Friday, May 13
Blacksburg, Va.
3:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
Virginia Tech
Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics
Cards Travel to Blacksburg for Top-10 Weekend
May 12, 2022 | Baseball
The three-game set gets underway on Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball heads on the road for a top-10 weekend at third-ranked Virginia Tech. The series gets underway on Friday at 3 p.m. ET in Blacksburg with the Saturday and Sunday games set for 1 p.m. ET. Games one and three of the weekend can be seen on ACC Network Extra, while the Saturday game will be on ACC Network. All three games can be heard on 93.9 The Ville.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville heads to Blacksburg off of a 7-2 victory over Indiana on Tuesday night at Jim Patterson Stadium. Ben Metzinger and Dalton Rushing each launched their 15th home runs of the season in the victory, giving the Cardinals back-to-back seasons with two players reaching the 15 home run mark (Alex Binelas, Henry Davis in 2021).
The weekend series at Virginia Tech will mark Louisville's fifth weekend this season against a ranked opponent and second versus a top-five team. The Cardinals are 9-5 against ranked teams this season, including a home sweep of then-No. 1 Notre Dame in March.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Virginia Tech have 63 previous meetings, with the Hokies holding a 45-18 all-time advantage over the Cards. However, 57 of the 63 contests between the two fell between 1979-95 and Louisville has won all six meetings since joining the ACC. The two will meet this weekend for the first time since 2018.
TEAM NOTES
PLAYER NOTES
USHER ASCENDING LOUISVILLE'S STOLEN BASE LEADERBOARDS
Senior outfielder Levi Usher has been among the top stolen base threats in the country since his arrival on campus in 2020. Usher ranked 10th nationally with 11 steals in the shortened 2020 season, and then led the ACC and finished 13th in the country with 26 in 2021. This season, Usher is once again leading the ACC with 31 stolen bases, which is good for eighth nationally.
The Fairfax, Iowa, native has steadily climbed Louisville's single-season and career stolen base lists over the course of the spring. Usher's 31 bags this season are the seventh-most in program history, while his 68 career steals are currently seventh-most as well. Usher is 68-for-73 on the basepaths in 113 games with the Cardinals.
Next up on the single-season list is Corey Ray, who swiped 34 bases in 2015, while the next milestone on the career leaderboard is 79, held by Mike Hook (1999-2001) and Sutton Whiting (2012-15).
CARDINALS FEATURE FOUR DOUBLE-DIGIT HOME RUN HITTERS
Ben Bianco slugged his 10th home run of the season at Vanderbilt, lifting the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory in the Battle of the Barrel.
In doing so, Bianco became the fourth Cardinal to reach double figures in home runs this season. He joined Ben Metzinger, Cameron Masterman and Dalton Rushing with 10 or more.
This is the first Louisville team to have at least four players with 10 home runs since the 2010 Cardinals had five do so - Phil Wunderlich (21), Ryan Wright (16), Stewart Ijames (14), Andrew Clark (13) and Adam Duvall (12).
NO GAME IS OVER FOR THE CARDS
Louisville has had a knack for rallying back after falling behind in games this season, including Tuesday's victory over Indiana.
The Cardinals have now won 19 games during which they trailed, including nine of their 15 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 156 runs in the seventh inning or later and outscoring opponents 103-45 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 17th in the ACC and third on the team with 46 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-13 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 45 hits and 30 runs scored, the most of any team in the ACC in either category.
KNAPCZYK, METZINGER NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
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 .335 and has been an on-base machine in the leadoff spot, ranking 10th in the ACC with a .473 on-base percentage. The shortstop has scored 64 runs this season, the fourth most in the country and leads all of D1 with 1.39 runs per game.
Metzinger has taken advantage of having his fellow infielder on base in front of him, hitting .310 with 54 RBIs. The senior has 15 home runs on the season, 10 of which have come with Knapczyk on base.
The duo has scored 117 runs and been active on the basepaths as well, combining for 24 stolen bases on the season in just 29 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 83 stolen bases and 73 home runs, making them one of only two teams in the country (Campbell) with at least 80 bags and 70 long balls.
All nine of Louisville's regular starters have at least two home runs and 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 (439), home runs (73), total bases (894), walks (272) and a higher on-base percentage (.421) through 48 games than any other Louisville team to this point in the season under McDonnell.
Louisville currently ranks seventh the country in scoring at 9.1 runs per game. The Cardinals rank seventh nationally in runs, eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in hits, 10th in walks, 11th in triples, 13th in slugging percentage, 14th in batting average, 21st in doubles, 24th in home runs and 27th in stolen bases.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville heads to Blacksburg off of a 7-2 victory over Indiana on Tuesday night at Jim Patterson Stadium. Ben Metzinger and Dalton Rushing each launched their 15th home runs of the season in the victory, giving the Cardinals back-to-back seasons with two players reaching the 15 home run mark (Alex Binelas, Henry Davis in 2021).
The weekend series at Virginia Tech will mark Louisville's fifth weekend this season against a ranked opponent and second versus a top-five team. The Cardinals are 9-5 against ranked teams this season, including a home sweep of then-No. 1 Notre Dame in March.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Virginia Tech have 63 previous meetings, with the Hokies holding a 45-18 all-time advantage over the Cards. However, 57 of the 63 contests between the two fell between 1979-95 and Louisville has won all six meetings since joining the ACC. The two will meet this weekend for the first time since 2018.
TEAM NOTES
- Louisville owns 142 conference wins since joining the ACC in 2015, the most conference wins during that time of any Power Five school.
- UofL has won 50 of its 70 ACC series (one series ended 1-1, one ended 1-1-1) since joining the league and is 52-15-1 in its series finales during that span, including a 19-7-1 record in rubber games.
- UofL's offense has been explosive so far this season, plating four or more runs in an inning 40 times through 48 games, surpassing its total of 19 in 50 games in 2021.
- Louisville has scored 10 runs or more 19 times this season and registered at least 10 hits in 30 games, including 19 of its last 27.
- UofL is 28-2 this season when it tallies more hits than the opposition. During Dan McDonnell's 16 seasons at Louisville, the Cardinals are 545-62 (.898) when they record more hits.
- Louisville has used 21 different pitchers this season, 20 of which have thrown double digit innings.
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 is currently leading the team with 22 multi-hit games on the season, including nine with three hits. Payton has at least one hit in 31 of the last 35 games and ranks among the best in the ACC in doubles (3rd), hits (6th) and batting average (10th).
- Dalton Rushing has been a constant power threat in the middle of the order this season, hitting third or fourth in all but one game. With homers in each of the previous three games, Rushing is now tied for the team lead and seventh in the ACC with 15 home runs. Rushing is also 4th in the ACC in walks, sixth in hit by pitch, eighth in on-base percentage and 10th in slugging percentage.
- Jared Poland started his time at Louisville as a two-way player, playing second base and pitching out of the bullpen before moving into a pitcher-only role in 2021. The right-hander was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week after tossing seven scoreless innings against No. 1 Notre Dame, striking out 10. Poland put together an 18-inning scoreless streak from March 8-26, which included starts against ranked opponents TCU and Notre Dame. His best start was a career-long eight shutout innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts against Clemson. Poland has struck out double digits in four of eight ACC starts and ranks top 10 in the ACC in strikeouts per nine innings (3rd), strikeouts (4th) and ERA (10th).
- Logan Beard used the 2021 season as a redshirt year and has made the most of his opportunity to play in 2022. The Louisville native has started all but two games, hitting .344 with 11 doubles, four homers and 44 RBIs. Beard has 19 multi-hit games on the season and been Louisville's top weapon with runners in scoring position, hitting .410 (25-for-61) in those situations.
- Isaac Humphrey has quietly put together an excellent season for the Cardinals after not seeing action during the 2021 season. Humphrey is currently third on the team and ranks 13th in the ACC with a .463 on-base percentage. The sophomore is 29-for-81 (.358) over his last 24 games, surging his average up to .319. Humphrey has been one of Louisville's best hitters this season with runners in scoring position, hitting .380 (19-for-50) and reaching base at a .534 clip in that situation.
- Ben Metzinger returned fully healthy in 2022 and has been one of the pillars of the Louisville lineup. Metzinger is top 15 in the ACC in walks (5th), home runs (7th), total bases (9th), RBIs (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 (36), hits (47), triples (3), home runs (11) and RBIs (46). 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 hit a solo homer in Louisville's 1-0 win over Vanderbilt and is currently 17th 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 nine saves.
USHER ASCENDING LOUISVILLE'S STOLEN BASE LEADERBOARDS
Senior outfielder Levi Usher has been among the top stolen base threats in the country since his arrival on campus in 2020. Usher ranked 10th nationally with 11 steals in the shortened 2020 season, and then led the ACC and finished 13th in the country with 26 in 2021. This season, Usher is once again leading the ACC with 31 stolen bases, which is good for eighth nationally.
The Fairfax, Iowa, native has steadily climbed Louisville's single-season and career stolen base lists over the course of the spring. Usher's 31 bags this season are the seventh-most in program history, while his 68 career steals are currently seventh-most as well. Usher is 68-for-73 on the basepaths in 113 games with the Cardinals.
Next up on the single-season list is Corey Ray, who swiped 34 bases in 2015, while the next milestone on the career leaderboard is 79, held by Mike Hook (1999-2001) and Sutton Whiting (2012-15).
CARDINALS FEATURE FOUR DOUBLE-DIGIT HOME RUN HITTERS
Ben Bianco slugged his 10th home run of the season at Vanderbilt, lifting the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory in the Battle of the Barrel.
In doing so, Bianco became the fourth Cardinal to reach double figures in home runs this season. He joined Ben Metzinger, Cameron Masterman and Dalton Rushing with 10 or more.
This is the first Louisville team to have at least four players with 10 home runs since the 2010 Cardinals had five do so - Phil Wunderlich (21), Ryan Wright (16), Stewart Ijames (14), Andrew Clark (13) and Adam Duvall (12).
NO GAME IS OVER FOR THE CARDS
Louisville has had a knack for rallying back after falling behind in games this season, including Tuesday's victory over Indiana.
The Cardinals have now won 19 games during which they trailed, including nine of their 15 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 156 runs in the seventh inning or later and outscoring opponents 103-45 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 17th in the ACC and third on the team with 46 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-13 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 45 hits and 30 runs scored, the most of any team in the ACC in either category.
KNAPCZYK, METZINGER NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
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 .335 and has been an on-base machine in the leadoff spot, ranking 10th in the ACC with a .473 on-base percentage. The shortstop has scored 64 runs this season, the fourth most in the country and leads all of D1 with 1.39 runs per game.
Metzinger has taken advantage of having his fellow infielder on base in front of him, hitting .310 with 54 RBIs. The senior has 15 home runs on the season, 10 of which have come with Knapczyk on base.
The duo has scored 117 runs and been active on the basepaths as well, combining for 24 stolen bases on the season in just 29 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 83 stolen bases and 73 home runs, making them one of only two teams in the country (Campbell) with at least 80 bags and 70 long balls.
All nine of Louisville's regular starters have at least two home runs and 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 (439), home runs (73), total bases (894), walks (272) and a higher on-base percentage (.421) through 48 games than any other Louisville team to this point in the season under McDonnell.
Louisville currently ranks seventh the country in scoring at 9.1 runs per game. The Cardinals rank seventh nationally in runs, eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in hits, 10th in walks, 11th in triples, 13th in slugging percentage, 14th in batting average, 21st in doubles, 24th in home runs and 27th in stolen bases.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
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