Thursday, May 25
LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FIELD
7:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
Notre Dame
Louisville Opens Postseason with ACC Baseball Championship
May 23, 2017 | Baseball
No. 1 seeded Cardinals open Pool A action against Notre Dame on Thursday at 7 p.m., ET at Louisville Slugger Field
| 2017 ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Location: Louisville, Ky. Venue: Louisville Slugger Field (13,131) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | Media Center Tuesday, May 23 #10 Georgia Tech vs. #6 Miami, 11 a.m. #11 Boston College vs. #7 NC State, 3 p.m. #9 Duke vs. #Clemson, 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 #12 Notre Dame vs. #8 Florida State, 11 a.m. #2 North Carolina vs. #11 Boston College, 3 p.m. #3 Wake Forest vs. #10 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25 #4 Virginia vs. #9 Duke, 11 a.m. #6 Miami vs. #3 Wake Forest, 3 p.m. #1 Louisville vs. #12 Notre Dame, 7 p.m. Friday, May 26 #5 Clemson vs. #4 Virginia, 11 a.m. #8 Florida State vs. #1 Louisville, 3 p.m. #7 NC State vs. #2 North Carolina, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 27 Semifinal #1 (Pool A vs. Pool D), 1 p.m. Semfinal #2 (Pool B vs. Pool C), 5 p.m. Sunday, May 28 Championship, Noon |
The 2017 ACC Baseball Championship will be the first conference tournament in Louisville since the 1994 Metro Conference Tournament. The ACC Championship will feature a pool-play format, leading into a four-team, single-elimination bracket to determine the league champion. Each team in the four pools will play one game against each of the other two opponents in its pool. The four teams with the best records within their respective pools will advance to Saturday's semifinals, with the winners playing on Sunday in the ACC Championship Game.
Regional Sports Networks from across the conference footprint and across the nation will carry all 14 games on Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday's noon championship game will televised nationally by ESPN2. All games will also be available on WatchESPN (subject to blackout). Radio coverage for all Louisville baseball games in the ACC and NCAA Championship will be provided by 93.9 The Ville.
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
The Cardinals enter the postseason at 46-9 overall after dropping a pair of games against Florida State last weekend at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville, which set a record for the best start to a season in school history with 19 straight wins, won 12 of its 13 weekend series this season. Eight of the 12 series wins for the Cardinals this season were sweeps.
Brendan McKay, the 2017 ACC Player of the Year, leads the way for the Cardinals. McKay is 14th in the nation in slugging percentage and 18th in on-base percentage while also ranking ninth in strikeouts and 21st in WHIP as a pitcher. The six-time ACC Pitcher of the Week (four this season) has an 8-3 record with a 2.22 ERA and 116 strikeouts on the mound while hitting .361 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs at the plate. McKay has a 29-10 career record with a 2.10 ERA and 361 strikeouts (second all-time at UofL) to go with a .333 career batting average.
Drew Ellis, an All-ACC First Team selection, enters the week ranked sixth in the NCAA in slugging percentage (.737), 16th in on-base (.481), 19th in batting average (.387) and 19th in home runs (16) to go with 18 doubles while splitting time between first base and third base. Shortstop Devin Hairston was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year after finishing with just two errors and a .990 fielding percentage while also hitting .314 with a 47 RBIs.
Junior Lincoln Henzman was an All-ACC First Team honoree as the righthander ranks No. 1 in the nation with 16 saves to go with a 2-0 record, 1.16 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 31.0 innings of work. Junior Sam Bordner has also been outstanding out of the bullpen with a 0.59 ERA, 1-0 record, two saves and 24 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Louisville baseball team continued its impressive run in the Atlantic Coast Conference by winning its third straight Atlantic Division championship in 2017. The Cardinals, who set a single season record for ACC wins in their debut season with a 25-5 mark in 2015, have compiled a 70-19 record in the conference during the last three seasons while only Miami (59 wins) and Virginia (52) have at least 50 wins during that span. Louisville has won 26 of its 30 ACC series and is 28-1 in its series finales during that span, including an 11-1 record in rubber games.
500 CAREER WINS FOR MCDONNELL
With Louisville's series-opening victory at No. 7 Clemson on May 12, 2017, Dan McDonnell earned career win No. 500 as a head coach and all of those came as the leader of the Cardinals. The winningest coach in school history, McDonnell averaged 45.6 wins per season in his first 10 seasons at the helm in Louisville and entered 2017 ranked fifth nationally among active coaches in winning percentage.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Louisville matched the school record for regular season wins with 46 in 2017 equaling the total achieved by the 2010, 2013 and 2016 teams.
• The Cardinals, ranked No. 5 in this week's NCAA RPI, are third in the nation in ERA, third in shutouts, fourth in WHIP, fourth in hits allowed per 9 IP, 15th in strikeouts per 9 IP, 17th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 24th in stolen bases, 25th in scoring, 27th in hit-by-pitch and 27th in slugging percentage.
• Louisville has won 26 of its 30 ACC series since joining the league and is 28-1 in its series finales during that span, including an 11-1 record in rubber games.
• The Cardinals have won 14 of their 15 ACC series at home since debuting in the conference.
• The Cardinals have a 43-0 record this season when leading after eight innings.
• A season after setting a school record for highest fielding percentage (.978), Louisville has maintained a similar pace in 2017 with 51 errors in 55 games for a .975 fielding percentage.
• The Cardinals have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 30 of 55 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.
• Louisville is No. 1 in the ACC in ERA and third in the league in team batting average.
• The UofL bullpen has a 2.33 ERA and 20-1 record with 212 strikeouts in 223.2 innings pitched while opponents are hitting just .206 overall against the Cardinals relief staff.
• Louisville is 82-of-103 on stolen base attempts this season (24th 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.
• 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: 2017 ACC Player of the Year... All-ACC First Team as starting pitcher and DH/utility player... Semifinalist for 2017 Dick Howser Trophy, 2017 John Olerud Award and 2017 National Pitcher of the Year... Midseason national Player of the Year by both Baseball America and Perfect Game... 14th in NCAA in slugging, 18th in on-base percentage and 36th in home runs while also ranking ninth in strikeouts and 21st in WHIP as a pitcher... No. 1 in ACC in strikeouts, second in WHIP, third in ERA, on-base percentage and slugging percentage and sixth in average... Has eight or more strikeouts 26 times in collegiate career, including career-high 15 strikeouts in March 10 win over Pitt... In 24 pitching starts at Patterson Stadium, McKay is 19-3 with a 2.08 ERA (37 earned runs in 160.0 IP) and 205 strikeouts... In 29 career pitching appearances at home (including 24 starts), McKay is 20-3 with four saves, a 1.99 ERA (37 earned runs in 167.0 IP) and 212 strikeouts.
• Kade McClure: All-ACC Third Team... Ranks seventh in ACC in strikeouts... Has 20-3 career record... Had season-high 10 strikeouts on April 8... Won 12 of 13 starts last season and was tied for fifth in NCAA in wins... 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: All-ACC Third... Has 5-0 record in 11 collegiate starts... Ranks fifth in the ACC in ERA and WHIP... Twirled career-best seven scoreless innings in April 23 win over Duke... 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: All-ACC First Team... Ranks No. 1 in the nation with 16 saves... Opened 2017 with 13.1 consecutive innings of scoreless relief... Has 32 strikeouts with just eight walks in 31.0 innings pitched... 19 career saves ranks tied for third all-time at Louisville.
• Drew Ellis: All-ACC First Team... Named National Player of the Month for April by NCBWA... Ranks sixth in NCAA in slugging, 16th in on-base, 19th in batting average and 19th in home runs... No. 1 in ACC in slugging, second in average and on-base, third in home runs and seventh in doubles... Had 32 starts last season... .361 career batting average.
• Devin Hairston: ACC Defensive Player of the Year... All-ACC Third Team... Semifinalist for Brooks Wallace Award (nation's top shortstop)... Second on team with 47 RBIs to go with 11 multi-RBI games... Just two errors in 209 chances (.990%) while starting all 55 games at shortstop... Career-best five RBIs in three-hit game vs. Fort Wayne on March 8... Earned All-America and All-ACC honors in 2016... 175 career starts.
• Logan Taylor: Has hit in the leadoff spot in the lineup in 47 of 48 starts this season... Third in ACC in stolen bases... Has reached base safely in 44 of 47 starts... Played in 228 career games with 129 starts... One of three team captains in 2017.
• Colby Fitch: All-ACC Second Team... Selected as ACC Player of the Week on May 15 after hitting .500 with three home runs and five RBIs from May 9-14... Has 15 multi-hit games this season... Has started 41 of 55 games at catcher while starting another 13 games at designated hitter... Hit four of five home runs, 22 of 25 RBIs in his 27 starts last season.
• Devin Mann: Matched career-high with three hits versus Miami (Ohio) on May 2... Has reached base safely in 25 of last 26 games and 46 of 54 starts this season... Hit .307 with eight doubles, 16 RBIs and 13 runs in 19 starts last season.
• Josh Stowers: Ranks fourth in ACC in stolen bases... Had career highs with two home runs, four RBIs in April 28 win over Toledo... Delivered career-best three hits against No. 17 Wake Forest on April 8... Had two-hit outing and one RBI in first start on Feb. 18 against No. 22 Maryland.
• Colin Lyman: Had career highs with four hits and five RBIs in April 30 win over Toledo... 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... 212 career appearances.
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 ranked 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. Louisville held down the No. 2 ranking for eight weeks from March 27 to May 15.
MCKAY NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR, HAIRSTON TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER, MCDONNELL EARNS THIRD STRAIGHT COACH OF THE YEAR HONOR
Junior two-way standout Brendan McKay was named 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, junior shortstop Devin Hairston received the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year honor and Dan McDonnell earned his third straight Coach of the Year award. The announcement marked the third straight season the Cardinals have received at least two of the ACC's major individual honors and it is the ninth time in the last 11 seasons Louisville has claimed a conference Player or Pitcher of the Year award.
McKay adds the prestigious Player of the Year honor to his 2015 Freshman of the Year award while also being tabbed as an All-ACC First Team selection as both a starting pitcher and designated hitter/utility player. McDonnell becomes the first skipper in ACC history to receive three consecutive Coach of the Year honors.
Along with the three major award winners, Louisville had four All-ACC First Team honorees as junior third baseman Drew Ellis and junior righthanded reliever Lincoln Henzman accompanied McKay's two selections. Junior catcher Colby Fitch was named All-ACC Second Team, while freshman lefthanded starter Nick Bennett, Hairston and junior righty starter Kade McClure were All-ACC Third Team members. Bennett was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
ELLIS, MCKAY NAMED DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
Junior tandem Drew Ellis and Brendan McKay were named May 18 among 25 semifinalists for the 2017 Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top player in collegiate baseball. This is the 31st year of the Dick Howser Trophy. The finalists will be announced on Friday, June 9 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The 2017 award will be presented at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, the home of the College World Series for the seventh year. The winner will be unveiled on MLB Network on Friday, June 16 and then a press conference with the winner will be held on Saturday, June 17 at 10 a.m. (CDT), the opening day of the 2017 CWS.
SIX STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES IN THREE DIFFERENT LEAGUES
On May 13, 2017, Louisville clinched its third consecutive ACC Atlantic Division championship marking the program's sixth straight regular season conference title across three different leagues. Last season, Louisville won the ACC Atlantic with a 22-8 record, while in 2015, the Cardinals set an ACC record for regular season wins finishing 25-5 to win the Atlantic in their debut season in the conference. After finishing with an 18-9 record and sharing the 2012 Big East title with St. John's, the Cardinals stood alone as champions in their final season in the league in 2013. In the program's only season in the American Athletic Conference in 2014, Louisville finished with a 19-5 league record for sole ownership of the inaugural conference title. Overall, the Cardinals have won eight regular season conference titles in 11 seasons under Dan McDonnell.
FITCH EARNS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR ON MAY 15
Colby Fitch was named on May 15 as ACC Co-Player of the Week, the first career honor for the Cardinals catcher. Fitch, who shared the award with Wake Forest's Bruce Steel, paced the way offensively during a 4-0 week for No. 2 Louisville hitting .500 (7-for-14) with three home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, 1.214 slugging percentage and .529 on-base percentage. Fitch hit safely and drove in at least one run in each of Louisville's four wins against top 25 foes. After singling and driving in a run in a midweek win over No. 25 Vanderbilt, Fitch opened series sweep at No. 7 Clemson with a home run and two runs scored in 4-2 series-opening victory. The Rocheport, Missouri, native followed that with two home runs and a double while going 4-for-5 at the plate in the 6-4 win in game two, which clinched a third straight ACC Atlantic Championship for the Cardinals, before closing the week with a single and run scored in the victorious finale.
MCKAY NAMED ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK FOUR TIMES IN 2017
Brendan McKay earned his fourth ACC Pitcher of the Week honor on May 8 after previously receiving the award on March 13, March 20 and April 17. With his May 8 accolade, McKay set the all-time ACC career record for weekly recognition with his seventh honor.
The ACC weekly honors are determined by a vote of a select media panel. The seven career weekly awards for McKay (six Pitcher of the Week honors and one Player of the Week award) surpassed the previous record of six held by Clemson's Kris Benson, Florida State's J.D. Drew, and Paul Wilson, and NC State's Terry Harvey. Wake Forest's Gavin Sheets earned this week's ACC Player of the Week honor.
The most recent honor for McKay came after he threw eight scoreless innings allowing only an infield single with eight strikeouts to lead the Cardinals to a 2-0 series-opening victory at Notre Dame on May 5. The lefthander from Darlington, Pennsylvania, improved to 7-3 on the season and 28-10 in his collegiate career while leading Louisville to its ninth shutout of the season.
McKay's third Pitcher of the Week selection came after he allowed just one hit in eight dominant innings on the mound to lead Louisville to a 3-0 victory over Georgia Tech in the series-opening win at Russ Chandler Stadium on April 13. McKay finished with eight strikeouts while surrendering only a fourth inning single to go with two walks.
The second Pitcher of the Week honor was awarded 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 on March 17. The first of the three 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.
ELLIS NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR APRIL
Drew Ellis was named on May 8 as the National Player of the Month for April by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. It is the first such honor for Ellis and the second this season for the Cardinals as Brendan McKay earned the award for February. Ellis, a native of Jeffersonville, Ind., had a prolific April at the plate for the high-octane Cardinals. The junior hit .455 (30-for-66) in 19 games with five doubles, one triple and eight homers, driving in 22 runs and sporting a .532 on-base percentage.
MCKAY EQUALS SCHOOL RECORD WITH FOUR HOME RUNS AT EKU
Brendan McKay matched a school record with four home runs and finished with a career-best nine RBIs in Louisville's 14-4 win at EKU on April 25. The four home runs equaled the total achieved by Jim LaFountain against Western Kentucky on April 24, 1976. The performance by McKay marked the most home runs by an NCAA Division I player this season. McKay's 4-for-5 day included a two-run homer in the first inning, a two-run bomb in the second, a three-run homer in the fourth and another two-run shot in the ninth. The nine RBIs for McKay were the most for a UofL player since Chris Dominguez had nine in a win over Milwaukee on May 6, 2009.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS CLAIMED BY MCKAY, ELLIS ON MAY 1
Brendan McKay was named ACC Co-Player of the Week on May 1. Additionally, both McKay and Drew Ellis were named as National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. McKay and Ellis were among the nine players selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper as national standouts for the week. Louisville was the only school with multiple players on the list.
McKay hit .429 with six home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.286 slugging percentage as the Cardinals went 5-0 overall during the week. On April 25, he matched a school record with four home runs to go with a career-best nine RBIs in the 14-4 win at Eastern Kentucky. While hitting safely in all five games for the Cardinals, he capped the week with another multi-home run performance, connecting for two homers and three RBIs in the 17-2 win against Toledo. On the mound, the lefty had 12 strikeouts in eight innings to earn the victory in the series-opening win against Toledo.
Ellis was outstanding during the week of April 25-30 hitting .611 (11-for-18) with four home runs, two doubles, one triple, seven RBIs, .636 on-base percentage and 1.500 slugging percentage for Louisville. The infielder finished with at least two hits in each of the five games, including connecting for a pair of home runs in the 6-4 win over Northern Kentucky on April 26. The Jeffersonville, Indiana native had an extra-base hit in four of the five games and drove in at least one run in four of the games.
MCKAY ON GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Brendan McKay was named to the midseason watch list for the 2017 Golden Spikes Award. The 40-player list was announced by USA Baseball and is the second step in identifying the top amateur baseball player in the nation for the 2017 season. The announcement marked the third consecutive year McKay has been included on the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award. The Darlington, Pennsylvania native was selected as a semifinalist for the award in each of his first two collegiate seasons. The 40th Golden Spikes Award will be presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation on June 29 in Los Angeles.
HENZMAN NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Junior righthander Lincoln Henzman was named on April 26 to the midseason watch list for the 2017 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. Among 40 of the nation's top relief pitchers on the watch list, Henzman ranks second nationally with his 14 saves while also accumulating a 2-0 record with a 1.38 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 28.0 innings pitched and 20 total appearances. Previous winners of the award include former Cardinals standout and 2014 recipient Nick Burdi.
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 RBIs. 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.
SPARGER, SUMMERS AND TAYLOR NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior righthanded pitcher Jake Sparger and senior outfielders Ryan Summers and Logan Taylor were selected by Louisville players and coaches as team captains for the Cardinals baseball team in 2017. Sparger had 50 career appearances on the mound in his first three seasons with the Cardinals, including five starts, and accumulated a 3-2 record with a 3.42 ERA. Summers had 37 collegiate starts while appearing in 108 games during his first three years at Louisville. Taylor played in 177 games and made 81 total starts during his first three seasons as a Cardinal.
SIX CONSECUTIVE 40-WIN SEASONS FOR THE CARDINALS
Louisville has reached the 40-win plateau for the sixth straight season and the 10th time in 11 seasons. Prior to head coach Dan McDonnell's arrival in Louisville, the Cardinals had never reached 40 wins in a season while the single season school record for victories was 39 in 2002. Louisville's current school record for single season wins is 51 in 2013.
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM CONTINUES FOR LOUISVILLE
As the Louisville baseball team was working towards a third straight ACC Atlantic Division championship, the Cardinals also maintained their impressive work in the classroom registering a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better for the 12th consecutive semester. The notable stretch of academic success has covered six years overall since starting with fall semester in 2011. The span of 12 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.
29 CARDINALS ASSIGNED TO MLB, MiLB TEAMS FOR 2017
During Dan McDonnell's tenure as head coach, University of Louisville baseball alumni have consistently made the successful transition from college to professional baseball. A total of 29 former Cardinals were assigned to MLB and MiLB teams to begin the 2017 season. A complete list of #ProCards is available online at gocards.com/probaseballcards.
Since McDonnell's hiring prior to the 2007 season, 50 Louisville players have signed professional contracts after being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including a school record nine Cardinals in 2010. The 2016 MLB Draft featured a record-setting three first round selections from Louisville and seven total draftees in the first 115 picks overall. Seven former Cardinals appeared in MLB games during the 2016 season, led by Cincinnati Reds outfielder and All-Star Adam Duvall.
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.
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