It’s fall but there’s still some baseball news for the Louisville Cardinals in October. Let’s jump right into it.
Louisville Has 2020 Opener With Ole Miss
Louisville has yet to release their full 2020 schedule, but it appears that they will have one of the most anticipated opening weekend series that season.
According to a release from Ole Miss baseball, the Rebels are slated to open their 2020 season at home against the Cardinals.
NEWS | #RebsBSB announces its 2020 schedule, featuring 32 games against teams that played in last year's NCAA Tournament and 16 games against 2019 College World Series teams.
📰 https://t.co/77L79Zb2eo
📆 https://t.co/NPJS7cACpi
🎟 https://t.co/GcWRZnWPYv #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/XBd2dpDt8C— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) October 1, 2019
This will pit two likely top-25 teams against each other in a huge opening weekend tilt. Ole Miss is coming off an appearance in the Super Regional, coming up short in three games against SEC rival Arkansas. Louisville enters 2020 after reaching the College World Series for the fifth time in program history, finishing a school-best 3rd/4th place.
This is also a rematch of 2019’s two-game midweek series, where Louisville defeated Ole Miss in both games. Head coach Mike Bianco is the father of Louisville catcher / first baseman Ben Bianco, which will surely create interesting chatter at the dinner table for whoever wins.
Cardinals in the MLB Playoffs
The MLB postseason will feature four teams that housed former U of L players.
Brendan McKay (Tampa Bay), Chad Green (New York Yankees), Adam Duvall (Atlanta), and Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers) all contributed to their team’s efforts to make the postseason.
McKay is part of a Rays club that will be looking to defeat the Oakland A’s in the wildcard game later tonight. The 2017 Golden Spikes Award winner was called up on June 29th against the Texas Rangers, and went on to finish with a 2-4 record and 5.14 ERA in his first run as a big leaguer. McKay also batted .200 and belted his first home run against the Boston Red Sox on September 23rd.
Chad Green was one of the top bullpen options for a Yankees team that finished with 103 wins and took the American League East division title. Green led the Yankees bullpen with 98 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched, closing with a 4-4 record and a 4.17 ERA. While the Yankees do not have their 25-man postseason roster updated, it should be expected that Green will make it as a top bullpen option.
The same could be said for Adam Duvall. Duvall bounced frequently between the Atlanta Braves and AAA Gwinnett, but when called upon he provided Atlanta with great depth in the outfield. Duvall hit .267 with ten home runs and 19 RBIs for Atlanta, while also smashing the Gwinnett franchise record with 32 home runs for their AAA affiliate. Duvall should be a key bench player for the Braves outfield.
Will Smith made his MLB debut on May 29th with the Dodgers, and went on to become part of a club that had a league-best 106 wins and took the NL West crown. Smith averaged .253 with nine doubles, 15 home runs and 42 RBIs in 54 games played.
