Tuesday, May 7
Nashville, Tenn.
7:00 PM
University of Louisville
at
Vanderbilt
Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Travel Tuesday for Battle of the Barrel
May 06, 2024 | Baseball
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tenn.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball team will head down I-65 for the annual Battle of the Barrel at Vanderbilt on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2. Radio coverage will be available on 93.9 The Ville.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville completed its second sweep in ACC play this season last weekend, taking all three games at Boston College. Louisville pitchers were excellent in the series, allowing runs in just three of 27 innings on the weekend.
BATTLE OF THE BARREL
The Battle of the Barrel between Louisville and Vanderbilt began in 2012 and has been played every year except 2020. Tuesday will be the 12th Battle of the Barrel game with Louisville leading the rivalry series 6-5.
Louisville and Vanderbilt are two of the three winningest programs in the country since Dan McDonnell took over the UofL program in 2007. The two teams have combined for 1,519 wins with both teams reaching five College World Series and nine Super Regionals.
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 28-12 over Louisville, including a 12-8 victory in 12 innings last season. Louisville's last trip to Nashville resulted in a 1-0 victory, with the Cardinals pitching staff limiting the Commodores to just two hits.
TEAM NOTES
PLAYER NOTES
CARDINALS SHOWING OFF WELL-BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK
The Louisville offense has been among the best in the ACC and country this season, ranking top 30 nationally in seven different categories. It's an offense that has featured 13 different players that have made at least 19 starts. While several Cardinals are having standout seasons, the balance is what jumps off the page:
Louisville has scored double digit runs in 19 games this season. The Cardinals feature the ACC's leader in doubles (Gavin Kilen), stolen bases (JT Benson), and batting average in conference play (Zion Rose).
CARDINALS RUNNING PAST ACC ON BASES
Louisville has been the top base-stealing team in the ACC since joining the league for the 2015 season. The Cardinals have stolen 999 bases during their time in the ACC, more than any other conference team has attempted.
That has continued in 2024, as the Cardinals have swiped 100 bases and rank 16th nationally. Louisville has now stolen at least 100 bases in nine of the past 11 full seasons.
JT Benson and Lucas Moore rank first and fifth in the ACC, respectively, and have combined to steal more than seven ACC teams.
LOUISVILLE FRESHMEN MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
The Louisville roster features 11 seniors and seven juniors, but members of the freshmen class have been contributing on both sides of the diamond.
Alex Alicea, Lucas Moore and Zion Rose have combined to start 84 games so far this season. The freshmen trio is hitting .346 (112-for-324) with 20 doubles, eight triples, four home runs, 90 runs scored, 63 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. They have 40 walks and 14 HBPs while striking out just 52 times.
On the mound, Ty Starke has a 3.86 ERA in 15 appearances, while Colton Hartman allowed just one run on one hit in 5.2 innings in his first ACC start at Boston College.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville completed its second sweep in ACC play this season last weekend, taking all three games at Boston College. Louisville pitchers were excellent in the series, allowing runs in just three of 27 innings on the weekend.
BATTLE OF THE BARREL
The Battle of the Barrel between Louisville and Vanderbilt began in 2012 and has been played every year except 2020. Tuesday will be the 12th Battle of the Barrel game with Louisville leading the rivalry series 6-5.
Louisville and Vanderbilt are two of the three winningest programs in the country since Dan McDonnell took over the UofL program in 2007. The two teams have combined for 1,519 wins with both teams reaching five College World Series and nine Super Regionals.
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 28-12 over Louisville, including a 12-8 victory in 12 innings last season. Louisville's last trip to Nashville resulted in a 1-0 victory, with the Cardinals pitching staff limiting the Commodores to just two hits.
TEAM NOTES
- Louisville has an .821 winning percentage (170-37) in regular season non-conference games since the start of 2016, including a 141-19 (.881) mark in regular season non-conference home games.
- The Louisville offense currently ranks top 30 nationally in batting average, hits, runs, runs per game, slugging percentage, stolen bases and triples.
- Louisville has notched double digit hits 27 times this season and is 26-3 when it records more hits than the opposition.
- The Cardinals have been hit by a pitch 68 times this season, the second-most in the ACC.
- Louisville hit just one home run over the first six games, but homered at least once in each of the next 14 contests and 35 of 41. The 14 straight games with a home run was the longest streak for the Cardinals since homering in 15 in a row from April 25-May 18, 2017.
- Dan McDonnell has shuffled his lineup throughout the season with 13 different position players drawing at least 19 starts.
PLAYER NOTES
- Zion Rose has been a catalyst in Louisville's lineup as a freshman, especially in ACC play. Rose leads all ACC hitters with a .405 batting average in conference play and ranks sixth with a .479 on-base percentage. He leads the Cardinals in average, hits, runs, triples, total bases and on-base percentage in ACC play.
- Dylan Hoy has been scorching hot over the last 13 games. The senior saw his average dip to .288 following the game on April 13, but has gone 21-for-53 (.396) in the last 13 contests to add 43 points to his average. Hoy has scored 16 runs and driven in nine during that stretch.
- Isaac Humphrey has very quietly had a strong senior campaign at the plate. Humphrey hit just .250 through his first 10 games of the season with just one home run and four RBIs. In the 35 games since, he's hitting .352 with nine doubles, seven homers and 31 RBIs. Humphrey has Louisville's second-best batting average in ACC action at .333.
- JT Benson continues to lead Louisville' charge on the basepaths, leading the ACC and ranking sixth nationally with 31 stolen bases. The senior swiped a career-high four bases in the win over Virginia on April 13 and is 15-for-16 in conference play. Benson is the 10th player in program history to swipe 30 bags in a season and just three shy of cracking Louisville's top 10 all-time for career steals.
- Gavin Kilen has taken his offensive production to another level during his sophomore season. Kilen is hitting .346 with 30 extra-base hits, leading the Cardinals in hits, doubles and total bases. Kilen did not hit a home run in his first 57 collegiate games before tallying his first against Morehead State and homering five times in a eight-game stretch. He hit for the cycle in the series opener against Virginia Tech, becoming the first Cardinal to do so since Alex Binelas in 2019. Kilen is leading the ACC in doubles, sixth in triples, and ranks top 20 in batting average and total bases.
- Tucker Biven has been rock solid out of the Louisville bullpen this spring, leading the team with a 2.89 ERA in 18 relief appearances. Biven has closed out seven of Louisville's 13 wins in ACC play and has recorded more than three outs in 11 of his appearances.
- Evan Webster had made just three starts in his career prior to this season. The southpaw has started every weekend in 2024 for the Cardinals, ranking second on the team in innings pitched and strikeouts. Webster has been especially strong in five road starts this season, allowing just three earned runs in 28 innings (0.96 ERA) against UConn, Wake Forest, Florida State, Miami and Boston College. Webster owns 80 career appearances, eighth-most in program history.
CARDINALS SHOWING OFF WELL-BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK
The Louisville offense has been among the best in the ACC and country this season, ranking top 30 nationally in seven different categories. It's an offense that has featured 13 different players that have made at least 19 starts. While several Cardinals are having standout seasons, the balance is what jumps off the page:
- Twelve Cardinals have a batting average above .300 with at least 50 at-bats
- There are also 12 different hitters with at least 20 RBIs
- Six Cardinals have hit at least eight home runs this season
- Seven players have stolen at least eight bases
Louisville has scored double digit runs in 19 games this season. The Cardinals feature the ACC's leader in doubles (Gavin Kilen), stolen bases (JT Benson), and batting average in conference play (Zion Rose).
CARDINALS RUNNING PAST ACC ON BASES
Louisville has been the top base-stealing team in the ACC since joining the league for the 2015 season. The Cardinals have stolen 999 bases during their time in the ACC, more than any other conference team has attempted.
That has continued in 2024, as the Cardinals have swiped 100 bases and rank 16th nationally. Louisville has now stolen at least 100 bases in nine of the past 11 full seasons.
JT Benson and Lucas Moore rank first and fifth in the ACC, respectively, and have combined to steal more than seven ACC teams.
LOUISVILLE FRESHMEN MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
The Louisville roster features 11 seniors and seven juniors, but members of the freshmen class have been contributing on both sides of the diamond.
Alex Alicea, Lucas Moore and Zion Rose have combined to start 84 games so far this season. The freshmen trio is hitting .346 (112-for-324) with 20 doubles, eight triples, four home runs, 90 runs scored, 63 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. They have 40 walks and 14 HBPs while striking out just 52 times.
On the mound, Ty Starke has a 3.86 ERA in 15 appearances, while Colton Hartman allowed just one run on one hit in 5.2 innings in his first ACC start at Boston College.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
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