Tuesday, May 1
Nashville, TN
7:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
Vanderbilt
Tuesday's Battle of the Barrel Up Next for No. 29 Cardinals
April 30, 2018 | Baseball
Louisville visits No. 15 Vanderbilt in annual rivalry showdown on Tuesday at 7 p.m., ET on SEC Network
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #29 Louisville (29-14) at #15 Vanderbilt (25-18) Location: Nashville, Tennessee Venue: Hawkins Field Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | Vanderbilt | Media Center Links: Buy Tickets | Patterson Stadium Guide/FAQ | Promotions Tuesday, May 1 | 7 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: SEC Network | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Fr. LHP Reid Detmers (2-1, 5.08 ERA) VU: TBD |
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Louisville was 3-1 last week earning a midweek win over Western Kentucky and taking two of three games in a weekend series against Indiana State. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cardinals have a 10-11 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, 29th in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
Sophomore Logan Wyatt has a .338 average with three home runs, 41 RBIs, 18 doubles and 41 walks to pace the offense. Wyatt is ranked eighth in the nation in walks, 10th in doubles and 23rd in on-base percentage (.487). Danny Oriente hit safely in a career best 14 straight games from March 31-April 24 and has lifted his batting average to .364, while Josh Stowers ranks ninth in the nation with his 25 stolen bases.
The pitching staff is led by junior Adam Wolf, sophomore Nick Bennett and freshman righthander Bobby Miller. Wolf has a 4-2 record, 2.39 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 67.2 innings and 11 series-opening starts. Bennett has registered a 5-1 record, 2.32 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, including six straight weekend starts. Miller has four consecutive weekend starts, a 4-1 record and 0.92 ERA in 39.1 innings this season. The bullpen is paced by All-American righty Sam Bordner, who ranks 19th 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 VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Vanderbilt is 25-18 overall and 11-10 in the SEC after dropping two of three games last weekend to South Carolina. Ranked 15th in this week's Collegiate Baseball news poll, the Commodores are hitting .266 as a team with a 3.77 ERA. Led by head coach Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt was 36-25-1 overall and 15-13-1 in the SEC in 2017. The Commodores won the NCAA Clemson Regional before ending their season with a loss to Oregon State in the NCAA Super Regional.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville trails 24-9 in the all-time series with Vanderbilt, which dates to 1971. The Cardinals have won each of the last two meetings with a 6-2 win in Louisville last season and a 9-5 win in Nashville in 2016. The Battle of the Battle rivalry began in 2012 and the teams have split the first six meetings in the annual regular season series.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Louisville is ranked No. 49 in the official NCAA RPI released on April 30. The Cardinals are among seven ACC teams in the top 56 of the most recent 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 20 different defensive lineups and submitted 38 different batting orders through its 43 games this season.
• Seven UofL pitchers have made weekend series starts this season but the Cardinals have used the same trio each of the last four weeks -- Adam Wolf, Nick Bennett and Bobby Miller.
• The Cardinals are 25-4 this season when entering the ninth inning with a lead. From 2012-17, Louisville accumulated a six-year record of 266-3 when entering the ninth with a lead, including a 50-0 mark in 2017.
• On the mound, Louisville is 5th in the nation in hits allowed per 9 IP (7.14), 14th in strikeouts per 9 IP (9.9) and 21st in ERA (3.28). UofL leads the ACC in ERA and hits allowed per 9 IP.
• Offensively, the Cardinals are 15th in the NCAA in walks, 29th in sacrifice flies and 42nd in on-base percentage.
• Louisville is ranked 7th in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC in stolen bases in 2018 with 89 in 104 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 37 ACC series since joining the league and is 31-5 in its series finales during that span, including an 11-4 record in rubber games.
• The Cardinals have won 15 of their 19 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 8th in the nation in walks, 10th in doubles and 23rd in on-base percentage.
• Wyatt is No. 1 in the ACC in doubles and on-base percentage and No. 2 in walks.
• Wyatt leads the team in RBIs (41), on-base percentage (.487), slugging percentage (.530) and multi-hit performances (16).
• Josh Stowers ranks 9th in the nation with his 25 stolen bases in 29 attempts. Overall, Stowers has 49 career stolen bases in 61 total attempts.
• In the 15 games since moving to the 5th spot in the Cardinals lineup, Stowers has a .340 average (16-for-47), 18 runs scored, 10 walks (.475 OB%) and is 12-for-14 on stolen bases.
• Over his last 17 games, Danny Oriente has a .491 batting average (27-for-55) with 21 RBIs.
• Devin Mann is Louisville's active career leader in games played (146), doubles (28), home runs (10), RBIs (92), runs scored (102) and walks (92).
• Mann is 4th in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC with his 45 walks this season. He is also 19th nationally and leading the ACC in sac flies.
• In his 16 games as the leadoff hitter in the lineup, Tyler Fitzgerald has a .309 average (21-of-68), 12 runs scored, 6 RBIs and 8-for-8 on stolen bases.
• Adam Wolf has started all 11 series-openers this season and the junior has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of those outings.
• Wolf is ranked No. 4 in the ACC in ERA (2.39) and No. 6 in WHIP (1.09).
• In his 6 weekend starts this season, Nick Bennett has a 4-1 record, 2.15 ERA (9 earned runs) with 36 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.
• During his four starts this season (all on the weekend), Bobby Miller has a 0.74 ERA (2 ER) with 18 strikeouts and just 15 hits in 24.1 innings.
• In his 12 relief appearances in 2018, Shay Smiddy has a 3-0 record, 1.31 ERA (3 ER), 31 strikeouts and just five walks in 20.2 innings.
• Sam Bordner ranks 19th 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.
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. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll.
FITZGERALD, WOLF NAMED TO COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION AWARDS WATCH LISTS
Infielder Tyler Fitzgerald and lefthander pitcher Adam Wolf were named April 19 to watch lists for a pair of 2018 College Baseball Foundation awards. Fitzgerald was on the watch list for this year's Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation's top shortstop, while Wolf was on the watch list for the 2018 National Pitcher of the Year.
A native of Rochester, Illinois, Fitzgerald was among 53 players named to the season's first watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, named for former the Texas Tech shortstop, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Named among 78 players on the Pitcher of the Year watch list, Wolf has anchored Louisville's pitching staff in 2018.
The Brooks Wallace Award and the National Pitcher of the Year Award by the College Baseball Foundation following the season. For more information on the Brooks Wallace Award, the National Pitcher of the Year Award or the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
BORDNER NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Righthanded pitcher Sam Bordner was named April 26 to the midseason watch list for the 14th Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. Bordner was among 41 players on the watch list for the award given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The Stopper of the Year Award is a familiar honor for Louisville, which has produced two winners in the first 13 years of the award – righthander Nick Burdi in 2014 and righty Lincoln Henzman in 2017.
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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1B
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