Cardinals Wrap Up Homestand Wednesday versus Northern Kentucky

Wednesday, March 18

Louisville, Ky.

4:00 PM

University of Louisville

Northern Kentucky

The Cardinals huddle before playing Notre Dame.

Photo by: Paige Kuwata | Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Wrap Up Homestand Wednesday versus Northern Kentucky

March 17, 2026 | Baseball

By: Stephen Williams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville baseball team wraps up a 14-game homestand on Wednesday against Northern Kentucky. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on ACC Network Extra. Radio coverage will be available on 970 WGTK.

OPENING ACC PLAY WITH A SERIES WIN
Louisville began ACC play last weekend by taking two-of-three from Notre Dame. The Cardinals lost a high-scoring affair on Friday before securing victories on Saturday and Sunday to claim the series.

A RIDICULOUS OFFENSIVE WEEK
The Cardinals put together a 4-1 record last week on the backs of an elite offensive showing. In the five games, the Cards scored 74 runs on 86 hits, 34 for extra bases, hitting .455 as a team.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY SERIES HISTORY
Louisville holds an 18-7 advantage in the all-time series with Northern Kentucky. After more than 30 years without playing, the series resumed in 2017 and the Cardinals are a perfect 7-0 against the Norse since.

TEAM NOTES

The Cardinals are 104-25 (.806) under Dan McDonnell against teams from the state of Kentucky (Bellarmine, EKU, Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State, NKU and WKU).
Louisville has an .814 winning percentage (201-46) in regular season non-conference games since the start of 2016.
The Cards have tallied double-digit hits in eight straight contests and 10 of the last 11.
Louisville has scored 152 runs during its current homestand, averaging 11.7 runs over the last 13 games.
After the weekend, the Cardinals rank top 8 nationally in batting average, hits, runs, runs per game, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and triples.
Louisville had just one home run with multiple runners on base in the first 15 games of the season. The Cardinals hit six such homers in two games against Marshall – four three-run, two grand slams – and then added another three-run homer versus Notre Dame.
The Cards had nine offensive innings with at least seven runs scored last season. Louisville already has seven this spring.

PLAYER NOTES

Tague Davis set 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. Davis
homered in five consecutive games from March 6-11, joining Mark Jurich in 2004 as the only Cards to homer in five straight since 2000. Davis heads into the midweek action as the national leader in RBIs at 45 after driving in 17 in five games last week. The sophomore is also third nationally in total bases, sixth in home runs and 11th in hits, leading the ACC in all four categories.
Zion Rose led the Cardinals last season with 67 RBIs and ranked fourth in the ACC in stolen bases, fifth in RBIs, fifth in triples, seventh in runs, 11th in hits and 12th in total bases. The Chicago native was one of just three players in 2025 to have 10 homers, 15 doubles, 30 stolen bases and 60 RBIs. However, Rose missed the first 15 games of this season with an injury. He returned last week and hasn't skipped a beat. Rose went 12-for-21 (.571) with three doubles, two homers, 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases in five games.
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. Crain is leading the team with a .474 average, which is seventh nationally, and is second with 26 RBIs after going 7-for-8 in the final two games of the Notre Dame series. The sophomore has been clutch as well, delivering a go-ahead double that proved to be the game-winner against Nebraska as well as a walk-off single in game two against Central Michigan.
Ben Slanker turned in an All-MAC season at Ohio in 2025, hitting .302 with 21 homers and 69 RBIs. He homered in each of the first two games of the season, but struggled to the tune of 1-for-16 from Feb. 15 through March 8. He found his form again last week however, going 6-for-14 (.429) in four games with four homers and 16 RBIs.
Kade Elam came to Louisville with big expectations, ranked as a top 100 player nationally in the 2025 class. The freshman got off to a slow start, sitting with a .195 average through the first 13 games. Elam has found his groove recently though, tallying multiple hits in each of the last seven games, going 17-for-30 (.567) with three doubles, his first career homer and nine runs scored.
Bayram Hot split time at second base in 2025 in his first season with the Cardinals after transferring from Marist, hitting .326 with three doubles and three homers in 92 at-bats. The senior has started all 20 games this spring at third base and has been excellent at the plate. Hot has already surpassed his 2025 totals for runs, doubles, walks and stolen bases, matched his home run total, and is one shy of his hit total from last spring.
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 victories over Nebraska, Eastern Kentucky, Central Michigan, Seton Hall and Notre Dame. England has not given up a run in those outings, recording his first collegiate win and first three saves.