Cardinals Host Central Michigan for Three-Game Series

Friday, February 27

Louisville, Ky.

3:00 PM

University of Louisville

Central Michigan

The Cardinals playing against Eastern Kentucky.

Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics

February 26, 2026 | Baseball

By: Stephen Williams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball team welcomes Central Michigan to Jim Patterson Stadium for a three-game set beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. Games two and three are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. All three games will be televised on ACC Network Extra, with radio coverage available on 970 WGTK.

BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
Louisville got back on the right side of the scoreboard on Wednesday afternoon with a 6-5 victory over Eastern Kentucky. Jimmy Nugent and Jax Hisle combined to drive in five, while the bullpen allowed just one run over 6.2 innings.

TRACKING TOWARD 800
Head coach Dan McDonnell has a chance to reach a milestone this weekend. The Louisville head coach enters the series against Central Michigan just three wins shy of 800 for his career. He would be the first UofL coach regardless of sport to win 800 games at Louisville.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Central Michigan will be meeting for the first time this weekend. The Cardinals have played a weekend series against a MAC school in three of the last four seasons – Akron (2022), Bowling Green (2023), Western Michigan (2025).

PLAYER NOTES

Tague Davis announced his presence at the plate in 2025, setting the Louisville freshman home run record with 18 long balls in his first season. The first baseman tied for the ACC regular season lead in home runs and was the first Louisville freshman to hit double-digit homers since Alex Binelas in 2019. After starting the season 3-for-13, Davis is 10-for-21 over the last five games with seven extra-base hits, including four home runs.
Griffin Crain missed the 2025 season due to injury, but is making the most of the start to his career on the field this spring. Through the first eight games, Crain is leading the team with a .429 average and is second with eight RBIs. He delivered the biggest hit of his young career last Friday against Nebraska, hitting a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning of the Louisville win.
Ethan Eberle worked his way from middle innings reliever to a high leverage bullpen spot, to ultimately starting on the weekends for the Cards as a freshman. The southpaw finished with a 6-2 overall record in 20 appearances, making 10 starts. Eberle started the clinching games in both the regional and super regional rounds, combining to allow just two runs over 11.1 innings in wins over Wright State and Miami. Eberle has given up just three runs in 10 innings over his first two starts.
Ty Starke had an impactful freshman season in 2024, but saw his numbers inflate as a sophomore. The lefty is off to an excellent start in 2026, having made three scoreless appearances to start the spring. Starke has given up just one hit in 3.2 innings, earning the win against Xavier.
Aaron England made just five appearances in 2025, recording just 4.1 innings on the mound. He's been thrust into a major role in the bullpen this spring, however, having been called upon to close out Louisville's victories over Nebraska and Eastern Kentucky. England has faced the minimum in those two outings, recording his first two career saves.