It was a perfect 5-0 week for the Cardinals last week. The Cardinals came back from an early 4-0 deficit to beat Wright State, then followed that up with an offensive explosion as they rolled to a 24-6 win over Cincinnati. Louisville then traveled to Pittsburgh and swept the Panthers on the road (6-3, 6-5, 8-5), giving them their first perfect week since mid-April.
Up next, Louisville (37-15) closes their regular season with a four-game homestand against Indiana and Notre Dame.
Stats and Trends
On Tuesday, Reid Detmers had arguably the best outing of his season against Wright State. The freshman allowed four runs early on, but ended up pitching six innings with a season high ten strikeouts. Detmers has been Louisville’s best option as the midweek starter, dealing solid performances in wins against Texas Tech, Kentucky and Vanderbilt so far. He’ll also get the start today against Indiana, looking to continue his momentum at the mound.
Josh Stowers was Louisville’s most impressive batter in their five-game stretch last week. The junior went 10-for-21 (.476 batting) with two doubles and a home run. Stowers also went 4-for-6 on stolen bases during the week, making him the only Louisville player with 30 stolen bases in 2018. His 30 stolen bases also rank him seventh in Division I baseball.
Among the other notable performers from last week were Devin Mann and Drew Campbell. Mann had four multi-hit games during the five-game stretch, hitting 9-for-21 (.428) with three doubles and two home runs. Both Mann and Logan Wyatt lead the team in walks (51), which ranks both in a three-way tie for fourth in Division I baseball. Drew Campbell averaged .444 at the plate, also driving in four RBIs and a double.
Logan Wyatt also had a couple of stellar performances during the week. Wyatt led Louisville with a 4-6 showing at the plate, driving in four RBIs in their 24-6 win over Cincinnati. Wyatt also went 3-for-4 with two doubles in a 6-5 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, upping his total to 22 entering today. Wyatt’s 22 doubles not only ranks him first in the ACC, but he only needs five more to break Adam Duvall’s single-season record of 27, set in 2010.
Louisville’s 24 runs against Cincinnati on Wednesday was the most by the Cardinals since 2010, when they beat Rutgers with a similar score of 24-6.
NCAA Tournament Watch
A perfect 5-0 week for Louisville certainly helps their resume out, especially after beating a solid Wright State team that could be in this year’s tournament.
After Indiana’s recent slump and other teams rising and falling, it appears the projected regional of Indiana/Louisville/Kentucky seems to have broken up for now. In the Sun Herald’s recent tournament projections, the Cardinals are slated to head to Austin, TX in Texas’s regional, along with Houston and Sam Houston State.
But if Kentucky can get a series win at Vanderbilt this weekend and make a deep run in the SEC Tournament next week, it would be a likely guess that either Louisville or Indiana — possibly both — end up in a Lexington regional with the Wildcats. But the SEC is an ultra-deep conference this year, making Kentucky’s run towards hosting an NCAA bid really tough.
Meet the Opponents
The Cardinals will host all four games in their final week of the regular season, both against teams from the Hoosier State. The Cards begin their week with a huge tilt today against Indiana. The Hoosiers (33-15) were a top 25 team for most of the season, but dropped out of the D1Baseball polls after losing five of their last seven games. However, IU has several notable wins against Oklahoma, South Alabama and San Diego and are currently 28th in the RPI. Coached by former Louisville assistant Chris Lemonis, the Hoosiers have several stellar hitters in Matt Gorski (.379 batting, 12 doubles, 33 RBI) and Matt Lloyd (.284 batting, 13 doubles, seven homers, 33 RBI), but the matchup to watch will be the pitcher’s duel between Louisville’s Reid Detmers (3-1, 4.76 ERA) and Indiana’s Cam Beauchamp (4-1, 3.48 ERA).
After that, Louisville ends their regular season with a series Thursday-Saturday against Notre Dame. Despite their 23-25 record, the Irish are 95th in the current RPI, which would give Louisville a decent addition to their resume if they can win that series. Matt Vierling (.314 batting, 37 RBI) returns as a stable veteran in the Irish batting lineup. Freshman Niko Kavadas was recently named ACC Player of the Week on May 7th, posting a .765 on-base percentage and batting .667 at the plate including a home run against Pitt.
How to Watch / Listen:
Today’s game against Indiana is moved to a 5 p.m. start at Jim Patterson Stadium. The weekend series against Notre Dame starts on Thursday at 6 p.m., with Friday’s game also starting at the same time. Saturday’s regular season finale starts at 1 p.m., with all four games available on WatchESPN.
