Tuesday, February 20
LOUISVILLE, KY
4:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
EASTERN KENTUCKY
No. 13 Louisville Hosts EKU in Tuesday's Home-Opener
February 20, 2018 | Baseball
First pitch set for 4 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #13 Louisville vs. Eastern Kentucky Location: Louisville, Ky. Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | EKU Tickets: Buy Now Tuesday, Feb. 20 | 4:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 1450 WXVW LOU: Jr. RHP Bryan Hoeing (0-0, 6.00 ERA) EKU: Fr. LHP Will Brian (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
The game was originally slated for Wednesday afternoon but expected inclement led to a date change for the only matchup of the season between the in-state foes. Radio coverage will be available on 1450 WXVW, while live audio and scoring are available at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
The Cardinals opened the season by winning all three games at last weekend's Charleston Crab House Challenge hosted by The Citadel. Louisville earned wins over Richmond (4-3), The Citadel (8-3) and George Mason (15-8) to register a 3-0 record for the third straight season. Devin Mann paced the Cardinals offensively hitting .556 with a home run and seven RBIs, while Jake Snider hit .400 with three RBIs and two stolen bases. On the mound, junior lefthander Adam Wolf twirled five shutout innings to win his first collegiate start in Friday's victory against Richmond. Nick Bennett and Bobby Miller came out of the bullpen to twirl scoreless outings to add wins.
Louisville entered head coach Dan McDonnell's 12th season at the helm following a record-setting campaign in 2017 when they ranked fifth in every major national poll after advancing to the College World Series for the fourth time in school history. Louisville set a school record for wins with a 53-12 mark and earned the program's third straight ACC Atlantic Division championship. In addition to the team success, the Cardinals also received numerous individual honors, highlighted by consensus National Player of the Year Brendan McKay.
McDonnell was named as the 2017 National Coach of the Year by Baseball America, his second such honor after being selected as the National Coach of the Year by Rivals.com following his first season at Louisville in 2007. McDonnell also added his third consecutive ACC Coach of the Year honor last season becoming the first coach in league history to achieve the feat.
ABOUT THE COLONELS
Eastern Kentucky enters the game at 0-3 after dropping a trio of one-run games last weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Colonels lost 5-4 to UNC Wilmington, 5-4 to Lehigh and 6-5 to Butler. Last season, EKU was 24-32 overall and 10-20 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville holds a 67-48-1 advantage in the all-time series with Eastern Kentucky, which dates back to 1927. The Cardinals have won 10 straight overall, including both matchups last season. Louisville earned a 19-3 win against EKU on Feb. 22, 2017 and added a 14-4 victory in Richmond on April 25, 2017 when McKay matched a school record by hitting four home runs. Louisville has won 18 straight home games against Eastern Kentucky.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Louisville set a school record for single season wins in 2017 with 53 and equaled the school record for regular season wins at 46 matching the totals achieved in 2010, 2013 and 2016.
• The Cardinals closed the 2017 season ranked third in the nation in ERA, fourth in hits allowed per 9 IP, fourth in WHIP, sixth in shutouts, 11th in sacrifice flies, 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 12th in runs scored, 12th in strikeouts per 9 IP, 17th in stolen bases, 19th in hit-by-pitch, 21st in doubles, 23rd in home runs, 25th in scoring and 25th in hits.
• 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 had a 50-0 record last season when leading after eight innings and are 3-0 this season when entering the ninth inning with a lead.
• A season after setting a school record for highest fielding percentage (.978), Louisville maintained a similar pace in 2017 with 60 errors in 65 games for a .975 fielding percentage.
• Louisville was No. 1 in the ACC in ERA and third in the league in team batting average.
• The UofL bullpen had a 2.25 ERA and 23-1 record with 243 strikeouts in 260.1 innings pitched last season while opponents hit just .203 overall against the Cardinals relief staff.
• Louisville was 98-of-123 on stolen base attempts last 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.
BORDNER, MANN AND THOMPSON RECEIVE 2018 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION
A trio of Louisville players were named as preseason All-Americans in 2018 by various organizations. Junior righthanded pitcher Sam Bordner led the way as a second team preseason All-American selection by both the NCBWA and D1Baseball. Additionally, junior infielder Devin Mann was named as a preseason second team All-American by Baseball America while junior righthanded pitcher Riley Thompson was a third team selection.
A native of Baltimore, Ohio, Bordner earned his first career All-America honor (NCBWA Third Team) last season after registering a miniscule 0.41 ERA, 2-0 record, three saves and 39 strikeouts in 43.2 innings and 23 total appearances as a sophomore. He delivered scoreless appearances in 22 of his 23 outings in 2017, including all four NCAA postseason outings when he piled up 13 strikeouts and did not allow a hit in 10.2 innings in the NCAA Regional, NCAA Super Regional and College World Series.
A native of Columbus, Indiana, Mann hit .268 with eight home runs, 11 doubles and 44 RBI in 64 starts at second base last season. In 2016, Mann was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team after hitting .303 with nine doubles and 17 RBI in 39 games.
Thompson, a Louisville native, registered a 1-0 record with 23 strikeouts and a 4.02 ERA in 15.2 innings work and 14 total appearances last season. Selected in the 25th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees, Thompson chose to return to Louisville for his third collegiate season.
CARDINALS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN ACC ATLANTIC IN 2018
The Louisville baseball team was tabbed to finish second in the 2018 ACC Atlantic Division race in a vote of the conference's 14 head coaches, while Florida State was chosen as the favorite to win the division and conference championships.
The Seminoles were picked by 10 coaches as the team to beat in the conference. The Tar Heels picked up three votes and Wake Forest received one vote for overall conference champion.
Florida State led the way in the Atlantic Division with 95 points, followed by Louisville (78), Clemson (70), NC State (53), Wake Forest (52), Boston College (25), and Notre Dame (19). The Seminoles were selected as division favorites by 13 coaches, while Wake Forest received one vote. Louisville has won each of the last three ACC Atlantic Divisions titles.
Twelve coaches picked North Carolina to win the Coastal Division, with Virginia receiving the other two first place votes. The Tar Heels tallied 96 points, ahead of Virginia (83), Duke (62), Miami (60), Georgia Tech (46), Virginia Tech (27), and Pitt (18).
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 during the 2017 season, 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 25 in all six major preseason polls for 2018, the Cardinals have earned a preseason national ranking in 11 straight seasons (2008-2018) overall.
BORDNER, STOWERS AND WOLF NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Juniors Sam Bordner, Josh Stowers and Adam Wolf have been selected by Louisville players and coaches as team captains for the Cardinals baseball team in 2018. Bordner earned his first career All-America honor (NCBWA Third Team) while accumulating a 2-0 record, three saves and miniscule 0.41 ERA in 43.2 innings and 23 total appearances as a sophomore in 2017.
An outfielder from Westchester, Illinois, Stowers had a .313 batting average, six home runs, 34 RBI, 15 doubles and 22 stolen bases while playing in all 65 games as a sophomore, including 59 starts. Stowers provided a key boost during the Cardinals' 2017 postseason run hitting .407 with one home run, five doubles, one triple and nine RBI in eight NCAA Championship games.
Wolf, a lefthanded pitcher from Milan, Ohio, finished his sophomore season at Louisville with a 6-0 record, 2.18 ERA, one save and 35 strikeouts in 24 total appearances and 41.1 innings pitched. Wolf made three scoreless appearances in the NCAA Championship finishing with five strikeouts and allowing only four hits in eight innings, including 3.1 innings of shutout relief against TCU in the College World Series.
FEELING AT HOME INSIDE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM
Since opening the gates at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005, the Cardinals have won more than 78 percent of their games in the ballpark posting a 346-97 record (.781 winning percentage), including an impressive 33-4 mark during the 2017 season at the corner of Third and Central. Louisville has won 69 of its last 76 games at Jim Patterson Stadium.
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM CONTINUES FOR LOUISVILLE
As the Louisville baseball team began preparations for the 2018 season in the fall with full-squad practices, individual workouts and conditioning, the players were also excelling in the classroom as the Cardinals registered a cumulative 3.21 GPA marking the 13th straight semester the program has achieved a team GPA of 3.0 or better.
A total of 28 members of the Louisville baseball team closed the 2017 fall semester with a 3.0 GPA or better, including newcomer Austin Conway, who accumulated a 3.325 GPA during his first semester attending the Brandeis School of Law. A righthanded pitcher of Muncie, Indiana, Conway earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana State as a double major in legal studies and political science while also pitching in 72 games for the Sycamores. Receiving an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA with a medical hardship waiver due to an injury during his junior season at ISU, Conway is completing his collegiate career on the diamond at UofL while also managing the demands of law school.
The current stretch of academic success for the Cardinals dates back to the fall semester in 2011. The span of 13 straight semesters with a team GPA of 3.0 of better coincides with unparalleled success on the field for Louisville, which earned three College World Series appearances, five NCAA Super Regional berths, six NCAA Regional bids and six conference championships during those six seasons.
CARDINALS HAVE 52 REGULAR SEASON GAMES SET FOR ESPN PLATFORMS
The Louisville baseball team's 2018 television schedule features 52 of 56 regular season games on ESPN platforms, including all 30 Atlantic Coast Conference contests for the second consecutive season. The 52 regular season games slated for television coverage are the most in school history.
Fifty of the 52 games will be televised exclusively on ACC Network Extra, available on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. The Cardinals will also make one appearance on the SEC Network with their May 1 visit to Vanderbilt in the annual Battle of the Barrel and one appearance on SEC Network+ with the road game at Kentucky on April 3.
Overall, more than 420 games featuring ACC teams will be televised across ESPN and regional networks in 2018. Additionally, the 2018 ACC Baseball Championship, scheduled for May 22-27 in Durham, North Carolina, will be televised in its entirety, with games on Tuesday through Saturday on the league's regional sports networks and Sunday's championship on ESPN2.
FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at @UofLBaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
2018 LOUISVILLE BASEBALL TICKETS
Season ticket packages as well as single game tickets for the 2018 University of Louisville baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased online at GoCards.com/bsbtickets, by phone at 502-GO-CARDS or by visiting the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office, located near Gate 2 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (2800 South Floyd Street) on weekdays from 9 a.m., until 5 p.m., ET.
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
BSB: 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
