Tuesday, April 30
LOUISVILLE, KY
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
Western Kentucky
Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Host Western Kentucky for Cancer Awareness Night
April 29, 2019 | Baseball
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m., ET on Tuesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
| GAME DAY INFORMATION #4 Louisville vs. Western Kentucky Location: Louisville, Ky. Venue: Jim Patterson Stadium (4,000) Twitter Updates: @LouisvilleBSB Game Notes: Louisville | Western Kentucky Tickets: Free Tuesday, April 30 | 6:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats TV: ACC Network Extra | Radio: 93.9 The Ville LOU: Fr. RHP Jack Perkins (3-0, 2.01 ERA) WKU: So. LHP Dalton Shoemake (2-3, 5.45 ERA) |
ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Louisville had a record-setting weekend against Alabama A&M, setting program marks for most runs (61) and largest margin of victory (54) in a three-game series. The Cardinals pounded out 63 hits, 26 of which went for extra bases, on their way to their sixth weekend sweep of the season.
UofL has now won 12 of its last 13 games, scoring double digit runs nine times during that stretch. The Cardinals are one of only five "Power Five" schools to have fewer than 10 losses in 2019.
The Cardinals began head coach Dan McDonnell's 13th season ranked as high as fourth in the national polls. UofL is coming off a 45-19 record in 2018, its seventh straight 40-win season and the 11th in 12 seasons under McDonnell. The Cardinals advanced to the championship round of an NCAA Regional for the seventh straight season.
ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY
Western Kentucky enters Tuesday's contest at 20-21-1 overall and in fifth place in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers took two of three at UT San Antonio over the weekend, winning the rubber game 4-2 on Sunday to capture the series.
WKU is among the top five in Conference USA in batting average and runs per game, but ranks last in ERA. Junior Jake Sanford is having one of the best offensive seasons in the country, ranking first nationally in slugging percentage, third in hme runs, fifth in batting average and sixth in RBIs.
SERIES HISTORY
The Louisville-Western Kentucky series dates back to 1924 and Tuesday will mark the 142nd all-time meeting between the two programs. Louisville holds a slim 72-69 margin against WKU after five consecutive victories over the last three seasons. The Cardinals are 17-5 against the Hilltoppers under Dan McDonnell.
TEAM NOTES AND TRENDS
- The Louisville offense tallied double digit hits in 11 of its last 13 games and nine hits in the other two, giving it 23 games this season with at least 10. The Cardinals are 31-1 this season when they outhit the opposition.
- The Cardinals have been on a tear over the last 13 games, hitting .393 as a team with an 12-1 record. Louisville is averaging 13.1 runs and 15.6 hits during that span with 80 extra-base hits. UofL's team batting average has improved from .254 to .301 over the last 13 games.
- Louisville leads the ACC in batting average (.301), runs per game (8.1), hits per game (10.6), doubles (103) and stolen bases (85).
- Louisville pitching currently leads the ACC in ERA (3.43), WHIP (1.16), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.86), strikeouts per nine innings (10.6), shutouts (5) and hits allowed per nine innings (6.70).
- Louisville's starting pitcher has pitched five innings or more with one earned run or fewer allowed in 17 games this season.
- UofL has had a starting pitcher throw seven no-hit innings on three occasions this season, with Reid Detmers doing it against Brown and James Madison, and Bobby Miller against Wake Forest.
- Louisville pitchers set a Jim Patterson Stadium record with 19 strikeouts against Alabama A&M on April 26. The Cardinals have struck out 10 or more in 27 games this season, with a 24-3 record when doing so.
- UofL set program records against Alabama A&M for most runs in a three-game series (61) and margin of victory in a three game series (54).
- The Cardinals have been active offensively in the first inning this season, plating at least one run in the opening inning of 24 games. Louisville has scored 43 first inning runs overall and is 20-4 when scoring in the first.
- Logan Wyatt is second in the country with 52 walks through 44 games and is currently on pace for 66 this season. The UofL single season record in 69 by Kevin Malone in 1980. Wyatt moved into seventh all-time on Louisville's career walk list with three walks vs. Alabama A&M Friday.
- Louisville swiped a season-high nine bases on March 6 against Morehead State. It was the most since the Cardinals finished with 10 stolen bases against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 20, 2013. UofL currently leads the ACC with 85 stolen bases on the year. Louisville has finished in the top five in the country in stolen bases in four of the last six seasons.
- In the victory over Morehead State on March 6, the Cardinals set a program record with eight different players recording a stolen base.
- The Cardinals are 31-0 this season when leading after eight innings. 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.
- UofL has won 36 of its 47 ACC series since joining the league and is 39-7 in its series finales during that span, including an 12-4 record in rubber games.
- The Cardinals have won 19 of their 24 ACC series at home since debuting in the conference.
- Five different Cardinals have hit their first collegiate home runs this season (Binelas, Davis, Leonard, Masterman, Poland).
- Twelve different Cardinals have made their Louisville debuts this season (Albanese, Binelas, Davis, Leonard, Lohman, Masterman, Metzinger, Perkins, Poland, Schmeltz, Smith and Wright). It was the collegiate debut for 11 of the 12.
- While at Louisville, coach Dan McDonnell has guided the Cardinals to four College World Series berths, seven NCAA Super Regional appearances, 11 NCAA Regional bids, eight regular season conference championships and two conference tournament titles with 37 All-Americans.
BINELAS CLAIMS SECOND ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOD
For the second time in three weeks, Alex Binelas was named the ACC Player of the Week. The Oak Creek, Wisconsin, native went 9-for-13 (.643) with four doubles, three triples, a home run, 13 RBIs and 10 runs while starting three of Louisville's four victories.
The highlight of the week came on Friday night, when Binelas became the sixth player in program history and first since 1998 to hit for the cycle. He laced an RBI single in the first inning before a three-run homer in the second. The freshman then added a double in the third to get three-fourths of the way to the cycle through three innings.
Binelas lined a ball to the wall in the seventh, but stopped at second for his second double of the night. In his final at bat of the evening, he drove a pitch to right that rolled to the wall and ended with him standing on third to complete the cycle. For the night, Binelas was 5-for-6 with five runs scored and eight RBIs.
Binelas added three more extra-base hits on Saturday against Alabama A&M to go with a three-run triple in Tuesday's victory at Cincinnati.
RECORD SETTING NIGHT AT JIM PATTERSON STADIUM
The Cardinals had an offensive weekend to remember against Alabama A&M, but the opening game of the series on Friday night stole the show with numerous records falling in a 32-1 victory for Louisville.
The numbers of note included:
- 32 runs were the second-most in program history (42 vs. Georgetown on April 18, 1947)
- 28 hits were the most since at least 2000
- Most total bases since at least 2000 (46)
- Most doubles since at least 2000 (11)
- Third-most runs scored in Division I this season
- Tied for the second-most hits in Division I this season
- Third-largest margin of victory in Division I this season
- The 19 strikeouts by the Louisville pitching staff were a Jim Patterson Stadium record
WYATT DISPLAYING ALL-AMERICAN PROWESS OF LATE
A third-team All-America selection in 2018, Logan Wyatt got off to a slow start offensively this season. However, that has changed over the last three weeks, with Wyatt racking up offensive numbers at a torrid pace.
| FIRST 32 GAMES | LAST 12 GAMES | |
|---|---|---|
| .269 batting average (28-104) | .447 batting average (21-47) | |
| 4 doubles | 6 doubles | |
| 3 home runs | 4 home runs | |
| 18 RBIs | 21 RBIs | |
| 27 runs | 24 runs | |
| 3 stolen bases | 3 stolen bases | |
OFFENSIVE BINGE CARRYING CARDINALS IN SECOND HALF
Following a second straight loss at Clemson on April 6, the Cardinals found themselves in third in the ACC Atlantic Division standings with an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in most categories.
Louisville rallied for an 11-inning victory over the Tigers in the series finale, starting an offensive surge that has seen the Cardinals win 11 of their last 12 and vault to a 2.5-game lead in the ACC Atlantic Division.
While the pitching shouldered the load for the first half of the 2019 season, the second half of the campaign has been led by an offense as hot as any in the country.
| FIRST 31 GAMES | LAST 13 GAMES | |
|---|---|---|
| .254 batting average | .393 batting average | |
| 8.5 hits per game | 15.6 hits per game | |
| 6.0 runs per game | 13.1 runs per game | |
| 46 doubles | 57 doubles | |
| 7 triples | 9 triples | |
| 19 home runs | 14 home runs | |
| .368 slugging percentage | .620 slugging percentage | |
FITZGERALD NAMED TO BROOKS WALLACE AWARD WATCH LIST
Louisville shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, announced by the College Baseball Foundation.
The award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented this summer by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
Fitzgerald is one of 69 players, including eight from the ACC, on the watch list. The Rochester, Illinois, native has started every game at shortstop this season, leading the Cardinals in hits, doubles, RBIs and total bases.
LOUISVILLE'S BACK END BULLPEN RESURGENCE
Louisville has consistently produced top of the line bullpen arms, many of which are spread across pro baseball. This season is no different, with the Cardinals a perfect 24-0 when leading after eight innings.
Michael Kirian and Michael McAvene have been key pieces at the end of games in 2019 with marked improvement from their 2018 numbers. Kirian held a 12.71 ERA in 11.1 innings as a freshman last season, while McAvene had a 4.55 ERA over his two-year career entering 2019. This season, Kirian is 2-0 with three saves and has given up just three runs in 22 innings for a 1.29 ERA. McAvene is 2-0 with four saves and four runs allowed in 20.1 innings. The duo has combined to strike out 56 batters with just eight walks.
McAvene and Kirian pitched the final six innings of the series finale at Clemson, striking out eight with no runs and just three hits allowed. The pair also worked 4.1 scoreless to close out Louisville's come from behind win in the final game against Miami.
DETMERS NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Reid Detmers drew more recognition on Wednesday, as USA Baseball named him to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list.
Detmers is the 12th player in Louisville program history to appear on the midseason watch list and the first since Brendan McKay in 2017. McKay went on to win the Golden Spikes Award that season.
Since the inception of the midseason watch list in 2012, Louisville is tied for fourth nationally with the 12 players selected. Only the Cardinals and Oregon State have had at least one representative on the list in seven of the eight years.
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 395-112 record (.779 winning percentage), including an impressive 33-4 mark during the 2017 season at the corner of Third and Central. The Cardinals are 24-5 on their home field this season. 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 six seasons.
LOUISVILLE LEADS COUNTRY IN WINS SINCE 2007
Dan McDonnell took the reins of the Louisville baseball program in 2007. Louisville entered 2019 with the most wins of any Division I program from 2007-18 with 554.
| Most Wins Since 2007 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Louisville | 589 | |
| 2. North Carolina | 582 | |
| 3. Florida State | 580 | |
| LSU | 580 | |
| 5. Vanderbilt | 571 | |
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 2019, the Cardinals have earned a preseason national ranking in 11 straight seasons (2008-2018) overall. Louisville entered the 2019 season ranked fourth in the D1Baseball rankings, eighth in the Perfect Game and USA Today polls, ninth in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCBWA rankings and 11th by Baseball America.
Players Mentioned
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