University of Louisville
Vanderbilt
First Pitch for Tuesday's Louisville-Vanderbilt Game Moved to 5 p.m., ET
May 09, 2016 | Baseball
Battle of the Barrel between No. 5 Cardinals and No. 7 Commodores to be televised on ESPNU
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The fifth-ranked Louisville baseball team plays the fourth of seven consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents with a midweek trip to SEC foe Vanderbilt in the annual Battle of the Barrel on Tuesday at 5 p.m., ET at Hawkins Field. The game, originally slated for 7 p.m., but adjusted due to the threat of inclement weather, will be televised on ESPNU. Radio coverage of the game will begin on 1450 WXVW and transition to 93.9 The Ville at 6 p.m. Live stats for all Louisville baseball games are available at GoCards.com.
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #5 Louisville at #7 Vanderbilt Location: Nashville, Tenn. Venue: Hawkins Field (3,700) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Series History: Louisville trails 24-7 all-time Game Notes: Louisville | Vanderbilt Tuesday, May 10 | 5:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ESPNU (Watch) | Radio: 93.9 The Ville (Listen) LOU: So. RHP Kade McClure (9-0, 2.36 ERA) VAN: Fr. RHP Donny Everett (0-0, 1.50 ERA) |
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville, ranked as high as high as No. 5 this week in the USA Today coaches poll and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, won its first road series of the season taking two of three games at No. 17 North Carolina last weekend in Chapel Hill. With two weeks of ACC action remaining, the Cardinals are second in the Atlantic Division with a 16-8 record, while Florida State paces the way at 14-6. On the mound, Louisville has matched a school record with 10 shutouts (No. 3 nationally) while allowing two or fewer earned runs in 27 of its 48 outings. Entering the week, the pitching staff was ranked fifth in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (7.09) and was ninth in ERA (2.78). Offensively, the Cardinals were fourth nationally with a .327 average, eighth in on-base percentage (.410) and 13th in scoring (7.9 runs per game).
ABOUT THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt enters the week at 36-12 overall and 14-10 in the SEC after dropping two of three on the road at Texas A&M last weekend. Guided by head coach Tim Corbin, in his 14th season at Vanderbilt, the Commodores were 51-21 overall last season and finished first in the SEC and second in the league overall with a 20-10 record. Vanderbilt advanced to the College World Series Finals for the second straight season before falling to Virginia in the three-game series.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville is 24-7 all-time against Vanderbilt in a series dating back to 1971. The Cardinals have dropped each of the last two games against the Commodores, but are riding a three-game winning streak at Hawkins Field. Since 2012, the winner of the annual game controls the Battle of the Barrel trophy, which signifies Kentucky's history as a bourbon-making state and Tennessee's history as a whiskey-making state. The teams have also met in the NCAA Championship in four of the last seven seasons -- 2009 and 2010 Regionals in Louisville, 2013 Super Regional in Nashville and 2014 College World Series in Omaha.
YEAR TWO IN THE ACC FOR LOUISVILLE
A year after setting the single season record for conference wins in its debut campaign with a 25-5 ACC mark, Louisville has won five of its eight ACC series in 2016 and is positioned second in the Atlantic Division standings. The Cardinals have lost just three of its 18 ACC series the last two seasons while compiling a 41-13 record during that stretch, including a 24-3 mark at home.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Louisville is No. 2 in this week's NCAA RPI rankings and among 12 Atlantic Coast Conference schools in the top 46 spots.
• Collectively, the Cardinals are hitting .327 (No. 4 nationally entering the week) with nine players hitting .318 or better while starting at least 18 games.
• Louisville has won 174 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 79-of-99 on stolen bases this season (19th nationally entering the week) continuing the aggressive approach from 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 20-for-40 on stolen bases this season as Will Smith has thrown out 11 of 24 attempts.
• Louisville has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 27 of 48 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 entered the week third in shutouts, fifth in sacrifice flies, eighth in doubles, eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in ERA, ninth in slugging, ninth in WHIP, 13th in scoring, 18th in HBP, 22nd in fielding percentage, 26th in strikeouts per nine innings and 26th in triples.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
Corey Ray: Entered the week ranked fourth in the nation in stolen bases, 18th in total bases, 20th in home runs and 24th in RBI.
• 12 of Ray's 25 career home runs have either tied the score or given Louisville a lead.
• In the first inning this season (all in the leadoff spot), Ray is hitting .326 with three home runs and 12 runs scored.
Blake Tiberi: Tied for team lead with 23 multiple-hit games and second with 12 multiple-RBI games this season.
Devin Hairston: In his last 28 games, Hairston is hitting .374 with two home runs, five doubles, 24 RBI and 33 runs scored.
Nick Solak: Had reached base safely in 33 straight games before the streak ended March 25 against Virginia after departing in the third inning with a bone bruise on his right hand.
Will Smith: Hitting .435 with two home runs, five doubles, 17 RBI and 24 runs scored in his last 22 starts.
Colby Fitch: Has hit safely in 19 of the 23 games he has started this season and has a .392 average with four home runs, six doubles, two triples, 22 RBI and 20 runs in those 23 starts.
Danny Rosenbaum: Team high 133 career starts and 192 games played while starting 40 games this season, including 12 straight.
Drew Ellis: In 18 starts this season, hitting .326 with one home run, four doubles, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored. The redshirt freshman has 16 starts in left, one at third base and one at second.
Devin Mann: While being called into everyday duty with the injury to Nick Solak, the freshman managed himself well hitting .307 with eight doubles, 16 RBI and 13 runs scored in 19 starts.
Colin Lyman: Hitting .358 with two doubles, two triples, 15 RBI and 14 runs scored during his last 22 games played.
Logan Taylor: Has played in 162 games in collegiate career with 73 starts, including 36 starts this season.
Brendan McKay: Has recorded eight or more strikeouts in eight of his 12 starts this season and has finished with eight or more strikeouts 15 times in his career.
• McKay ranks among top 20 in the nation with 91 strikeouts this season.
• In 19 career appearances on the mound at home (including 14 starts), McKay is 14-0 with four saves, a 1.44 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 99.2 innings pitched.
• In his 14 collegiate starts at Jim Patterson Stadium, McKay is 13-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 93.2 innings.
• At the plate, McKay has reached base safely in 32 consecutive games while hitting .377 with 12 RBI, one home run, six doubles, two triples and 14 runs in his last 20 games.
Drew Harrington: Has won eight of his last 10 starts and has allowed two or fewer earned runs run in 10 of 12 starts this season.
• Harrington is fourth in the nation with nine wins and ranks in the top 25 with his 1.73 ERA.
• In eight ACC starts, Harrington is 6-0 with a 1.34 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.
Kyle Funkhouser: Louisville's career leader in wins (32), strikeouts (351), innings pitched (356.2) and starts (53). He also holds the school record for single season wins with 13 in 2014.
• Funkhouser has won three straight starts and registered 96 mph in 7th inning on April 30.
Kade McClure: Has won nine of 10 starts to rank among the national leaders in wins. He's also in the top 10 in the nation in WHIP and in hits allowed per 9 IP.
LOUISVILLE IN NATIONAL POLLS EVERY WEEK SINCE BEGINNING OF 2012
Louisville 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.
MCKAY ACCEPTS INVITE TO USA BASEBALL COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM
Sophomore Brendan McKay has accepted an invitation to compete for the 2016 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer. It will mark the second straight year McKay has played for Team USA after making four relief appearances without allowing an earned run and earning six starts as a hitter last summer. Guided by University of Oregon head coach George Horton, the USA Collegiate National Team will conduct a training camp in Southern California from June 28-July 2 before visiting Taiwan (July 5-9), Japan (July 12-17) and Cuba (July 22-26) for a series of games. The trip to Japan will include the 40th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series.
McKay's second tour with Team USA marks the 11th time a Louisville player has earned an invitation from the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team joining Zack Burdi (2015), Corey Ray (2015), Kyle Funkhouser (2014), Nick Burdi (2013), Ryan Wright (2010), Phil Wunderlich (2009), Tony Zych (2009), Justin Marks (2008) and Mark Jurich (2002). It marks the 18th time a player coached or signed by Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell, who served as an assistant with the 2009 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, earned international baseball experience.
TRIO OF ACC PLAYER, PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS IN 2016
The Louisville baseball team has accumulated three Atlantic Coast Conference 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. Last season, the Cardinals received four ACC weekly honors.
FUNKHOUSER SELECTED AS FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Kyle Funkhouser was named April 26 as a finalist for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball. Funkhouser was among 10 baseball student-athletes, who excel both on and off the diamond, selected as finalists for the prestigious award. Funkhouser becomes the second Louisville player in the last three seasons to be chosen as a finalist for the award joining former Cardinals outfielder Jeff Gardner, a finalist 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.
Finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced in March. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through June 7. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. This year's Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 College World Series® in June. For more information on all of the finalists, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
CARDINALS LIKE HOME ENOUGH TO STEAL IT IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS
Under head coach Dan McDonnell, Louisville has earned a reputation for being among the nation's most aggressive teams on the bases and that approach has helped the Cardinals steal home in each of the last two seasons. On March 16 of this season, junior Logan Taylor capped Louisville's five-run fifth inning against Wright State by stealing home in a play that landed at No. 3 on the SportsCenter Top 10 the following morning. Even more amazing is that Taylor's accomplishment marked the second time in 11 months the Cardinals had stolen home as Corey Ray achieved the feat on April 18, 2015 against Wake Forest.
Not only did Ray steal home, but he did it in the bottom of the ninth to score the game-winning run and complete a series sweep of the visiting Demon Deacons. 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. The play was featured at No. 8 in on the SC Top 10 on April 19 and was also used by ESPN during its opening segment of SportsCenter that morning.
The person with the best view of the two swipes of home was Will Smith, who was at the plate for each of the dramatic plays. Who better to hold his ground in the box as a teammate came sliding across the plate than Louisville's primary catcher during the last two seasons.
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. On April 9 at Florida State, Burdi registered 100 mph on the official gun at Dick Howser Stadium. Last season, Burdi touched 101 mph on the scoreboard at Clemson's Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
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: Brendan McKay, Nick Solak & Corey Ray
Corey Ray, baseman Nick Solak and Brendan McKay were named April 20 to the midseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list. The award, given annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player, will be presented on June 30 in Los Angeles. The midseason watch list features 60 of the nation's top amateur players from the high school and college ranks. Louisville is among three schools with three players named to the updated watch list, which includes 18 players featured on the preseason list and 42 new players.
The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue to maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before announcing the semifinalists on June 1. The list of semifinalists will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow amateur baseball closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 38 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
The 2016 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on Thursday, June 30, 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.
• JOHN OLERUD TWO-WAY PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brendan McKay
Brendan McKay, the reigning John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, was named April 20 by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame to the first watch list for this season's Olerud Award, which honors the nation's top player both on the mound and at the plate. A total of 24 players representing conferences and schools large and small are on the watch list. The award is named for the former Washington State University standout who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s and who was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The award will be presented as part of the Hall of Fame's Night of Champions celebration July 1-2 in Lubbock.
• NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Drew Harrington, Kade McClure & Brendan McKay
Drew Harrington, Kade McClure and Brendan McKay were named April 20 to the initial watch list for the 2016 National Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. The award will be presented on July 2 in Lubbock as part of the annual Night of Champions event. Louisville is among five schools with three representatives on the watch list joining Florida, South Carolina, TCU and Vanderbilt. The Southeastern Conference features 16 representatives, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 11.
• BROOKS WALLACE SHORTSTOP OF THE YEAR: Devin Hairston
Devin Hairston was named April 21 to the initial 2016 watch list for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented as part of the annual Night of Champions celebration on July 2 in Lubbock. "To see so many younger guys already being really competitive at the shortstop position is exciting," said Tyler Young, Wallace Award co-chair. "While there are plenty of experienced players on the watch list, it's great to see the success some of these freshmen and sophomores are having."
• STOPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD: 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: 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.
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.
