Tuesday, April 26
Louisville, Ky.
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
Western Kentucky
Photo by: Rachel Klotz | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Host Western Kentucky Tuesday
April 25, 2022 | Baseball
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball team welcomes Western Kentucky to town on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. ET first pitch at Jim Patterson Stadium. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra and can be heard on 93.9 The Ville.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals picked up a pair of late-inning comebacks to capture the series against No. 23 NC State over the weekend. Louisville scored nine runs in the seventh to win on Friday and then five in the eighth to secure the Sunday win. The Cards own 15 come-from-behind victories this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Western Kentucky will meet for the 145th time on Tuesday night. The Cardinals own a 75-69 all-time record against the Hilltoppers, including eight consecutive victories. The two teams have met every season since 1990 with the exception of 2020, when the two didn't meet due to the COVID cancellation of the season.
The Cardinals defeated Western Kentucky 16-6 on March 29 in Bowling Green. Jack Payton led the way with three hits, including his first career home run, and a career-best five RBIs. Logan Beard, Isaac Humphrey and Drake Westcott all drove in three apiece in the win.
TEAM NOTES
PLAYER NOTES
NO GAME IS OVER FOR THE CARDS
Louisville earned a pair of come-from-behind victories in the series against No. 23 NC State, rallying with nine runs in the seventh for the win in the opener and then putting up five in the eighth to secure the finale.
The Cardinals have now won 15 games during which they trailed, including seven of their 11 ACC victories. UofL has won six games in which it trailed in the seventh inning or later, four of which were in ACC play.
Louisville has excelled at the plate in the late innings, scoring 134 runs in the seventh inning or later and outscoring opponents 89-32 from the eighth inning on.
BIANCO DOING DAMAGE WITH THE BASES LOADED
Ben Bianco has found himself at the plate with an opportunity to drive in runs on a consistent basis this season. Despite hitting ninth in the Louisville order, he currently ranks 16th in the ACC and third on the team with 42 RBIs.
Nearly half of his RBI total this season has come thanks to his work with the bases loaded. With the bases juiced, Bianco is 6-for-11 with a triple, three grand slams and 19 RBIs.
The three grand slams have all come at important times for the Cardinals. Bianco's first extended Louisville's 2-1 lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning against then No. 1 Notre Dame on March 19. The second turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead against No. 20 North Carolina in a game the Cardinals would go on to win in 10 innings on April 9. Bianco then left the yard again on April 22 against No. 23 NC State, erasing a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning.
LOUISVILLE LINEUP SHOWING DEPTH TOP TO BOTTOM
Louisville's offensive attack has drawn headlines for its performance this season and the Cardinals are doing it by committee with strong production up and down their lineup.
All nine of Louisville's regulars are hitting better than .285 this season, the only lineup in the ACC with nine qualified hitters above that mark. Louisville's starting nine all have at least 35 hits and 25 runs scored, the most of any team in the ACC in either category.
KNAPCZYK, METZINGER PROVIDING LETHAL 1-2 COMBINATION
The Louisville offense has beat opponents in a variety of ways in 2022, but the combination of Christian Knapczyk and Ben Metzinger at the top of the Cardinals' lineup has been at the center of it all. Both players were named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List for their performances through the first half of the season.
Knapczyk is hitting .352 and has been an on-base machine in the leadoff spot, ranking eighth in the ACC with a .480 on-base percentage. The shortstop has scored 57 runs through 39 games, the third most in the country.
Metzinger has taken advantage of having his fellow infielder on base in front of him, hitting .311 with a team-best 46 RBIs. The senior has 14 home runs on the season, 10 of which have come with Knapczyk on base.
The duo has scored 103 runs and been active on the basepaths as well, combining for 22 stolen bases on the season in just 26 attempts.
LOUISVILLE SHOWING OFF RARE COMBO OF SPEED AND POWER
Louisville's offense has showed off its versatility this season, beating teams with power at the plate and speed on the basepaths.
The Cardinals have tallied 67 stolen bases and 63 home runs through 39 games, making them one of only two teams in the country (Campbell) with at least 60 of each.
All nine of Louisville's regular starters have at least two home runs, while eight of the nine have a stolen base.
CARDINALS FEATURE ONE OF NATION'S TOP OFFENSES
The 2022 Louisville offense has been arguably the most potent in Dan McDonnell's 16-year tenure. The Cardinals have more runs (371), home runs (63), total bases (745), walks (230) and a higher on-base percentage (.428) and slugging percentage (.534) through 39 games than any other Louisville team to this point in the season under McDonnell.
Louisville currently ranks fourth the country in scoring at 9.5 runs per game. The Cardinals rank third nationally in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage, seventh in runs, eighth in walks, ninth in hits, 10th in batting average, 11th in triples, and 19th in home runs.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals picked up a pair of late-inning comebacks to capture the series against No. 23 NC State over the weekend. Louisville scored nine runs in the seventh to win on Friday and then five in the eighth to secure the Sunday win. The Cards own 15 come-from-behind victories this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Western Kentucky will meet for the 145th time on Tuesday night. The Cardinals own a 75-69 all-time record against the Hilltoppers, including eight consecutive victories. The two teams have met every season since 1990 with the exception of 2020, when the two didn't meet due to the COVID cancellation of the season.
The Cardinals defeated Western Kentucky 16-6 on March 29 in Bowling Green. Jack Payton led the way with three hits, including his first career home run, and a career-best five RBIs. Logan Beard, Isaac Humphrey and Drake Westcott all drove in three apiece in the win.
TEAM NOTES
- Louisville has an .841 winning percentage (128-24) in regular season non-conference games since the start of 2016, including a 104-12 (.897) mark in regular season non-conference home games.
- UofL's offense has been explosive so far this season, plating four or more runs in an inning 36 times through 39 games, surpassing its total of 19 in 50 games in 2021.
- Louisville has scored 10 runs or more 16 times this season and registered at least 10 hits in 25 games, including 14 of its last 18.
- UofL is 22-2 this season when it tallies more hits than the opposition. During Dan McDonnell's 16 seasons at Louisville, the Cardinals are 539-62 (.897) when they record more hits.
PLAYER NOTES
- Jack Payton played sparingly as a freshman, appearing in 13 games with seven starts. Payton tallied just six hits and two RBIs in his first season. He currently leads the team with 20 multi-hit games on the season, including nine with three hits. Payton has at least one hit in 24 of the last 26 games and ranks top 10 in the ACC in batting average (2nd), doubles (3rd) and hits (7th).
- Isaac Humphrey has quietly put together an excellent season for the Cardinals after not seeing action during the 2021 season. Humphrey is currently the team leader and ranks fifth in the ACC with a .487 on-base percentage. The sophomore is 20-for-51 (.392) over his last 15 games, surging his average up to .325. Humphrey has been Louisville's best hitter this season with runners in scoring position, hitting .447 (17-for-38) and reaching base at a .610 clip in that situation.
- Levi Usher has been a terror on the basepaths for opponents since arriving at Louisville for the 2020 season. The centerfielder led the ACC with 26 stolen bases in 2021 and is a perfect 23-for-23 this season. Usher has moved into a tie with Josh Stowers (2016-18) on Louisville's career stolen base list with 60 in 63 attempts. He enters Tuesday two back of seventh (Doug Inghram - 1981-84). Usher is hitting .364 (20-for-55) over his last 14 games.
- Christian Knapczyk has hit in the leadoff spot every game this season after hitting ninth in 42 of his 43 starts in 2021. Knapczyk owns 19 multi-hit games and is third in the country with 57 runs scored. The Louisville shortstop has scored at least one run in 32 of 38 games this season, including two or more in 18. Knapczyk picked up his first career home run in the second game of the Akron series and hit a leadoff homer against Northern Kentucky. Knapczyk ranks top 10 in the ACC in runs (1st), triples (2nd), stolen bases (3rd), hit by pitch (7th), hits (8th) and on-base percentage (8th).
- Ben Metzinger returned fully healthy in 2022 and has been one of the pillars of the Louisville lineup. Metzinger is top 10 in the ACC in walks (5th), home runs (6th), RBIs (8th), total bases (9th) and runs (10th). He earned ACC Player of the Week honors after tallying four straight multi-hit games against Lipscomb and Boston College. Metzinger owns walk-off home runs against Morehead State and North Carolina this season, the first walk-off blasts for the Cardinals since Nick Solak's home run beat Notre Dame on March 11, 2016.
- Ben Bianco has already turned in a career season this spring setting career highs in runs (29), hits (38), triples (3), home runs (9) and RBIs (42). The fifth-year senior had five hits in the finale against Dartmouth, becoming the first Cardinal with five hits in a game since Alex Binelas did so against Alabama A&M on April 26, 2019. Bianco also homered in all three games of the weekend series against North Carolina, including a go-ahead grand slam in game two and a leadoff shot that helped sparked Louisville's ninth-inning rally in the finale. He is currently 16th in the ACC in RBIs.
- Michael Prosecky has taken over as the Louisville closer for the 2022 season after pitching in a variety of roles during his first two years. The southpaw recorded the final six outs in each of Louisville's first two victories, earning his first two career saves. Prosecky has continued his strong work out of the bullpen and put together 15 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing two unearned runs against North Carolina. The junior is second in the ACC with seven saves.
NO GAME IS OVER FOR THE CARDS
Louisville earned a pair of come-from-behind victories in the series against No. 23 NC State, rallying with nine runs in the seventh for the win in the opener and then putting up five in the eighth to secure the finale.
The Cardinals have now won 15 games during which they trailed, including seven of their 11 ACC victories. UofL has won six games in which it trailed in the seventh inning or later, four of which were in ACC play.
Louisville has excelled at the plate in the late innings, scoring 134 runs in the seventh inning or later and outscoring opponents 89-32 from the eighth inning on.
BIANCO DOING DAMAGE WITH THE BASES LOADED
Ben Bianco has found himself at the plate with an opportunity to drive in runs on a consistent basis this season. Despite hitting ninth in the Louisville order, he currently ranks 16th in the ACC and third on the team with 42 RBIs.
Nearly half of his RBI total this season has come thanks to his work with the bases loaded. With the bases juiced, Bianco is 6-for-11 with a triple, three grand slams and 19 RBIs.
The three grand slams have all come at important times for the Cardinals. Bianco's first extended Louisville's 2-1 lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning against then No. 1 Notre Dame on March 19. The second turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead against No. 20 North Carolina in a game the Cardinals would go on to win in 10 innings on April 9. Bianco then left the yard again on April 22 against No. 23 NC State, erasing a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning.
LOUISVILLE LINEUP SHOWING DEPTH TOP TO BOTTOM
Louisville's offensive attack has drawn headlines for its performance this season and the Cardinals are doing it by committee with strong production up and down their lineup.
All nine of Louisville's regulars are hitting better than .285 this season, the only lineup in the ACC with nine qualified hitters above that mark. Louisville's starting nine all have at least 35 hits and 25 runs scored, the most of any team in the ACC in either category.
KNAPCZYK, METZINGER PROVIDING LETHAL 1-2 COMBINATION
The Louisville offense has beat opponents in a variety of ways in 2022, but the combination of Christian Knapczyk and Ben Metzinger at the top of the Cardinals' lineup has been at the center of it all. Both players were named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List for their performances through the first half of the season.
Knapczyk is hitting .352 and has been an on-base machine in the leadoff spot, ranking eighth in the ACC with a .480 on-base percentage. The shortstop has scored 57 runs through 39 games, the third most in the country.
Metzinger has taken advantage of having his fellow infielder on base in front of him, hitting .311 with a team-best 46 RBIs. The senior has 14 home runs on the season, 10 of which have come with Knapczyk on base.
The duo has scored 103 runs and been active on the basepaths as well, combining for 22 stolen bases on the season in just 26 attempts.
LOUISVILLE SHOWING OFF RARE COMBO OF SPEED AND POWER
Louisville's offense has showed off its versatility this season, beating teams with power at the plate and speed on the basepaths.
The Cardinals have tallied 67 stolen bases and 63 home runs through 39 games, making them one of only two teams in the country (Campbell) with at least 60 of each.
All nine of Louisville's regular starters have at least two home runs, while eight of the nine have a stolen base.
CARDINALS FEATURE ONE OF NATION'S TOP OFFENSES
The 2022 Louisville offense has been arguably the most potent in Dan McDonnell's 16-year tenure. The Cardinals have more runs (371), home runs (63), total bases (745), walks (230) and a higher on-base percentage (.428) and slugging percentage (.534) through 39 games than any other Louisville team to this point in the season under McDonnell.
Louisville currently ranks fourth the country in scoring at 9.5 runs per game. The Cardinals rank third nationally in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage, seventh in runs, eighth in walks, ninth in hits, 10th in batting average, 11th in triples, and 19th in home runs.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
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