Danny Oriente has a .402 batting average over the last 27 games.
Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics
No. 25 Baseball Closes Regular Season with Visit from Notre Dame
May 16, 2018 | Baseball
Cardinals and Fighting Irish set for Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday at 6 p.m., and Saturday at 1 p.m.
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #25 Louisville (37-16, 15-12) vs. Notre Dame (24-25, 12-15) Location: Louisville, Ky. Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000) Twitter Updates: @UofLBaseball Game Notes: Louisville | Notre Dame | Media Center Thursday, May 17 | 6 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Jr. LHP Adam Wolf (6-2, 2.42 ERA) ND: Gr. LHP Scott Tully (5-1, 4.21 ERA) Friday, May 18 | 6 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: So. LHP Nick Bennett (6-1, 2.43 ERA) ND: So. LHP Cameron Brown (2-0, 5.62 ERA) Saturday, May 19 | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Fr. RHP Bobby Miller (5-1, 1.19 ERA) ND: TBD |
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Louisville enters the final weekend of the regular season at 37-16 overall following a 9-5 loss in 10 innings to No. 19 Indiana on Tuesday night. With one weekend remaining ACC schedule, the Cardinals have a 15-12 conference mark and are third 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 -- 25th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and 26th in the NCBWA poll.
Sophomore Logan Wyatt has a .333 average with three home runs, 53 RBIs, 22 doubles and 51 walks to pace the offense. Wyatt is fifth in the nation in walks, seventh in doubles and 28th in on-base percentage (.480). Danny Oriente hit safely in a career best 14 straight games from March 31-April 24 and has lifted his batting average to .338, while Josh Stowers ranks fifth in the nation with his 31 stolen bases to go with a .311 batting average.
The pitching staff is led by junior Adam Wolf, sophomore Nick Bennett and freshman righthander Bobby Miller. Wolf has a 6-2 record, 2.42 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 81.2 innings and 13 series-opening starts. Bennett has registered a 6-1 record, 2.43 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 55.2 innings, including eight straight weekend starts. Miller has six consecutive weekend starts, a 5-1 record and 1.19 ERA in 53.0 innings this season.
Louisville is guided by head coach Dan McDonnell, who is in his 12th season in The Ville. He has led the Cardinals to four College World Series appearances and has guided the program to five straight NCAA Super Regional berths, the nation's longest active streak.
ABOUT THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame enters the week at 24-25 overall following a 19-10 win at Northwestern on Tuesday night and 12-15 in the ACC after winning two of three against Pittsburgh on May 4-6. Guided by head coach Mik Aoki, the Fighting Irish have a .275 team batting average and a 5.47 team ERA. Last season, Notre Dame was 26-32 overall and finished last in the Atlantic with a 10-20 conference mark.Â
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville leads 26-8 in the all-time series with Notre Dame, which dates back to 1922. The Cardinals have won 13 straight against the Fighting Irish, including all 10 games as ACC foes. Last season, Louisville won four meetings with Notre Dame taking a three-game series in South Bend and a victory in the ACC Championship. The last time the Irish visited Jim Patterson Stadium, the Cardinals won 4-3 in 11 innings, 8-2 and 1-0 on May 11-12, 2016.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
   • Louisville is ranked No. 27 in the official NCAA RPI released on May 16. The Cardinals are among seven ACC teams in the top 54 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 8-10 record against ranked foes this season.Â
   • Louisville has started 20 different defensive lineups and submitted 41 different batting orders through its 53 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 six weeks -- Adam Wolf, Nick Bennett and Bobby Miller.
   • Five different Louisville pitchers have earned saves this season, including three in the series sweep at Pittsburgh (Shay Smiddy, Michael McAvene and Adam Elliott) on May 11-13.
   • The Cardinals are 32-4 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 4th in the nation in hits allowed per 9 IP (7.12), 14th in strikeouts per 9 IP (9.7) and 13th in ERA (3.26). UofL leads the ACC in ERA and hits allowed per 9 IP.Â
   • Louisville is ranked 5th in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC in stolen bases in 2018 with 108 in 128 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 10th in the NCAA in walks (283), 14th in sacrifice flies (30), 20th in doubles (108) and 24th in on-base percentage (.395). Louisville leads the ACC in doubles.Â
   • UofL has won 30 of its 39 ACC series since joining the league and is 32-6 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 5th in the nation in walks, 7th in doubles and 28th in on-base percentage.
   • Wyatt is No. 1 in the ACC in doubles and walks.
   • Josh Stowers ranks 5th in the nation with his 31 stolen bases in 37 attempts. Overall, Stowers has 55 career stolen bases in 69 total attempts.
   • In the 25 games since moving to the 5th spot in the Cardinals lineup, Stowers has a .376 average (32-for-85), 30 runs scored, 16 walks (.495 OB%) and is 18-for-22 on stolen bases.
   • Over his last 27 games, Danny Oriente has a .402 batting average (37-for-92) with 29 RBIs.
   • Devin Mann is Louisville's active career leader in games played (156), doubles (32), home runs (12), RBIs (101), runs scored (117) and walks (98).
   • Mann is 5th in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC with his 51 walks this season. He is also 18th nationally and leading the ACC in sac flies with seven.
   • Tyler Fitzgerald is third on the team with his 16 multi-hit games this season, including 4 3-hit games.Â
   • Adam Wolf has started all 13 series-openers this season and the junior has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 11 of those outings.
   • Wolf is ranked No. 6 in the ACC in ERA (2.42) and No. 6 in WHIP (1.04).Â
   • In his 8 weekend starts this season, Nick Bennett has a 5-1 record, 2.31 ERA (13 earned runs) with 46 strikeouts in 50.2 innings.
   • Bennett is ranked No. 8 in the ACC in ERA (2.43) and No. 7 in WHIP (1.04).
   • During his 6 starts this season (all on the weekend), Bobby Miller has a 1.18 ERA (5 ER) with 28 strikeouts and a .208 opponents average in 38.0 innings.
   • In his 15 relief appearances in 2018, Shay Smiddy has a 4-0 record, 1.38 ERA (4 ER), 35 strikeouts and just 8 walks in 26.0 innings.Â
   • Sam Bordner ranks No. 1 in the ACC 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. 25 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll and No. 26 in the NCBWA 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 368-107 record (.774 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.
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1B
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