Tuesday, May 18
LOUISVILLE, KY
3:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
USC Upstate
Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Open Final Regular Season Week with USC Upstate
May 17, 2021 | Baseball
First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 18-ranked University of Louisville baseball team begins the final week of the regular season with a midweek game against USC Upstate on Tuesday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ACC Network. Radio coverage of the game can be heard on 1450 WXVW.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals are coming off their second time being swept this season after dropping all three games at North Carolina over the weekend. The Louisville offense managed just one run over the first two games before losing 10-5 in the finale.
Louisville reached 100 stolen bases on Saturday at North Carolina, marking the seventh time in the last eight full seasons that the Cardinals have eclipsed the century mark. Levi Usher, Cooper Bowman and Luke Brown are the top three base stealers in the ACC this season, and the trio has combined to swipe more bases than any other ACC team in 2021.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday will be just the second all-time meeting between Louisville and USC Upstate. The only previous meeting came on March 12, 1989 when the Cardinals defeated then-USC Spartanburg 10-7.
TEAM NOTES
PLAYER NOTES
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Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals are coming off their second time being swept this season after dropping all three games at North Carolina over the weekend. The Louisville offense managed just one run over the first two games before losing 10-5 in the finale.
Louisville reached 100 stolen bases on Saturday at North Carolina, marking the seventh time in the last eight full seasons that the Cardinals have eclipsed the century mark. Levi Usher, Cooper Bowman and Luke Brown are the top three base stealers in the ACC this season, and the trio has combined to swipe more bases than any other ACC team in 2021.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday will be just the second all-time meeting between Louisville and USC Upstate. The only previous meeting came on March 12, 1989 when the Cardinals defeated then-USC Spartanburg 10-7.
TEAM NOTES
- Louisville has an .842 winning percentage (112-21) in regular season non-conference games since the start of 2016, including a 89-9 (.908) mark in regular season non-conference home games.
- Louisville's offense ranks among the best in the ACC this season. The Cardinals currently lead the ACC in stolen bases, while sitting second in the league in runs per game, on-base percentage and triples. UofL ranks third in batting average and hits per game.
- The Cardinals' offense has registered double digit hits in 22 games this season (nine or more in 27 games), and tallied at least one home run in 34 of 44 games. Louisville is 23-4 this season when it outhits the opposition.
- Louisville stole its 100th base during the second game of the series at North Carolina. The Cardinals have stolen at least 100 bases in seven of the past eight full seasons and was on pace for 119 during the 2020 regular season. The one year it didn't reach 100 since 2013, UofL finished with 98 in 2017.
- The Cardinals have been the one of the best in the country on the basepaths this season with 101 stolen bases, 45 more than anyone in the ACC. Levi Usher leads the ACC and is sixth in the country with 26, while Cooper Bowman and Luke Brown are second in the ACC with 16.
PLAYER NOTES
- Alex Binelas got off to a slow start but has returned to being a major run producer in the middle of the Louisville order. Over his last 28 games, Binelas is hitting .312 (34-for-109) with three doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 45 RBIs. He registered his third career multi-homer game against Florida State, including his first career grand slam, and later homered in all three games of the series at Virginia. Binelas also recorded two triples against Western Kentucky, becoming the first Louisville player with two triples in a game since Ty Young did so against Notre Dame on March 28, 2013.
- Henry Davis has been the most consistent hitter for the Cardinals this season. Davis saw his 23-game hitting streak come to an end in the second game at Notre Dame, and then followed it with a 16-game hit streak. The sophomore leads the ACC in on-base percentage. He also ranks top 10 in batting average, hits, home runs, walks, runs, RBIs, total bases, hit by pitches, and slugging percentage. Davis also has 10 stolen bases after having just one through his first two seasons at Louisville.
- Luke Brown has quietly been a hitting machine for the Cardinals in 2021. The junior outfielder leads the team with 21 multi-hit games, including nine in the last 16 contests. Over the last 16 games, Brown has a .381 (24-for-63) batting average with four doubles.
- Levi Usher busted out of a long extra-base hit slump during the Duke series. Usher tallied a triple and home run in the third game of the season against Bellarmine. He did not register another extra-base hit until he hit a two-run home run in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader with the Blue Devils. Usher then homered again in the nightcap of the double dip. The sophomore set a Louisville school record (since 2000) with five stolen bases in the win over Murray State. Usher is sixth nationally in stolen bases with 26, 10 more than anyone else in the ACC. Since joining the Cardinals, Usher is 37-of-40 (26-for-28 this year) on the basepaths in 59 career games.
- Tate Kuehner has been one of the most valuable and versatile pieces out of the Louisville bullpen this season. The southpaw has elevated his performance over the last month, allowing just three runs in 18.1 innings across seven appearances. Over those seven trips to the mound, Kuehner has a 3-1 record with a 1.47 ERA, 22 strikeouts and opponents are hitting just .175 against him.
- Luke Seed opened the season as the midweek starter for the Cardinals, but moved into the weekend rotation during the NC State series and has been there ever since. Despite not having a decision on the year, Seed currently leads all qualified ACC pitchers with a 2.66 ERA. The left-hander has allowed one earned run or less in eight of his 11 starts this season.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
Players Mentioned
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