Friday, April 7
LOUISVILLE, KY
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
WAKE FOREST
Patriotic Game Kicks Off Top 20 Series at Patterson Stadium
April 06, 2017 | Baseball
Friday's series-opener for No. 2 Louisville and No. 17 Wake Forest set for 6 p.m., ET
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #2 Louisville vs. #17 Wake Forest Location: Louisville, Ky. Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | Wake Forest | Media Center Friday, April 7 | 6:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Jr. LHP Brendan McKay (4-1, 1.18 ERA) WF: Sr. RHP Parker Dunshee (5-1, 4.43 ERA) Saturday, April 8 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Jr. RHP Kade McClure (3-1, 2.87 ERA) WF: Jr. RHP Donnie Sellers (3-2, 3.60 ERA) Sunday, April 9 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Fr. LHP Nick Bennett (3-0, 1.53 ERA) WF: Sr. RHP Connor Johnstone (4-0, 2.68 ERA) |
ABOUT THE PATRIOTIC GAME
The annual Patriotic Game at Jim Patterson Stadium is one of the most popular events each year for Louisville fans and is a way for the Cardinals baseball program to salute all of the men and women who serve to protect the freedom of our great nation. For this year's Patriotic Game, members of a local color guard will present the colors for the pregame national anthem, while the ceremonial first pitch will be delivered by representative of the military. Once again this season, the Louisville players and coaches will wear red, white and blue themed uniforms for the annual Patriotic Game. Admission is free for all three games of the top 20 series.
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
The Cardinals (25-3, 10-2 ACC) step back into the ACC grind after winning their sixth straight against rival Kentucky with Tuesday's 5-3 win over the No. 8 Wildcats in front of a school record crowd of 6,210 at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville, which set a record for the best start to a season in school history with 19 straight wins, has won each of its six weekend series this season, including four straight against ACC opponents.
After entering 2017 ranked in the top 12 in all six major preseason polls, the Cardinals moved to No. 1 in the nation for the first time school history on March 13 landing in the top position four national polls -- Baseball America Top 25, NCBWA Top 30, Perfect Game Top 25 and USA Today Sports coaches poll. After holding a No. 1 ranking for two weeks, Louisville has landed in the No. 2 position in each of the last two weeks.
The Cardinals are paced by junior Brendan McKay, the two-time John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year. McKay is 10th in the nation in on-base percentage at .522 and 20th in batting average at .409 to go along with five home runs and 20 RBI. The two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week also has a 4-1 record with a 1.18 ERA and 57 strikeouts in six Friday starts on the mound. McKay has a 25-8 career record with a 1.92 ERA and 302 strikeouts as a pitcher to go with a .336 career batting average in 145 starts as a hitter.
As a team, the Cardinals are second in the nation in shutouts, fourth in ERA, fifth in hits allowed per 9 IP, ninth in WHIP, 12th in on-base percentage, 14th in strikeouts per 9 IP, 17th in stolen bases, 21st in scoring, 22nd in batting average and 25th in slugging percentage.
ABOUT THE WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest is 22-8 after a midweek win over Elon on Tuesday and 8-4 in the ACC after winning two of three at Miami last week. The Demon Deacons are second in the nation in home runs, second in slugging and 18th in batting average. Last season, Wake Forest was 35-27 and sixth in the ACC Atlantic with a 13-17 record. The Demon Deacons advanced to the NCAA Championship and were 1-2 in the College Station Regional.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville is 7-0 all-time against Wake Forest, including 4-0 last season with a three-game sweep in Winston-Salem on the final weekend of the regular season and a victory in the ACC Championship. The Cardinals swept the Demon Deacons in the only previous series at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2015.
ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION RACE
Through four weeks of ACC action, the reigning back-to-back ACC Atlantic Division champions are atop the standings with a 10-2 conference mark and the Cardinals are matched only by No. 4 Clemson with the same league record. No. 17 Wake Forest is two games behind Louisville at 8-4, while No. 20 Florida State is four games back at 6-6. No. 5 North Carolina leads the ACC Coastal with a 9-3 record, three games ahead of the field.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• With Tuesday's win over Kentucky, the 2017 Louisville squad registered the best record through 28 games in program history while also reaching 25 wins faster than any team in school history. The 2010 team was 24-4 through 28 games and needed 31 games to reach 25 wins.
• Louisville entered the weekend as one of just two teams in the nation (St. John's is the other) ranked in the top 22 in the NCAA in both ERA (fourth) and batting average (22nd).
• The Cardinals have won 37 straight regular season home games at Jim Patterson Stadium with the most recent regular season loss coming to No. 9 Virginia on March 25, 2016.
• UofL has also won 30 straight regular season weekend series at home dating back to 2013.
• A season after setting a school record for highest fielding percentage (.978), Louisville has maintained a similar pace in 2017 with 22 errors in 28 games for a .979 fielding percentage.
• The Cardinals have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 17 of 28 games this season after accomplishing the feat in 36 of 64 games last season. They allowed two or fewer earned runs in 36 of 65 games in 2015, 40 of 67 games in 2014 and 36 of 65 games in 2013.
• In 12 ACC games, the Cardinals pitching staff has a 2.61 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 107.0 innings of work.
• The UofL bullpen has a 2.16 ERA and 13-0 record with 118 strikeouts in 121.0 innings pitched while opponents are hitting just .186 overall.
• Louisville is 49-of-56 on stolen base attempts this season (17th in NCAA) after finishing 101-of-126 in 2016 (12th nationally). The Cardinals were fourth nationally with 127 stolen bases in 2015, second in the nation in 2014 with 133 and second in 2013 with 150.
• Louisville has won 13 straight games against in-state foes, including six straight versus UK.
• While at Louisville, coach Dan McDonnell has guided the Cardinals to three College World Series berths, six NCAA Super Regional appearances, nine NCAA Regional bids, seven regular season conference championships, two conference tournament titles and 29 All-Americans.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
• Brendan McKay: Recorded career-high 15 strikeouts in March 10 win over Pittsburgh and has finished with eight or more strikeouts 22 times in collegiate career.
• Two-way standout is 10th in the NCAA in on-base percentage, 20th in batting average, 19th in the nation among pitchers in strikeouts and 21st in ERA.
• In 20 pitching starts at Jim Patterson Stadium, McKay is 18-1 with a 1.41 ERA (21 earned runs in 134.0 IP) and 169 strikeouts.
• In 25 career appearances on the mound at home (including 20 starts), McKay is 19-1 with four saves, a 1.35 ERA (21 earned runs in 140.0 IP) and 176 strikeouts.
• Has reached base in 25 of 28 games played in 2017 while delivering 13 multi-hit outings.
• Kade McClure: Has 16-2 career record... Won 12 of 13 starts last season and was tied for fifth nationally in victories... Was also in the top 10 in the nation in WHIP and hits allowed per 9 IP while earning All-America honors last season.
• Nick Bennett: Has won three of five career collegiate starts... Ranks third in the ACC in ERA and third in WHIP... Allowed one hit and registered seven strikeouts while facing the minimum of 18 batters for first career victory in first ever start against Eastern Michigan on March 3.
• Lincoln Henzman: Ranks 11th nationally with eight saves... Opened 2017 with 13.1 consecutive innings of scoreless relief... Has 18 strikeouts with just three walks in 18.1 innings pitched.
• Logan Taylor: 5-for-16 with five walks, two HBPs, six stolen bases and eight runs scored in first inning this season (all as leadoff hitter)... 17th in NCAA with 14 stolen bases... Has reached base safely in 22 of 23 starts this season... Played in 202 career games with 104 starts.
• Colby Fitch: Named to 2017 Johnny Bench Award Watch List... Second on team with 11 multi-hit games this season... Has started 21 of 28 games at catcher while starting other seven games at designated hitter... Hit four of five home runs, 22 of 25 RBI in his 27 starts last season.
• Devin Hairston: 32 straight games without an error (dating back to 2016)... Career-best five RBI in three-hit game vs. Fort Wayne on March 8... Leads team with 32 RBI and nine multi-RBI games... Started all 64 games in 2016 earning All-America and All-ACC honors.
• Drew Ellis: Has reached base safely in 26 of 28 games and has a career-best 11-game hitting streak... Leads team with 10 doubles to go with five home runs... Hit first career grand slam on March 1 against Morehead State... Had 30 starts last season in left field, one at third and one at second base.
• Josh Stowers: Has started 18 straight games and hit safely in 14 of those... Had two-hit outing and one RBI in first career start on Feb. 18 against No. 22 Maryland.
• Colin Lyman: Hit first career home run and had career-best three hits on March 1 against Morehead State... Had 47 starts and 60 games played last season... 185 career appearances.
• Devin Mann: Homered in final two games of NC State series... Has reached base safely in 21 of 27 starts this season... Hit .307 with eight doubles, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 19 starts last season.
LOUISVILLE IN NATIONAL POLLS EVERY WEEK SINCE BEGINNING OF 2012
Louisville, which surpassed its previous high national ranking of No. 2 (in 2016) with the No. 1 ranking on March 13 and March 20, has enjoyed a historic run by remaining in at least one major national poll every week since the release of the 2012 preseason rankings -- the longest such span in school history. Ranked in the top 12 in all six major preseason polls for 2017, the Cardinals have received a preseason top 10 ranking in five straight seasons (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and have earned a preseason national ranking in 10 straight seasons (2008-2017) overall.
FEELING AT HOME INSIDE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM
Since opening the gates at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005, the Cardinals have won 78 percent of their games in the ballpark posting a 331-93 record (.780 winning percentage), including an impressive 36-3 mark during the 2016 season at the corner of Third and Central. Louisville has won 51 of its last 52 regular season games at Jim Patterson Stadium.
MCKAY EARNS BACK-TO-BACK ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Brendan McKay was named ACC Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks on March 13 and March 20. The first of the two honors came after McKay had a career-high 15 strikeouts while allowing only two hits in seven shutout innings against Pitt on March 10. The 15 strikeouts were two better than McKay's previous high of 13 and the outing marked the 20th time he has finished with eight or more strikeouts in a single game.
The second Pitcher of the Week honor came after McKay finished with 12 strikeouts and scattered five singles with one walk in seven shutout innings to move to 4-0 on the season in a win over Boston College. The Darlington, Pennsylvania native anchored the sixth shutout of the season for the No. 1 Cardinals.
NCBWA NAMES MCKAY NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY
Brendan McKay was named National Player of the Month for February by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. McKay had a prolific month, both at the plate and on the mound. In seven games, McKay hit .619 (13-for-21) with a double, three homers and 11 RBI. He had six walks, was hit by two pitches and struck out just once. In two Friday starts, McKay posted wins and a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings. He allowed only six hits and four walks, striking out 14.
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM CONTINUES FOR THE CARDINALS
As the Louisville baseball team was making significant progress on the field during its 2016 fall workouts, the Cardinals also maintained their impressive work in the classroom registering a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better for the 11th consecutive semester. The notable stretch of academic success has covered five-and-a-half years overall since starting with fall semester in 2011.
The span of 11 straight semesters with a team GPA of 3.0 or better includes the 2013 and 2014 seasons, which culminated with back-to-back appearances at the College World Series. In each of those trips to Omaha, the Cardinals received the CWS Academic Award for having the highest team GPA of the eight programs advancing to the pinnacle of collegiate baseball.
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.
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
3B/1B
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
SS
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP/1B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballBSB: 2025 Louisville Baseball Super Regional Recap
Wednesday, June 11
BSB: 2025 Louisville Baseball Regional Recap
Friday, June 06
BSB: Lucas Moore Postgame vs. Vanderbilt
Wednesday, May 07
BSB: Dan McDonnell Postgame vs. Vanderbilt
Wednesday, May 07
