Around the Bases (2026): Week Four

Louisville went a perfect 4-0 last week, defeating Eastern Kentucky 6-5 and sweeping Central Michigan on scores of 16-2 (seven inning run-rule), 9-8, and 7-5.

The Cardinals enter this week at 7-4, and continue their homestand this week with games against Morehead State and Seton Hall.

Last Week in Cliff Notes

Louisville started last week with a 6-5 victory over Eastern Kentucky. The Cardinals trailed 4-3 after the top of the third inning, but Jax Hisle drove in two runs on a RBI double put Louisville ahead for good. Jimmy Nugent added a RBI double in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 6-4. After EKU closed the gap to 6-5 in the seventh inning, Jack Brown (1.2 IP, BB) and Aaron England (1.0 IP, K, BB) pitched the final 2.2 innings in shutout appearances for both pitchers.

Game one of the Central Michigan series saw Louisville take a 16-2 win in seven innings, headlined by a nine-run burst in the fifth inning. Game two, however, saw the Cards getting a walk-off RBI single from Griffin Crain to take the series in a 9-8 victory over the Chippewas. Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Tague Davis had a two-RBI single, with Jax Hisle tying the game via RBI single. Griffin Crain’s RBI single afterwards gave the Cards the walk-off, as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs on Saturday.

Louisville would close the sweep with a 7-5 victory over Central Michigan on Sunday, led by Bayram Hot’s 3-for-5 afternoon.

Notable Numbers

It was a huge week for sophomore Griffin Crain, who gave Louisville a walk-off win in Saturday’s 9-8 victory over Central Michigan. The Rhode Island native went 7-for-14 across all four games last week, with seven RBIs in the weekend series versus Central Michigan (including five on a 2-for-3 evening at the plate). In ten games played (with nine starts), Crain leads all qualifying Louisville players with a .452 batting average, adding three doubles and 15 RBIs to his totals.

Tague Davis added two more home runs last week, bringing his total to five this season. He leads the team in both home runs (five) and RBIs (18) through three weeks, in addition to batting .400 at the plate with a 1.329 OPS and .867 slugging. Alongside Crain and Davis, Bayram Hot is also batting .400. Hot had five RBIs last weekend versus Central Michigan, all of them coming in games two and three of the series.

Jimmy Nugent was a big factor in Louisville’s 6-5 win over Eastern Kentucky last week, batting 3-for-4 with three RBIs against the Colonels. He is currently batting .294 with three doubles and six RBIs on the season. Jax Hisle had five RBIs to go with 5-for-14 batting last week, he is currently averaging .275 with nine RBIs through 11 games.

On the mound, Louisville has had some good outings from the bullpen. Aaron England has emerged as a solid right-handed reliever. He already has five appearances this season after making as many last year; in four of them, he has had shutouts, including two last week. So far, England has a 4.26 ERA with three saves in 2026. Zane Stahl still holds a zero ERA after making his third appearance in relief versus Central Michigan. Freshman Brandon Shannon pitched the final three innings with one earned run and six strikeouts, picking up the first win of his collegiate career in Saturday’s win over Central Michigan.

Ethan Eberle picked up his first win of 2026 on Friday versus Central Michigan, delivering nine strikeouts and allowing just two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work. Eberle currently has a 2.87 ERA and 19 strikeouts in three starts. Wyatt Danilowicz has a 1-1 record, 3.95 ERA, and a team-high 21 strikeouts through three starts. Starters Jake Bean and Peter Michael currently have ERAs of 9.69 and 16.88, respectively.

Head coach Dan McDonnell reached a milestone by sweeping Central Michigan last weekend, earning his 800th career win at Louisville.

This Week’s Schedule

• v. Morehead State
  • Tues. Mar. 3rd at 3 p.m. ET (970 AM / ACCNX via ESPN+)
• v. Seton Hall
  • Fri. Mar. 6th at 3 p.m. ET (970 AM / ACCNX via ESPN+)
  • Sat. Mar. 7th at 1 p.m. ET (970 AM / ACCNX via ESPN+)
  • Sun. Mar. 8th at 1 p.m. ET (970 AM or 93.9 The Ville / ACCNX via ESPN+)

Opponent Primer: Morehead State

The Eagles (4-7) head into Tuesday’s game versus Louisville having lost six of their last seven games, but have already earned a notable win over Kentucky on February 17th (an 8-6 victory over the Wildcats).

Aubrey Kearns has been off to a good start through 11 games, batting a team-high .419 with 11 RBIs. He and Caden Sheridan (.278, seven RBIs) are tied for the team lead with three home runs, part of Morehead State’s 15 on the season (T-1st in Ohio Valley Conference). Nick Griffith batted 5-for-11 last weekend versus Southern with a double, triple, and two RBIs. He is currently batting .297 on the season, with Kyle Krupp (.333, five RBIs) and Jaden Correa (.314, five RBIs) batting over .300.

Morehead State’s pitching has had a rough start to the season. They recently lost a weekend series to Winthrop where the Eagles gave up ten and 19 runs in games one and two, and gave up 21 runs to Northern Kentucky in their loss to the Norse on February 25th. Expect names such as Carter Owens (1-0, 13.50 ERA in four appearances), Ethan Davis (0-2, 10.80 ERA), and Alex Miller (5.23 ERA in four appearances) to make appearances. Miller pitched three shutout innings in Morehead State’s win over Kentucky. Devin Costa (0-1, 2.57 ERA, two saves in four appearances) and Luke Hayes (1-0, zero ERA, .71 WHIP in four appearances) could also make appearances, and are Morehead State’s top relievers.

Opponent Primer: Seton Hall

Seton Hall (4-4) will play in town versus Bellarmine on Tuesday before heading to Jim Patterson Stadium. The Pirates are coming off a weekend series loss to Southern Illinois, and have wins over Manhattan (7-2), George Mason (8-6), and Merrimack (11-10).

The Pirates are batting just .244 as a team this season, with Ryan Frontera (.367, two doubles, three RBIs) and Aiden Dill (.346, two doubles, five RBIs) as the only qualifying batters averaging over .300 at the plate.

On the mound, Seton Hall has a 5.38 team ERA and is allowing .261 at the plate. Steven Svenson was named as the Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year back in December after earning Second Team All-Big East honors last year. He has a 3.95 ERA in three starts with ten strikeouts and four walks. John Downing (4.50 ERA in two starts) also earned Preseason All-Big East team honors alongside Svenson and will also likely start a game in the series; he is coming off a strong 2025 campaign, where he went 6-0 with a 2.70 ERA and four saves in 14 appearances. Monmouth transfer Derek Benzinger (1-0, 3.38 ERA in four appearances), John Higgins (zero ERA, .20 WHIP in three appearances), and Stephen Curry (1-1, 4.50 ERA in three appearances) are notable relievers to watch this weekend.