKU on-campus facility. From 2011-2014, Louisville and Western Kentucky played games at Bowling Green Ballpark. The Cardinals are 12-5 against the Hilltoppers under the guidance of head coach Dan McDonnell
YEAR TWO IN THE ACC FOR LOUISVILLE
A year after setting the single season record for conference wins in its debut season with a 25-5 ACC mark, Louisville kicked off its second season in the league with a trio of wins against Notre Dame on March 11-12 before suffering its first series loss at Miami on March 18-20. The Cardinals bounced back with a series win over reigning NCAA champion Virginia last week and have complied a 31-8 record in the ACC during its first two seasons, including an 18-3 mark at home.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Collectively, the Cardinals are hitting .323 (10th nationally) with six players hitting .309 or better while starting at least 16 games.
• Louisville has won 157 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 51-of-61 on stolen bases this season (eighth nationally) continuing the aggressive approach from head coach Dan McDonnell. Louisville was fourth nationally with 127 stolen bases last season, second in the nation in 2014 with 133 and second in 2013 with 150.
• Conversely, Louisville's opponents are just 8-for-20 on stolen bases this season as Will Smith has allowed just four of 11 attempts.
• Louisville has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of 24 game this season, a feat achieved in 36 of 65 games last season. In 2014, they did it in 40 of 67 games, while in 2013, they accomplished the task in 36 of 65 games.
• The Cardinals are third in the nation in hits allowed per 9 IP surrendering just 6.13, No. 6 nationally in WHIP (1.03), No. 10 in ERA at 2.31, 10th in batting average at .323, No. 10 in slugging percentage (.492), 12th in doubles (56), 13th in on-base percentage (.414), 15th in scoring (8.0 runs per game) and 26th in strikeouts per 9 IP (9.0).
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
Corey Ray: Ray leads the nation with 25 stolen bases (on 28 attempts) this season, ranks 20th nationally with 30 RBI and is 27th in the nation with his seven home runs.
• 10 of Ray's 18 career home runs have either tied the score or given Louisville a lead.
• Ray leads the Cardinals with nine multiple RBI games this season.
Nick Solak: Solak had reached base safely in 33 straight games dating back to last season before streak was ended on March 25 against Virginia after departing in the third inning with a bone bruise on his right hand.
• Solak ranks sixth nationally in on-base percentage (.564), 10th in hitting with a .455 average and 22nd with 28 runs scored.
• Solak set a school record with five walks in Louisville's 12-0 win over SIUE on Feb. 20.
• In four games from March 8-12, Solak hit .471 with four RBI, five runs scored, four stolen bases and a game-winning walk-off home run in the 11th inning against Notre Dame on March 11.
Blake Tiberi: Tiberi leads the Cardinals with 12 multiple-hit games and is second on the team with six multiple-RBI games this season.
• Tiberi connected for two home runs in the series at Miami on March 18-20 and has eight career home runs.
Devin Hairston: Hairston ranks second on the team with 11 multiple-hit games and second in multiple-RBI games with six.
Colby Fitch: Fitch has hit safely in all 10 games he has started this season and has a .513 average with four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in those 10 starts.
Kyle Funkhouser: Funkhouser continues his climb up Louisville's career pitching charts ranking first in strikeouts (313) and innings pitched (322.1), second in wins (28) and second in starts (47). He also holds the school record for single season wins with 13 in 2014.
Brendan McKay: McKay has recorded eight or more strikeouts in five of his six starts this season and has finished with eight or more strikeouts 12 times in his career. On March 11, he had a career-best 13 strikeouts against Notre Dame, the most for a Louisville pitchers since 2003.
• McKay is 11th in the nation with 51 strikeouts and 21st in ERA at 1.10.
• In 16 career appearances on the mound at home (including 11 starts), McKay is 11-0 with four saves, a 1.01 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched.
• In his 11 collegiate starts at Patterson Stadium, McKay is 10-0 with a 1.09 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 73.2 innings.
Drew Harrington: Harrington has won four straight starts and ranks 23rd in the nation in strikeouts-to-walk ratio at 8.75 (35 strikeouts, four walks).
Kade McClure: McClure has won all five midweek starts this season and ranks fourth in the nation in WHIP at 0.67 and 12th in hits allowed per 9 IP (4.00).
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. The unanimous choice as the No. 2 team in the nation in the six national preseason polls, the Cardinals have received a preseason top 10 ranking in four straight seasons (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and have earned a preseason national ranking in nine straight seasons (2008-2016) overall. The No. 2 ranking was the highest preseason ranking in program history for Louisville, two spots better than their previous preseason high of No. 4 by Baseball America during the 2013 College World Series season. The No. 2 ranking also equaled the best overall ranking in history.
TRIO OF ACC PLAYER, PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS IN 2016
Louisville has accumulated three ACC Player or Pitcher of the Week honors this season, including two honors for Corey Ray. The junior outfielder was named ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 22 and March 28, while sophomore Brendan McKay was tabbed as the ACC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 29.
TRIPLE DIGITS ON THE RADAR GUN FOR BURDI
Junior righty closer Zack Burdi has reached 100 mph on the Jim Patterson Stadium radar gun on two different occasions this season, including once on a swing-and-miss strike three in the 11th inning of Louisville's March 11 win over Notre Dame. Last season, Burdi touched 101 mph on the scoreboard at Clemson's Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
FUNKHOUSER CHOSEN AS CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Kyle Funkhouser was selected on March 14 as a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball. Funkhouser was among 30 baseball student-athletes, who excel both on and off the diamond, chosen to receive consideration for the prestigious award. Funkhouser becomes the second Louisville player in the last three seasons to be selected as a candidate for the award joining former Cardinals outfielder Jeff Gardner, who was chosen as one of 10 finalists for the honor in 2014. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 College World Series in June. For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
MCKAY NAMED NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Sophomore lefty Brendan McKay was selected as the National Pitcher of the Month for February by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. One of the top two-way players in the nation, McKay has been nearly untouchable to start 2016. The Darlington, Pennsylvania, native boasts a perfect 0.00 ERA in 14 innings across two starts, including a three-hit shutout at No. 21 Ole Miss on Feb. 27. McKay was named ACC Pitcher of the Week for that performance, where he struck out eight Rebels and didn't issue a walk.
CARDINALS ON THE NATIONAL WATCH LISTS
The Louisville baseball program is well represented on the early season watch lists for multiple national awards. Here is the current list of Cardinals on those watch lists:
• GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST: Kyle Funkhouser, Brendan McKay & Corey Ray
Kyle Funkhouser, Corey Ray and Brendan McKay were named to the 50-player preseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list released Feb. 16. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the 39th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 30 in Los Angeles to the top amateur baseball player in the country. The preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season. Louisville and Florida lead all schools in representation with three players each on the list. Funkhouser is among four players named to the preseason watch list for the second consecutive year, while McKay is one of just two players on the watch list who were also named as semifinalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award in 2015.
• STOPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST: Zack Burdi
Zack Burdi was named on Feb. 15 to the initial watch list for the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The 2016 Stopper of the Year Watch List will be updated with a midseason release on Wednesday, April 27, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, June 8, prior to start of NCAA Super Regional competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced at the 2016 College World Series. Previous winners of the award include former Louisville standout and 2014 recipient Nick Burdi, older brother of Zack.
• JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST: Will Smith
Will Smith was named March 9 to the official watch list for the 2016 Johnny Bench Award as announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The award is given annually to the top NCAA Division I catcher. The watch list will be narrowed to the semifinalists on May 18, 2016. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2016. 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 19th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 30, 2016.
BURDI, SMITH AND SOLAK NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2016
Junior righthanded pitcher Zack Burdi, junior catcher Will Smith and junior infielder Nick Solak were chosen by Louisville players and coaches as team captains for the Cardinals baseball team in 2016. Burdi was a Third Team Louisville Slugger All-American and All-ACC First Team selection last season while earning a 6-1 record with nine saves and a 0.92 ERA in 20 relief appearances. Smith started 47 games behind the plate in 2015 hitting .242 with two home runs and 15 RBI. Solak emerged as one of Louisville's top offensive players in 2015 hitting .324 with three home runs, 40 RBI, 15 doubles and 18 stolen bases while starting all 65 games.
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