Friday, March 9
LOUISVILLE, KY
4:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
NORTH CAROLINA
Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics
No. 8 Baseball Opens ACC with Visit from No. 13 UNC; Friday's Opener Moved to 4 pm
March 08, 2018 | Baseball
Cardinals and Tar Heels set for Friday at 4 p.m., ET Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at noon
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #8 Louisville (12-0/0-0) vs. #13 North Carolina (7-5/0-0) Location: Louisville, Ky. Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | North Carolina Tickets: Buy Now | Stadium Guide/FAQ Friday, March 9 | 4 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: TBD LOU: Jr. LHP Adam Wolf (3-0, 2.00 ERA) UNC: So. RHP Tyler Baum (2-0, 3.94 ERA) Saturday, March 10 | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: TBD UNC: So. RHP Austin Bergner (2-0, 4.50 ERA) Sunday, March 11 | Noon ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: TBD UNC: TBD |
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Junior lefthander Adam Wolf will make his fourth straight Friday start for the Cardinals (12-0) after winning each of his first three starts this season. Backing up the starting pitching rotation this season is a talented bullpen, which has 75 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA in 52.1 innings. All-American righty Sam Bordner has a 1-0 record and four saves without allowing a run this season, while Shay Smiddy is 1-0 with 13 strikeouts in 9.2 scoreless innings.
After opening the season with a trio of wins at the Charleston Crab House Challenge hosted by The Citadel, the Cardinals kicked off their 14-game homestand with nine straight wins. Devin Mann has paced the Cardinals offensively hitting .390 with two home runs and 17 RBIs, while Jake Snider has a .325 average with 10 RBIs and seven stolen bases. Josh Stowers has reached base safely in 11 of 12 games this season and 25 of his last 26 games overall dating back to 2017, while Justin Lavey has two home runs and 12 RBIs.
Ranked No. 8 in this week's Collegiate Baseball news poll, Louisville is guided by head coach Dan McDonnell, who is in his 12th season in The Ville following a record-setting campaign in 2017 when the Cardinals ranked fifth in every major national poll after advancing to the College World Series for the fourth time in school history. UofL set a school record for wins with a 53-12 mark and earned the program's third straight ACC Atlantic Division title. In addition to the team success, Louisville also received numerous individual honors, highlighted by consensus National Player of the Year Brendan McKay and McDonnell, the Baseball America National Coach of the Year.
ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
North Carolina enters the weekend at 7-5 overall and riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping a trio of games against Liberty last weekend. The Tar Heels are ranked as highly as No. 13 in this week's Baseball America Top 25. Guided by head coach Mike Fox, who is in his 20th season in Chapel Hill, UNC was 49-14 overall last season while winning the ACC Coastal with a 23-7 conference mark.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville trails 4-3 in the all-time series with North Carolina, which dates back to 1995. The Cardinals have won three of the four games between the programs as ACC foes, including two of three in Chapel Hill in the most recent meetings on May 6-8, 2016. This weekend's games will be the first for the Tar Heels at Jim Patterson Stadium, but not the first in the city of Louisville as UNC went 3-1 in the 2017 ACC Championship at Louisville Slugger Field with the only loss coming to Florida State in the title game.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• This weekend's series begins a stretch of five straight games against ranked foes for the Cardinals, who host No. 3 Texas Tech for two midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• 15 of Louisville's next 20 games are against teams currently ranked in at least one national poll -- No. 13 North Carolina (3 games), No. 3 Texas Tech (2 games), No. 6 Clemson (3 games), No. 4 Florida State (3 games), No. 6 Kentucky (1 game) and No. 10 NC State (3 games).
• Louisville has started seven different lineups and submitted 11 different batting orders through the first 12 games of the 2018 season.
• UofL has started the same four infielders -- Logan Wyatt at first, Devin Mann at second, Tyler Fitzgerald at shortstop and Justin Lavey at third -- in all 12 games this season.
• Louisville has started seven different players in the outfield through 12 games.
• The Cardinals had a 50-0 record last season when leading after eight innings and are 11-0 this season when entering the ninth inning with a lead.
• UofL is 14th in the nation in strikeouts per 9 IP (11.1) and 22nd in hits allowed per 9 IP (6.73).
• Louisville is ranked 12th in the nation in stolen bases in 2018 with 26 in 31 attempts after ranking 17th in 2017 (98-of-123). The Cardinals were 12th in the NCAA in 2016 with 101 stolen bases, fourth nationally with 127 stolen bases in 2015, second in the nation in 2014 with 133 and second in 2013 with 150.
• Offensively, the Cardinals are 11th in the NCAA in scoring, 11th in triples, 12th in on-base percentage, 13th in walks, 16th in runs, 22nd in batting average and 22nd in slugging percentage.
• UofL 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.
• While at Louisville, coach Dan McDonnell has guided the Cardinals to four College World Series berths, seven NCAA Super Regional appearances, 10 NCAA Regional bids, eight regular season conference championships and two conference tournament titles with 34 All-Americans.
PLAYER NOTES AND TRENDS
• Devin Mann has a team-leading six multi-hit performances through the first 12 games.
• Mann is the team leader in career home runs (10), career doubles (23) and career RBIs (78).
• Mann has reached base safely in all 12 games this season and 13 straight games overall.
• Both Mann and Justin Lavey have hit safely in each of the last six games.
• Adam Wolf has won each of his first three Friday night starts for the Cardinals.
• Sam Bordner has a scoreless streak of 18.0 innings dating back to last season. His career long scoreless streak is 31.2 innings spanning the end of 2016 and much of 2017.
• Shay Smiddy's scoreless streak has reached a career-best 14.0 innings dating back to 2017.
• Junior catcher Pat Rumoro was named on March 6 to the initial watch list for the 2018 Johnny Bench Award, presented annually to the nation's top catcher.
CARDINALS UNBEATEN THROUGH FIRST 12 GAMES FOR THE THIRD TIME UNDER MCDONNELL
Louisville has won 12 straight games to begin the 2018 season, the third best season-opening winning streak in head coach Dan McDonnell's 12 years at the helm. The Cardinals won 19 straight games to open the 2017 season and they won each of their first 13 games during the 2010 season. Both the 2010 and 2017 Louisville baseball teams went on to become the No. 7 national seeds in the NCAA Championship in each of those seasons.
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.
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 355-97 record (.785 winning percentage), including an impressive 33-4 mark during the 2017 season at the corner of Third and Central. Louisville set a school record for home wins with 36 in 2016 and the Cardinals have registered 30 or more wins at home in four of the last five seasons.
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.
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.
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