After starting the season 0-4, Louisville has entered the month of March with some momentum. The Cardinals have won seven straight games, on the heels of an offense that has been very strong as of late.
Louisville (7-4) looks to continue their momentum this week in their homestand, hosting Morehead State and Northwestern at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Game Results
Against Xavier, the Cardinals fell behind 2-0 after two innings and never recovered. The Musketeers logged runs in seven of nine innings and 15 hits throughout, while Louisville left ten runners on base and had one run on eight hits.
After dropping a 3-4 loss to St. Bonaventure in game one of a Friday doubleheader, that’s when things turned around for Louisville. The Cardinals would go on to score 21, 15, and 18 runs in each of their next three games against the Bonnies, all three being victories for Louisville.
Their offensive momentum carried on to the following week. Louisville picked up a midweek victory over Eastern Kentucky, taking a 12-3 decision over the Colonels. Afterwards, Louisville swept Youngstown State on scores of 19-1, 9-5, and 10-2.
Stats* of Note
*- all stats listed are as of March 6th, 2024
Right away, we have to talk about the offensive output that Louisville has been having the last week and a half. The Cardinals have scored at least nine runs in each of their last seven games, and 10+ in six of their last seven. In total, they’ve scored 104 runs in that stretch, which has resulted in them ranking 15th nationally in runs (118) through 11 games this season. They’re also currently ninth nationally in batting average (.344), 12th in OBP (.457), 17th in hits (131), 22nd in stolen bases (26), and 31st in doubles (28).
Their seven-game winning streak, however, has come against St. Bonaventure (140th in RPI), EKU (279th), and Youngstown State (293rd), with the 285th ranked strength of schedule according to WarrenNolan.com. Louisville’s games this week have a chance to improve their own RPI ranking, though. The Cardinals enter this week ranked 257th and face Morehead State (135th) and Northwestern (25th).
JT Benson had a pair of strong outings, batting 3-of-4 with two RBIs on February 25th against St. Bonaventure, then 3-of-3 with a home run and four RBIs on February 27th against EKU. Benson currently leads the team in batting (.414), walks (12), and OBP (.591).
Brandon Anderson has been one of Louisville’s strongest hitters in the last two weeks, logging five multi-hit games during Louisville’s seven game winning streak. He’s also had 14 of 15 RBIs in that stretch along with two home runs, leading the team in RBIs and tied with both Luke Napleton and Logan Beard for the team lead in home runs.
Lucas Moore, Alex Alicea, and Zion Rose have been impressing as first-year players with early playing time. Moore has played in all 11 games to date and leads the team in stolen bases (9-of-11), while batting .367 with two doubles and five RBIs. Alicea has made seven starts at second base and been strong at the plate, batting .360 with a 1.044 OPS and ten RBIs. Rose currently averages .294 with an .804 OPS in four games played.
Eddie King, Jr. hit an inside-the-park home run on March 1st against Youngstown State, becoming the first Louisville player since 2005 to achieve it. King is averaging .313 with an .858 OPS, two doubles, one home run, and six RBIs.
On the mound, starters Sebastian Gongora and Evan Webster have been solid lefties in the rotation. Gongora pitched six innings with ten strikeouts against Youngstown State, his first 10-strikeout game since 2022 against Northern Kentucky when he was at Wright State. Webster has allowed just one earned run in 14 innings pitched so far, posting a 0.64 ERA for the season with 15 strikeouts and just two walks.
Ty Starke and Tucker Biven have been among the best relievers from Louisville’s bullpen, both holding a zero ERA in three and four appearances, respectively. Parker Detmers has had a solid start to his Louisville career, allowing two runs in 4.2 innings in his first career start against St. Bonaventure, then 1.2 shutout innings against Youngstown State. Patrick Forbes has made two starts, allowing just .167 batting with a 3.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
Opponents This Week
Like Louisville, Morehead State enters today’s game with a 7-4 record. The Eagles have taken two-of-three in all three of their weekend series’ to date, and are coming off a series win over Butler last weekend where they scored 11+ runs in every game (and scored 11+ runs in four of their last five).
Northwestern enters this weekend with a 5-5 record, coming off a sweep last weekend against Bethune-Cookman.
Players to Watch: Morehead State
Ryley Preece (.370 batting) is coming off a spectacular weekend against Butler, where he batted 7-of-12 (.583) with five home runs and ten RBIs against the Bulldogs. The Paintsville, Ky. native was also a First-Team All-OVC player in 2023 and earned OVC Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in Morehead State history to have 20 home runs and stolen bases apiece in a single season.
Colton Becker (.435 batting) has also had a strong start to 2024, logging a hit in ten of Morehead State’s 11 games this season with four doubles, three home runs, 15 RBIs, and a team-high nine stolen bases. Nick Gooden is a veteran that was All-OVC Second Team last season at second base, he’s batting .364 with a home run and six RBIs.
Morehead State, however, hasn’t fared well in their pitching this season. Their team ERA sits at 7.31 which is sixth out of ten OVC schools, and they’ve given up at least nine runs in all four of their losses.
Players to Watch: Northwestern
The Wildcats have respectable numbers as a team, batting .263 and posting a 6.31 team ERA through ten games this season.
On the mound, expect Nolan Morr and Luke Benneche to make starts on the mound. Morr has been solid in his first three starts, throwing six shutout innings on opening weekend against Tulane, and allowing two earned runs in seven full innings on the road against Duke. He enters this weekend with 16 strikeouts to just three walks on the season, and a 2.95 ERA. Benneche has a 4.15 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. Jack Dyke (6.14 ERA, 2.32 WHIP) and Drew Dickson (8.22 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) have already made four appearances from the bullpen this season and should be contributing this weekend.
At the plate, Northwestern has three qualifying batters averaging over .300 at the plate. Owen McElfatrick is coming off a weekend where he batted 6-of-15 (.400) with two doubles, one home runs, and seven RBIs against Bethune-Cookman. He currently leads the Wildcats in RBIs (11), home runs (two), and doubles (five). Griffin Arnone also had a strong series against Bethune-Cookman, batting 5-of-9 (.556) with two doubles, a triple, and three RBIs. Arnone currently leads the team in batting (.364) and OPS (1.093) in eight games started this season.
How to Watch / Listen:
Today’s game against Morehead State starts at 3 p.m. ET, available on 970 AM and ACC Network Extra with free admission.
The series against Northwestern also starts at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, with Saturday and Sunday games starting at 1 p.m. and noon, respectively. All three games will air on ACC Network Extra, with Friday’s game also airing on 970 AM. Saturday and Sunday’s games will either be on 93.9 The Ville or 970 AM.
