Welcome back to Around the Bases, where we fill the gaps and provide you with your daily sustenance of Louisville baseball coverage.
The Cardinals got off to a rough start, losing 6-3 to Virginia on Friday. However, Louisville rebounded with a fury and convincingly took the series with 11-4 and 15-0 wins over the Cavaliers, making it their first series win against a top 25 opponent this season. If you missed it last night, Louisville followed that up with a very dominant performance at Western Kentucky, winning 17-0 on a season-high 20 hits.
Up next for Louisville is a return home for a weekend series against Virginia Tech, with the Cardinals having three consecutive games of 10+ runs.
The Batting Order
- Corey Ray does it again: After a solid week at Purdue and v. Virginia, Corey Ray took home the ACC Player of the Week award for the second time this season. The junior hit .368 during the weekend with 10 RBI, three stolen bases and hit his seventh home run of the season on Saturday.
- Brendan McKay Invited to USA Collegiate National Team: For the second straight year, McKay accepts an invite to the USA Collegiate Baseball National Team. In McKay’s five wins on the mound, he has had no less than eight strikeouts and currently holds a 1.10 ERA this season. The sophomore is also batting .306 with 16 RBIs, seven doubles and 13 walks.
- Historic Offense: On Sunday, Louisville scored 10 runs in the 5th inning en route to a 15-0 win. This was the most runs in a single inning – as well as a conference game – for the Cardinals since 2010. The Cardinals have scored 10+ runs in 10 of their 16 wins this season.
- Back-to-back Shutouts: Sunday’s 15-0 and Tuesday’s 17-0 win gave Louisville its first back-to-back shutout wins with 10+ runs in school history, and the road win on Tuesday was also Louisville’s biggest shutout win since 1993 (stats provided by Kelly Dickey). Louisville has had six shutouts in their 16 wins as well.
- Kade McClure Continues to Excel: It was another dominant performance for McClure on Tuesday, as he only allowed one hit while striking out five in the shutout victory against WKU. McClure improved to 6-0 as a weekday starter with a 1.64 ERA and is second in the nation with a .61 WHIP.
- Enter Colby Fitch: The catcher made the most of last weekend, batting .556 with 6 RBI, a triple and two home runs. Fitch currently leads the team with a .512 batting average in 17 games and a whopping .930 slugging.
- About Virginia Tech: The Hokies enter the series with a 10-16 record with an 11-game losing streak. Their last win was on March 11th, when the Hokies defeated Miami 14-3.
- Players to Watch (Virginia Tech): CF Saige Jenco and DH Nick Anderson. Anderson is a solid power-hitter for the Hokies and will usually play outfield or DH. The senior currently leads the team in doubles (6), slugging (.463), and second in on-base percentage (.425). Jenco is one of the stars for the Hokies, and earned All-ACC Third Team honors last season. Jenco currently bats .325 and leads the team in walks (19), on-base percentage (.467) and stolen bases (5).
- How to Watch/Listen: Throughout the weekend, the Louisville/Virginia Tech will start 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with TV coverage on ESPN3. Monday’s game will start at 7 p.m., with TV coverage on ESPNU. All three games will also have radio coverage on 93.9 The Ville.
