Watch: 2026 Louisville Baseball Media Day

Head coach Dan McDonnell and several Cardinals were available at Louisville baseball's annual Media Day.

Louisville s Dan McDonnell talks to the media as Dalton Rushing went to to catch against Virginia in the last game of the regular season.May 21, 2022 Louisville 27 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - College baseball is just one week away from making its triumphant return.

On Friday, the Louisville baseball program held the 2026 edition of their annual Media Day at Jim Patterson Stadium, near the campus of the University of Louisville. The first pitch of the 2026 season is set for Friday, Feb. 13 at 3:00 p.m. EST, when Louisville hosts Michigan State at Jim Patterson Stadium for a weekend series.

"This is an exciting time of the year," head coach Dan McDonnell said. "Looking forward to playing somebody in another uniform. Obviously, when you see our schedule, it's very challenging, especially on the front end before the 30 ACC games and the rival games. It's just a week away, and
then we'll take it from there."

After previously missing out on the NCAA Tournament three times in a four-year span, Louisville was able to bounce back in spectacular fashion last year. The Cardinals finished their 2025 campaign with a mark of 42-25, culminating in their sixth appearance in the College World Series

There is reason to believe that head coach Dan McDonnell, who is entering his 20th year with the program and sports an overall record of 793-358-1, can guide UofL to a seventh trip to Omaha in 2026. Louisville has one of the best returning corps of position players, headlined by preseason All-Americans Zion Rose, Lucas Moore and Tague Davis. Additionally, of the 561.0 innings pitched by Louisville players last year, 351.2 of them - or 62.7 percent - are back for the 2026 season.

"We have to go out and hunt," McDonnell said. "We do pretty good with a chip on our shoulder. We we can't get comfortable. What happened last year and what people are saying about us this year, you got to go out and earn it. Everybody's 0-0, and nobody's resume is written on on day one. You have the opportunity to write your resume."

Below are the videos from McDonnell's media day press conference, as well as select players from the team:

Head Coach Dan McDonnell

Infielder Alex Alicea, outfielder Lucas Moore and outfielder Zion Rose

Left-Handed Pitcher Wyatt Danilowicz, Left-Handed Pitcher Ethan Eberle and Right-Handed Pitcher Jake Schweitzer

(Photo of Dan McDonnell: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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