Cardinals Head to Notre Dame for First ACC Road Series

Friday, March 24

Notre Dame, Ind.

3:00 PM

University of Louisville

Notre Dame

Ryan McCoy after hitting a double against Miami Ohio.

Photo by: Rachel Klotz | Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Head to Notre Dame for First ACC Road Series

March 23, 2023 | Baseball

The weekend gets underway Friday at 3 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.

By: Stephen Williams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball team hits the road for the first time in conference play this weekend for three games at Notre Dame. The Friday and Saturday games are scheduled for 3 p.m. ET with the Sunday finale set for 1 p.m. ET. Friday's game will be televised on ACC Network with the final two on ACC Network Extra. Radio coverage will be available all weekend on 970 WGTK with Saturday and Sunday also on 93.9 The Ville.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville scored a season-high in runs in Tuesday's 15-8 victory over Western Kentucky. Ryan McCoy and Will Cook combined to go 5-for-5, reaching base 10 times, with six RBIs and seven runs scored and a home run for each.

The Cardinals reached double figures in runs in nine of the 20 games this season. Louisville's offense ranks top 15 nationally in batting average and on-base percentage and is averaging 8.5 runs per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Notre Dame have met 45 times previously with the Cardinals holding a 36-9 advantage all-time. Louisville swept then-No. 1 Notre Dame last March at Jim Patterson Stadium and has won 23 of the last 24 contests between the two overall.

TEAM NOTES

Louisville owns 147 conference wins since joining the ACC in 2015, the most conference wins during that time of any Power Five school.
UofL has won 52 of its 73 ACC series (52-19-2 - one series ended 1-1, one ended 1-1-1) since joining the league and is 54-16-1 in its series finales during that span, including a 21-8-1 record in rubber games.
The Cardinals have won 30 of their 36 ACC series at home since debuting in the conference.
The Cardinals have recorded at least 10 hits in 14 of the first 20 games. Louisville tallied double-digit hits 41 times during the 2022 season.
Louisville had just 12 stolen bases through the first 14 games, but has stolen 26 in the last six.
The Cardinals rank top 20 nationally in earned run average (3.44), hits allowed per nine innings (7.08), and WHIP (1.26).
Louisville has been excellent early in games this spring, outscoring opponents 68-24 in the first three innings.

PLAYER NOTES

Jack Payton finished with an ACC-best 23 doubles in 2022, but homered just four times. The junior is still racking up the doubles with seven already this season. However, Payton has shown more power this spring and matched his sophomore season total just 10 games into 2023. He had a 23-game on-base streak end last week but enters the weekend with multiple hits in 10 of the last 13 games, including three hits in three of the last four.
JT Benson hit cleanup in the 2022 Opening Day lineup in his first collegiate game. However, a pair of fluke injuries derailed his sophomore campaign and limited him to just 14 starts. A fully healthy Benson has surged out of the gate in 2023, hitting .422 through his first 15 games played. Benson is 14-for-28 over the last nine games with seven extra-base hits (3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs), nine runs scored and 11 RBIs.
Ryan Hawks drew the Opening Day start for the Cardinals, just the second start of his collegiate career. The senior is fourth in the ACC lead with 30 innings pitched through five starts and is sixth with 35 strikeouts. Hawks became the first Louisville pitcher to win all four starts through the first four weekends since Brendan McKay in 2016.
Carson Liggett earned the Sunday starting role to open the season and has been terrific to start the season. The sophomore is 4-0 and turned in the best start of his college career against Michigan in the finale at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Liggett gave up just one hit over seven shutout innings in what turned out to be a complete-game effort as the Cards run-ruled Michigan.
Tate Kuehner was limited to start the season due to injury, but has been dynamic out of Louisville's bullpen since returning. The southpaw has made five appearances, giving up just one run on two hits in six innings. Kuehner locked down his first save against TCU in Houston before recording a win and a save in the Georgia Tech series.

CARDS SOARING THROUGH FIRST 20 GAMES
Louisville has been on a tear to start the season, winning 18 of its first 20 games in 2023.

The 18-2 record marks the fourth time the Cardinals have won at least 18 of the first 20 under Dan McDonnell. The Cards started 18-2 in 2010 and 2013, while they were 19-1 to open up the 2017 season.

Louisville is one of six teams (Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Virginia) remaining with two losses on the season.

LOUISVILLE RUNNING WILD OVER LAST SIX GAMES
Under Dan McDonnell, the Cardinals have routinely been among the top stolen base teams in the country. UofL has notched at least 100 stolen bases in eight of the last nine full seasons after swiping 103 in 2022.

The Cards were off to a slow start this spring with just 12 stolen bases through the first 14 games. However, Louisville has tallied 26 in its last six contests, including eight in the finale against Georgia Tech. The 26 stolen bases are the most in a six-game span for the Cardinals since picking up 29 in a six-game stretch from Feb. 22-March 2, 2013.

Christian Knapczyk has stolen nine bases in his last six games, moving him into fourth place in the ACC, just one shy of the ACC leaders at 13.

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