Friday, April 20
LOUISVILLE, KY
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
VIRGINIA
Shay Smiddy has a 1.12 ERA in his eight relief appearances in 2018.
Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics
Home Series with Virginia Begins Friday Night for No. 20 Cardinals
April 19, 2018 | Baseball
First pitch set for 6 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium in Friday's opener
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #20 Louisville (25-11, 9-9) vs. Virginia (22-16, 7-11) Location: Louisville, Kentucky Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | Virginia | Media Center Links: Buy Tickets | Patterson Stadium Guide/FAQ | Promotions Friday, April 20 | 6 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Jr. LHP Adam Wolf (4-2, 2.36 ERA) UVA: Sr. RHP Derek Casey (5-2, 3.05 ERA) Saturday, April 21 | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: So. LHP Nick Bennett (4-0, 1.45 ERA) UVA: Jr. LHP Daniel Lynch (2-3, 4.15 ERA) Sunday, April 22 | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Fr. RHP Bobby Miller (4-1, 1.12 ERA) UVA: TBD |
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
After registering its first ACC series sweep of the season with a trio of wins at Virginia Tech last weekend, Louisville pushed its winning streak to five games with Tuesday's 8-2 home victory against No. 6 Kentucky. Through six weeks of ACC action, the Cardinals have a 9-9 conference mark and are fourth in the Atlantic Division. The nation's last unbeaten team for the second straight year after winning 14 straight games to open the 2018 season, Louisville is ranked in one of six major national polls this week, 20th in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
Sophomore Logan Wyatt has a .339 average with two home runs, 34 RBIs, 16 doubles and 39 walks to pace the offense. Wyatt is ranked third in the nation in walks, sixth in doubles and 17th in on-base percentage. Danny Oriente has hit safely in 10 straight games lifting his season average to .338, while Josh Stowers ranks fifth in the nation with his 23 stolen bases and is 23rd nationally with his 31 walks.
The pitching staff is led by the lefthanded duo of junior Adam Wolf and sophomore Nick Bennett. Wolf has a 4-2 record, 2.36 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 53.1 innings and nine series-opening starts. Bennett has registered a 4-0 record, 1.45 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 31.0 innings this season, including four straight weekend starts. The bullpen is paced by All-American righty Sam Bordner, who ranks ninth in the nation with his 10 saves in 2018.
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.
ABOUT THE VIRGINIA CAVALIERS
Virginia enters the weekend at 22-16 after midweek wins over Liberty and George Washington and the Cavaliers are 7-11 in the ACC after a series loss last weekend to North Carolina. Led by head coach Brian O'Connor, UVA has a .274 team batting average and a 3.82 ERA. Last season, the Cavaliers were 43-16 overall and second in the ACC Coastal with an 18-12 record before ending its season with a loss at the NCAA Fort Worth Regional.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville leads 7-3 in the all-time series with Virginia, which dates back to 2015. The Cardinals have won all three weekend series between the teams since joining the ACC, including taking two of three games at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2016. Last season, UofL and UVA split the first two games in Charlottesville before the Cardinals scored two runs in the eighth inning of a 4-3 series-clinching win in game three.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Louisville is ranked No. 33 in the official NCAA RPI released on April 19. The Cardinals are among seven ACC teams in the top 40 of this week's RPI.
• From March 9 to April 8, the Cardinals played 15 of 19 games against ranked opponents, including 12 against top 10 foes. Overall, UofL has a 7-9 record against ranked teams this season.
• Louisville has started 17 different defensive lineups and submitted 32 different batting orders through the first 36 games of the 2018 season.
• Seven Louisville pitchers have made weekend series starts this season but the Cardinals have used the same trio each of the last two weeks -- Adam Wolf, Nick Bennett and Bobby Miller.
• The Cardinals had a 50-0 record last season when leading after eight innings and are 22-2 this season when entering the ninth inning with a lead.
• On the mound, Louisville is 3rd in the nation in hits allowed per 9 IP (6.99) 6th in strikeouts per 9 IP (10.4) and 27th in ERA.
• Offensively, the Cardinals are 16th in the NCAA in walks, 19th in sacrifice flies and 38th in on-base percentage.
• Louisville is ranked 6th in the nation in stolen bases in 2018 with 75 in 86 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.
• UofL has won 28 of its 36 ACC series since joining the league and is 31-4 in its series finales during that span, including an 11-3 record in rubber games.
• The Cardinals have won 15 of their 18 ACC series at home since debuting in the conference.
• From March 16 through April 8, UofL suffered four straight series losses for the first time since 2004 when they had seven straight series losses.
• 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
• Logan Wyatt is 3rd in the nation in walks, 6th in doubles and 17th in on-base percentage.
• Wyatt leads the team in batting average, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and multi-hit performances (13).
• Josh Stowers ranks 5th in the nation with his 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Overall, Stowers has 47 career stolen bases in 57 total attempts.
• In the 8 games since moving to the 5th spot in the Cardinals lineup, Stowers has a .360 average, 12 runs scored, 6 walks and is 10-for-10 on stolen bases.
• During his current 10-game hitting streak (career long), Danny Oriente has a .500 batting average (18-for-36) with 15 RBIs.
• Devin Mann is Louisville's active career leader in games played (139), doubles (27), home runs (10), RBIs (90), runs scored (97) and walks (83).
• Mann is 8th in the nation with his 36 walks this season. He is also 8th nationally in sac flies.
• In his 9 games as the leadoff hitter in the lineup, Tyler Fitzgerald has a .317 batting average, 7 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 5-for-5 on stolen bases.
• Adam Wolf has started all 9 series-openers this season and the junior has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of those outings.
• In his 4 weekend starts this season, Nick Bennett has a 3-0 record, 1.04 ERA (3 earned runs) with 28 strikeouts in 26.0 innings.
• During his two starts this season, Bobby Miller has a 1.00 ERA (1 ER) with 7 strikeouts and just six hits in 9.0 innings.
• Sam Bordner ranks 9th in the nation with his 10 saves in 2018.
• Bordner had his scoreless streak halted at 23.1 innings at WKU on March 21. His career long scoreless streak is 31.2 innings spanning the end of 2016 and much of 2017.
• In his 8 relief appearances in 2018, Shay Smiddy has a 1.12 ERA with 23 strikeouts and just five walks in 16.0 innings.
LOUISVILLE IN NATIONAL POLLS EVERY WEEK SINCE START 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. Louisville is ranked in one national poll this week landing at No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll.
FEELING AT HOME INSIDE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM
Since opening the gates at Jim Patterson Stadium in 2005, the Cardinals have won more than 77 percent of their games in the ballpark posting a 362-103 record (.778 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.
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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