Friday, May 11
Pittsburgh, PA
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
Pittsburgh
Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics
Weekend Series at Pittsburgh Next Up for No. 28 Baseball
May 10, 2018 | Baseball
Cardinals and Panthers set for Friday at 6 p.m., ET, Saturday at 3 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #28 Louisville (34-15, 12-12) at Pittsburgh (27-19, 11-13) Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Venue: Charles L. Cost Field Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | Pittsburgh | Media Center Friday, May 11 | 6 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Jr. LHP Adam Wolf (5-2, 2.26 ERA) PITT: So. RHP Dan Hammer (2-3, 6.65 ERA) Saturday, May 12 | 3 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: So. LHP Nick Bennett (6-1, 2.17 ERA) PITT: Sr. RHP Matt Pidich (5-1, 2.85 ERA) Sunday, May 13 | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Fr. RHP Bobby Miller (4-1, 0.97 ERA) PITT: Jr. RHP Blair Calvo (1-4, 4.60 ERA) |
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Louisville enters the weekend at 34-15 overall following a pair of midweek wins against Wright State and Cincinnati. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cardinals have a 12-12 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 two of six major national polls this week -- 28th in the NCBWA poll and 29th in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
Sophomore Logan Wyatt has a .333 average with three home runs, 50 RBIs, 20 doubles and 50 walks to pace the offense. Wyatt is ranked third in the nation in walks, 13th in doubles and 20th in on-base percentage (.489). Danny Oriente hit safely in a career best 14 straight games from March 31-April 24 and has lifted his batting average to .347, while Josh Stowers ranks 14th in the nation with his 26 stolen bases.
The pitching staff is led by junior Adam Wolf, sophomore Nick Bennett and freshman righthander Bobby Miller. Wolf has a 5-2 record, 2.26 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 75.2 innings and 12 series-opening starts. Bennett has registered a 6-1 record, 2.17 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 49.2 innings, including seven straight weekend starts. Miller has five consecutive weekend starts, a 4-1 record and 0.97 ERA in 46.1 innings this season.
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 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
Pittsburgh enters the weekend at 27-19 overall following a 3-2 win over Penn State on Tuesday and the Panthers are 11-13 in the ACC after dropping two of three at Notre Dame last weekend. Led by head coach Joe Jordano, Pittsburgh was 23-30 overall last season and sixth in the ACC Coastal Division with a 9-21 record.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville leads 17-8 in the all-time series with Pittsburgh, which dates back to 1978. The Cardinals have won eight straight games against the Panthers, including a trio of victories last season at Jim Patterson Stadium. This weekend's series will mark Louisville's first visit to Pittsburgh since 2012 when the Cardinals won two of three games on the last weekend of the regular season and clinched a share of the Big East Conference championship.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
• Louisville is ranked No. 36 in the official NCAA RPI released on May 10. The Cardinals are among seven ACC teams in the top 48 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 an 8-9 record against ranked teams this season.
• Louisville has started 20 different defensive lineups and submitted 39 different batting orders through its 49 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 five weeks -- Adam Wolf, Nick Bennett and Bobby Miller.
• The Cardinals are 30-4 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 2nd in the nation in hits allowed per 9 IP (7.04), 14th in strikeouts per 9 IP (9.8) and 18th in ERA (3.29). UofL leads the ACC in ERA and hits allowed per 9 IP.
• Louisville is ranked 8th in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC in stolen bases in 2018 with 100 in 117 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 6th in the NCAA in walks (274), 5th in sacrifice flies (30), 20th in on-base percentage (.396) and 24th in doubles (98). Louisville leads the ACC in doubles.
• UofL has won 29 of its 38 ACC series since joining the league and is 31-6 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 3rd in the nation in walks, 13th in doubles and 20th in on-base percentage.
• Wyatt is No. 1 in the ACC in doubles, on-base percentage and walks.
• Wyatt leads the team in RBIs (50), on-base percentage (.489), slugging percentage (.511) and multi-hit performances (17).
• Josh Stowers ranks 14th in the nation with his 26 stolen bases in 31 attempts. Overall, Stowers has 50 career stolen bases in 63 total attempts.
• In the 21 games since moving to the 5th spot in the Cardinals lineup, Stowers has a .343 average (23-for-67), 24 runs scored, 15 walks (.489 OB%) and is 13-for-16 on stolen bases.
• Over his last 23 games, Danny Oriente has a .432 batting average (32-for-74) with 26 RBIs.
• Devin Mann is Louisville's active career leader in games played (152), doubles (31), home runs (11), RBIs (99), runs scored (113) and walks (97).
• Mann is 3rd in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC with his 50 walks this season. He is also 12th nationally and leading the ACC in sac flies with seven.
• In his 22 games as the leadoff hitter in the lineup, Tyler Fitzgerald has a .293 average (27-of-92), 19 runs scored, 7 RBIs and 10-for-10 on stolen bases.
• Adam Wolf has started all 12 series-openers this season and the junior has allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine of those outings.
• Wolf is ranked No. 4 in the ACC in ERA (2.26) and No. 5 in WHIP (1.09).
• In his 7 weekend starts this season, Nick Bennett has a 5-1 record, 2.01 ERA (10 earned runs) with 39 strikeouts in 44.2 innings.
• Bennett is ranked No. 2 in the ACC in ERA (2.17) and No. 2 in WHIP (1.03).
• During his 5 starts this season (all on the weekend), Bobby Miller has a 0.86 ERA (3 ER) with 22 strikeouts and just 20 hits (.175 opponents average) in 31.1 innings.
• In his 13 relief appearances in 2018, Shay Smiddy has a 4-0 record, 1.14 ERA (3 ER), 32 strikeouts and just five walks in 23.2 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 two national polls this week landing at No. 28 in the NCBWA poll and No. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll.
FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at @UofLBaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
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