Another week in the office for Louisville, as they went 4-0 during the week against Eastern Kentucky and Nebraska-Omaha. The four-game stretch pushed Louisville’s record at home to 40-3 in their last 43 games. For more information on last week’s games, be sure to check out the postgame recap on CSZ.
Up next, the Cardinals will finish their eight-game home stand against another in-state foe in Morehead State, then a weekend series against Eastern Michigan.
The Batting Order
1. McKay Now Solely in Fourth All-Time
In the 7-2 win over Nebraska-Omaha, Brendan McKay is now alone at fourth in all-time wins (23). One more win will tie him for third all-time with Justin Amlung (24). McKay’s former teammate Kyle Funkhouser (35) and Justin Marks (29) are also ahead of the junior. McKay gets a shot at tying Amlung for third all-time on Friday’s game against Eastern Michigan.
2. Snider’s Faux Incredible Feat
In Wednesday’s game, an error during Jake Snider’s hit allowed the freshman to make it around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Due to the error, the feat does not count however, which would have been the first of its kind since 2005 for the Cardinals.
3. A One-Hit Wonder On Saturday
On Sunday, the Cardinals shut out Nebraska-Omaha 7-0, allowing only one hit by the Mavericks in the fifth inning. This was the first time since May 2015 (10-0 win against Florida State) that U of L allowed their opponent to score only one hit in a game.
The last no-hitter that a Louisville pitcher has thrown was in 1983, when Dave McCormick threw one against Cincinnati.
4. Louisville In-State Dominance Continues
After Wednesday’s 19-3 win over Eastern Kentucky, the Cardinals have won ten straight against in-state opponents. Their last loss to an in-state foe was in April 2015, when the Cards lost 7-3 at Western Kentucky. The Cardinals play another in-state foe today against Morehead State, where U of L currently holds a 16-game winning streak against the Eagles.
5. Hot Start for the Cardinals
Louisville’s seven-game winning streak to start the season is the longest since 2010, when the Cardinals started the season 13-0. During the stretch, Louisville has shutout three of their opponents, while also scoring 10+ runs in four of the first seven games.
6. Logan Taylor Red-Hot as the Leadoff
With Corey Ray off to the major leagues, Logan Taylor assumed the role as the leadoff for 2017. The senior had a stellar week at the plate, finishing 9-of-16 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and seven RBI. Entering today’s game, Taylor is batting .464, second among the team in batting average (McKay leads with .619).
7. Back-to-back Shutouts for Louisville
The Cardinals shutout Nebraska-Omaha in their series on Saturday (10-0) and Sunday (6-0), ensuring back-to-back shutouts for the first time since March 2016. In that previous stretch, Louisville shutout Virginia (15-0) and in-state foe Western Kentucky (17-0).
8. Cardinals Among NCAA Leaders in Hitting and Strikeouts
The Cardinals hot start to the season has been mainly noted with stellar performances at the plate. The Cardinals currently rank ninth in batting average in the NCAA (.356), led by Brendan McKay who is currently fifth among all batters in Division I (.619). The junior is also seventh in on-base percentage (.677), and sixth in slugging (1.095).
It should also be noted that Michael McAvene and Kade McClure are both top 25 in strikeouts per nine innings (15.6 and 14.9, respectively).
9. About Morehead State and Eastern Michigan:
Morehead State enters today’s game against the Cardinals 5-3, with a ranked win against Mississippi State. This win is noted with the Eagles scoring ten runs in the final inning to put away the Bulldogs 13-8. All-OVC candidate Will Schneider is one to watch today, currently batting .400 with three doubles and five RBI. Schneider also has four multi-hit games in the last five; he, Trevor Snyder (.364 BA) and Reid Leonard (.355 BA) are a solid trio of hitters in the OVC.
Eastern Michigan, however, has a week off before coming to Jim Patterson Stadium. EMU is currently 2-8, their only wins against Missouri and St. Bonaventure. John Montgomery leads EMU with a .389 batting average, three doubles, seven RBI and one of two home runs the Eagles have hit all season.
How to Watch/Listen:
Today’s game against Morehead State is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start time, with coverage on ACC Network Extra (available through ESPN3), on 1450 AM and 96.1 FM.
Friday’s series-opener against Eastern Michigan starts at 3 p.m., with radio coverage on 1450 AM. Saturday and Sunday will start at noon and 1 p.m. respectively, with both games moving over to 93.9 The Ville. All three games will be available on ESPN3, and admission is free throughout the week.
