Louisville closed its regular season on a high note, winning both the midweek game versus Bellarmine and its weekend series (two games to one) against Virginia. The Cardinals clinched their 22nd straight winning season, and head into ACC Tournament play with 30 wins on the year.
With a 6-12 record against Q1 opponents (along with a 6-6 Q2 record and six Q4 losses) and ranked 83rd in the RPI, Louisville will need to win the ACC Tournament to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament (which will require winning five games in as many days). U of L has not won a conference tournament in baseball since 2009.
Louisville starts its road to the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday with a rematch against Pitt.
Last Week in Cliff Notes
Louisville trailed Bellarmine 6-0 after the top of the second inning, but scored 13 unanswered runs (including seven in the third) and eventually cruised to a 14-7 win over the Knights. Kade Elam led the Cardinals with two home runs and three RBI, with Tague Davis also adding a home run (his 34th of the season).
The Cardinals stumbled out of the gates in the Virginia series, losing 8-3. Virginia took advantage of three Louisville errors to take a 7-0 lead through six innings, with all runs unearned as a result.
But Louisville rebounded with wins in the next two games to close out the series. Friday saw Louisville take a 12-2 win over Virginia in eight innings, with Zion Rose closing the game on a walk-off RBI single to force the run-rule victory. Rose went 3-for-6 with two RBI in the leadoff spot, with Alex Alicea also having three hits on the evening.
Saturday saw Louisville take a 7-0 lead, led by home runs from Bayram Hot and Zion Rose in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. Virginia cut the lead to 7-5 with a five-spot in the eighth inning, but Louisville responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, led by a solo homer from Lucas Moore, to take a 10-5 win over the Cavaliers in game three.
Postseason Numbers and Notes
Tague Davis earned First Team All-ACC honors and became the second player in Louisville history to earn ACC Player of the Year honors, joining Brendan McKay (2017) as the only Cardinal players to earn that award. Davis broke several ACC and Louisville records this season, hitting 34 home runs and driving in 96 RBI. Additionally, Davis leads the team in batting (.358) and slugging (.863).
Joining Davis in All-ACC First Team honors is outfielder Zion Rose, who earned All-ACC First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Rose averaged .410 with 13 doubles, six home runs, 44 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 34 games played. Bayram Hot (Third Team) and Griffin Crain (Freshman Team) also earned All-ACC honors this season; Hot averaged .337 batting with 15 doubles, 17 stolen bases, nine home runs, and 40 RBI, and was one of three Louisville players to start all 56 games this season (Tague Davis and Lucas Moore were the other two). Crain had a breakout season in 2026, averaging .355 at the plate with 14 doubles and 47 RBI
This Week’s Schedule
All games this week take place in Charlotte, N.C. for the ACC Baseball Tournament.
- vs. Pitt
- Tues. May 19 at 9 p.m. ET (ACC Network / 93.9 The Ville / 970 AM)
- vs. Wake Forest (if Louisville wins on Tuesday)
- Wed. May 20 at 9 p.m. ET (ACC Network / 93.9 The Ville)
- vs. Florida State (if Louisville wins on Wednesday)
- Fri. May 22 at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network / 93.9 The Ville)
- ACC Tournament semifinals
- Sat. May 23 at 5 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
- ACC Tournament finals
- Sun. May 24 at noon ET (ESPN2)
A complete schedule of the ACC Tournament can be found on ACC.com.
Opponent Primer: Pittsburgh
Louisville begins its ACC Tournament run with a rematch against Pitt, who beat the Cardinals in a three-game series back in late March (and also eliminated Louisville in last year’s ACC Tournament). Pitt finished its regular season in a slump, losing eight of their last ten games and coming into the postseason with a 30-23 record. Like Louisville, Pitt may need to win the ACC Tournament to clinch their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Lorenzo Carrier ended up finishing as one of the ACC’s best hitters. He holds a .396 batting average and 53 walks (both third-best in ACC), and a .543 on-base percentage (best in ACC) to go with 20 home runs (T-second in ACC) and 66 RBI (T-fifth in ACC). He headlines a Pitt offense that leads the ACC in walks (368) and is second in home runs (102).
Caden Dulin earned Second-Team All-ACC honors with a stellar season, averaging .355 batting with 11 doubles, 12 home runs, and 43 RBI. He had a strong series against Louisville in March, batting 9-for-16 (.500) with six RBI, two home runs, and two doubles. AJ Nessler (.321/.422/.509, 40 RBI) and Trey Fenderson (.306/.374/.447, 13 doubles, 45 RBI) are also averaging over .300 batting for the season.
Opponent Primer: Wake Forest
If Louisville defeats Pitt on Tuesday, they’ll head into a rematch with Wake Forest, who swept Louisville in their series three weeks ago. The Demon Deacons enter the ACC Tournament with a 38-18 record, having won their last three weekend series (Louisville, Western Carolina, and Duke). They are currently projected as a safe lock for the NCAA Tournament on D1Baseball.com’s most recent projections, but winning the ACC Tournament could put Wake Forest in the conversation for a regional host bid.
Kade Lewis earned Second Team All-ACC honors, leading Wake Forest in batting (.359) and adding ten doubles, 13 home runs, and 55 RBI. Javar Williams, Luke Costello, and Dalton Wentz all earned Third Team All-ACC honors, in addition to pitchers Chris Levonas (First Team) and Evan Jones (Freshman Team) earning all-conference honors.
Wake Forest holds a 4.62 team ERA (seventh in ACC) and leads the conference with 638 strikeouts. Evan Jones (2-1, 3.76 ERA in 20 appearances) has 52 strikeouts in 38.1 innings of work and is holding opponents to .175 batting at the plate. Ryan Bosch (1-1, 2.60 ERA in 20 appearances) and Zach Johnston (1-0, 2.86 ERA in 18 appearances) have also been superb in relief.
Opponent Primer: Florida State
Should Louisville avenge its losses to Pitt and Wake Forest to start the ACC Tournament, they will then have to face Florida State in the quarterfinals. The Seminoles are currently projected as a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and with a conference tournament win, could position themselves as a top-eight overall seed.
FSU enters the ACC Tournament with a 38-16 record, holding notable series wins over NC State, Wake Forest, and Virginia, and have won their last three weekend series against Pitt, Clemson, and Miami (FL).
The Seminoles suffered a huge blow when star first baseman Myles Bailey suffered an ankle injury, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. Bailey averaged .363 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI in 26 games played, and still leads FSU in home runs despite being out of action since March 28th.
Hunter Carns and Brayden Dowd have led the team offensively, as they are the only two qualifying Seminole players averaging over .300 at the plate. Dowd has 12 doubles, 10 home runs, and 34 RBI to go with a .301 batting average. Brody DeLamielleure has been on a tear in the last month, batting 30-for-75 (.400) with 18 RBI and seven doubles in his last 17 games. DeLamielleure is averaging .342 batting for the season with 26 RBI in 32 games played.
With Florida State earning a double bye in the conference tournament, they will be able to rest their pitching staff and have everyone ready. Their starting rotation is excellent, with Wes Mendes (9-3, 2.68 ERA, 109 strikeouts) earning First Team All-ACC and ACC Pitcher of the Year honors, and Bryson Moore (6-2, 3.88 ERA) and Trey Beard (6-1, 4.78 ERA) also playing solid for most of the season. John Abraham (1-1, 1.04 ERA) has six saves in 17 appearances and is allowing .182 at the plate, with Chris Knier (4-0, 2.97 ERA in 22 appearances) as another strong reliever.
Other ACC Teams to Watch
- Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets won the ACC regular season title with a 25-5 conference record, only losing one weekend series in ACC play (at North Carolina). GT is riding a ten-game win streak into the conference tournament, and boasts the nation’s best offense, averaging a staggering .358 batting as a team (leads Division I), has 114 home runs (fourth-best in D-I), and also have drawn 351 walks (third-best in D-I). GT had the most All-ACC First Team players with five, including Jarren Advincula, who has an insane .441 batting average along with 62 RBI. Vaun Lackey is also averaging over .400 at the plate (.402, 16 doubles, 15 HRs, 69 RBIs), with eight total GT batters averaging .300 or greater. Georgia Tech is currently projected as the #2 overall seed in D1Baseball.com’s NCAA Tournament projections (as of May 18th).
- North Carolina: The Tar Heels are looking to defend their ACC Tournament title from last year. UNC is the only ACC team to beat Georgia Tech in a three-game series this season, and like GT, is in the mix for a top-eight overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. UNC has a team ERA of 3.73 (lowest in ACC) and is allowing just .237 at the plate. Jason DeCaro (10-2, 2.73 ERA) earned All-ACC First Team honors with a strong season, with 69 strikeouts and allowing .234 at the plate. Caden Glauber (8-0, 1.96 ERA, four saves) also earned All-ACC First Team honors as a reliever, with Walker McDuffie (6-2, 2.86 ERA) having 29 appearances and being one of the best relievers in the ACC.
