Cardinals Wrap Up Season-Opening Homestand Tuesday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball team finishes off an eight-game homestand on Tuesday matching up with Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra with radio coverage available on 970 WGTK.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville took 2-of-3 from Bowling Green last weekend, winning a 2-1 pitcher's duel on Friday and then breaking out the bats in a 14-1 victory in Sunday's finale.

The Cardinals limited Bowling Green to just one run in wins on Friday and Sunday and have already held the opposition to two runs or less in four of the first seven games. Louisville was a perfect 14-0 when limited the opponent to two or less last season.

SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Eastern Kentucky square off for the 123rd time on Tuesday afternoon. The Cardinals are 72-49-1 all-time against the Colonels and 20-2 during Dan McDonnell's tenure. The two teams have met in all but four seasons dating back to 1980.

TEAM NOTES

Louisville has an .847 winning percentage (138-25) in regular season non-conference games since the start of 2016, including a 113-13 (.897) mark in regular season non-conference home games.
The Cardinals have recorded at least 10 hits in five of the first seven games. Louisville tallied double-digit hits 41 times during the 2022 season.
The Cardinals have launched 10 home runs over the first seven games, the most for a Louisville team through seven games under Dan McDonnell.
Louisville's series opening 2-1 win over Bowling Green took just one hour, 46 minutes to complete, the fastest nine-inning UofL game on record since at least 2000.
Thirteen different Cardinals have made their Louisville debut through seven games, with 10 making their collegiate debuts.

PLAYER NOTES

Ryan McCoy has announced his presence in the middle of the Louisville lineup immediately. The junior leads the team in runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage through seven games. McCoy homered three times last week, including first-inning home runs in the final two games of the series against Bowling Green.
Eddie King Jr. sat out the 2022 season with an injury, but his playing career has started with a bang. The outfielder is hitting a team-best .429 with three extra-base hits, including his first collegiate home run in the win over Xavier. King also leads the Cardinals with a .556 on-base percentage having reached 15 times through seven contests.
Jack Payton finished with an ACC-best 23 doubles in 2022 and is racking up the two-baggers in the early portion of 2023. Payton has a double in each of the last four games and is one behind the ACC leaders overall with five, while his average is up to .409 overall.
Christian Knapczyk picked up right where he left off last spring hitting .375 to start the season, reaching base 17 times and stealing three bases. Knapczyk was the sparkplug at the top of the order in 2022 with the Cardinals averaging 9.1 runs in the 53 games he started versus just 6.2 in the 11 games he did not start.
Ryan Hawks drew the Opening Day start for the Cardinals, just the second start of his collegiate career. The senior has been dominant through his first two starts this spring, allowing just one earned run in 13.2 innings with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 17-1.
Greg Farone dominated junior college hitters in 2022, striking out 139 in just 60 innings on the mound. He has had similar success early in his time with the Cards, taking the mound three times and punching out 12 batters in 5.1 innings.

LOUISVILLE WRAPPING UP EIGHT-GAME HOMESTAND TO OPEN SEASON
It has been rare for the Cardinals to start their spring at Jim Patterson Stadium under Dan McDonnell, having done so four times previously before this year.

Tuesday's game against Eastern Kentucky will mark the end of an eight-game homestand to start the season before the Cards head to Houston for the 2023 Shriners Children's College Classic.

The eight consecutive home games to begin the season are tied for the longest season-opening stretch during McDonnell's tenure, joining the 2021 season in which the Cardinals 6-2 through the first eight contests.

DAN MCDONNELL RADIO SHOW COMING TO AIRWAVES IN 2023
The Dan McDonnell Radio Show is hitting the air during the spring of 2023 with 10 shows set to be broadcast live on 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK throughout the season.

The show, hosted by longtime Louisville baseball radio announcer Sean Moth, will run from 6-7 p.m. ET.

Presented by Parlour, the first five shows will originate from their downtown Louisville location at 133 W Liberty Street, with the last five taking place at their upcoming location in JTown.

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Players Mentioned

Greg Farone

Ryan Hawks

Eddie King Jr.

Christian Knapczyk

Ryan McCoy

Jack Payton

University of Louisville Athletics