7th Inning Stretch: Into the Homestretch (Week 12)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The past week for the Louisville baseball program certainly ended a lot better than it started.

The Cardinals (30-13, 12-9 ACC) began the week with a pair of beatdowns, falling at Kentucky to split the home-and-home series with their rival, then falling in this series opener vs. Florida State. However, they proceeded to flip the script for the final two games, out-scoring the 'Noles 23-6 to win the top-20 series.

Given their recent injury luck, things could have started to spiral. Patrick Forbes is week-to-week, Parker Detmers and Matt Klein might not return until the postseason, Tagger Tyson is still out, Garret Pike got banged up this past weekend, and Alex Alicea is playing hurt.

Instead of folding under the combined pressure of expectations and bad luck, Louisville has not only found a way to stay afloat, but continue positioning themselves for a good NCAA Tournament draw. Sure, their pitching and defense is still very up-and-down. But overall, they have proven themselves to be a deadly squad on multiple occasions.

On top of that, their positive momentum couldn't be coming at a better time. There are now just three weeks left in the regular season, and they have a good opportunity for improvement ahead of them. Louisville has the chance to fine tune some things against Eastern Kentucky, and then turn around and prove they can win on the road at Notre Dame.

There's a lot left on the table for Louisville to accomplish. Now, it's all about how they finish.

News & Notes

Louisville ranks as high as No. 17 in the five major collegiate baseball polls (Baseball America, D1 Baseball).
The Cardinals are tied for seventh in the ACC standings.
Outfielder Lucas Moore ranks third nationally in runs with 66 and sixth in stolen bases with 33.
Outfielder Garret Pike ranks No. 16 nationally in sacrifice flies with six, and No. 45 in doubles with 16.
Infielder Tague Davis ranks No. 28 nationally in home runs with 15.
Right-Handed Pitcher Patrick Forbes ranks No. 5 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings at 14.33.

The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

Tuesday, Apr. 29 at 6:00 p.m. EST vs. Eastern Kentucky (ACCNX/93.9 The Ville)

Away (Frank Eck Stadium - South Bend, Ind.)

Thursday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. EST vs Notre Dame (ACCN/93.9 The Ville)
Friday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. EST vs Notre Dame (ACCNX/93.9 The Ville)
Saturday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m. EST vs Notre Dame (ACCNX/93.9 The Ville)

Know The Foe

Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Head Coach (school record): Walt Jones (8-36)
2025 Record (conference record): 5-16 (8-36)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 74-49-1

Top Performers (Hitters):

INF Diego Alana (44 GP, 44 GS): .299/.376/.363, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 7 2B, 20 BB, 3 SB
OF Tait Nunnally (44 GP, 40 GS): .220/.347/.340, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 8 2B, 23 BB, 7 SB
OF Julius Scearce (39 GP, 39 GS): .211/.315/.430, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 6 2B, 2 3B, 17 BB, 1 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers):

RHP Ryker Walton (12 APP, 9 GS): 7.46 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 44.2 IP, 42 K, 23 BB, .292 B/AVG
RHP Nathan Lawson (18 APP, 3 GS): 6.20 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 45.0 IP, 36 K, 13 BB, .330 B/AVG
RHP Burkley Bounds (14 APP, 0 GS): 4.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 27 K, 10 BB, .223 B/AVG

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Head Coach (school record): Shawn Stiffler (81-66)
2025 Record (conference record): 24-17 (10-14)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 40-11

Top Performers (Hitters):

C Carson Tinney (36 GP, 34 GS): .336/.493/.698, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 9 2B, 27 BB
INF Bino Watters (40 GP, 39 GS): .300/.427/.533, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 9 2B, 1 3B, 31 BB, 3 SB
INF Connor Hincks (37 GP, 30 GS): .328/.403/.543, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 10 2B, 3 3B, 12 BB

Top Performers (Pitchers):

RHP Rory Fox (10 APP, 10 GS): 3.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 46.1 IP, 50 K, 18 BB, .185 B/AVG
RHP Jack Radel (10 APP, 10 GS): 4.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 52.0 IP, 43 K, 16 BB, .225 B/AVG
RHP Tobey McDonough (14 APP, 0 GS): 1.82 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 22 K, 8 BB, .255 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

	EKU	ND	UofL
D1Baseball Ranking	NR	NR	17th
RPI	292nd	47th	20th
SOS	145th	56th	23rd
Home Record	7-14	9-9	24-4
Away Record	1-20	13-8	4-8
Neutral Record	0-2	2-0	2-1

Hitting:

	EKU	ND	UofL
Base on Balls	177th (184)	102nd (208)	172nd (187)
Batting Avg.	296th (.226)	223th (.264)	14th (.317)
Home Runs	238th (28)	87th (52)	61st (56)
OBP	296th (.328)	140th (.387)	50th (.412)
Runs/Game	298th (3.7)	127th (6.9)	23rd (8.7)
SLG	291st (.336)	134th (.441)	30th (.515)

Pitching:

	EKU	ND	UofL
ERA	251st (7.75)	94th (5.39)	105th (5.48)
Hits/9 Innings	240th (10.91)	83rd (9.05)	63rd (8.84)
K/9 Innings	216th (7.5)	65th (9.2)	66th (9.2)
K/BB Ratio	258th (1.22)	46th (2.41)	176th (1.60)
WHIP	259th (1.90)	62nd (1.43)	151st (1.62)
BB/9 Innings	263rd (6.18)	49th (3.82)	246th (5.75)