7th Inning Stretch: Returning Home (Week 2)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While it wasn't a completely perfect way to start their 2025 season, opening weekend was still a success for the Louisville baseball program.

Kicking off the season down in Arlington, Texas for the Shriner's Children's College Classic, the Cardinals faced ranked opponents in all three games, and left Globe Life Field with a winning record. Louisville mounted a thrilling ninth inning comeback to walk-off No. 7 Texas in their season-opener, and while they were throttled by No. 13 Oklahoma State in the game after that, UofL capped off their weekend with a decimation of No. 12 Arizona.

While there were some things not to like from the opening weekend, such as striking out 36 times and not getting a single home run, there was plenty to love. Right-handers Patrick Forbes and Peter Michael delivered fantastic outings in their respective starts, the bullpen did their job more often than not, and Louisville's hitters went .300 against three very good pitching staffs.

It is still very much a young season for Louisville, but there is already a lot of promise and potential for team looking to get back to the postseason. With an 18-game home stand coming up, mostly against non-conference competition, they have plenty of opportunities to iron out some kinks.

News & Notes

Louisville remains unranked in of all of the five major collegiate baseball polls.
Right-Handed Pitcher Patrick Forbes ranks No. 5 nationally in strikeouts with 11.
Outfielder Eddie King Jr. and catcher Tagger Tyson are both tied for No. 8 nationally in triples with one.

The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

*Wednesday's game vs. Xavier was postponed to a to-be-determined date due to inclement weather.

Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1:00 p.m. EST vs Western Michigan (ACCNX/970 WGTK)
Sunday, Feb. 23 at 1:00 p.m. EST vs Western Michigan (ACCNX/970 WGTK)
Monday, Feb. 24 at 3:00 p.m. EST vs Western Michigan (ACCNX/970 WGTK)

Know The Foe

Xavier Musketeers

Head Coach (school record): Billy O'Conner (184-182)
2025 Record (conference record): 2-1 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 42-22

Top Performers (Hitters):

INF Jake Lambdin (3 GP, 3 GS): 5-8, RBI. 4 BB, 2 SB
OF Carter Hendrickson (3 GP, 3 GS): 5-13, HR, 5 RBI, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB
INF Landon Mensik (2 GP, 2 GS): 3-7, HR, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, SB

Top Performers (Pitchers):

RHP Jake Hooker (1 APP, 1 GS): 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, .083 B/AVG
LHP Ashton Chronister (2 APP, 0 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 2.2 IP, 1 K, 0 BB, .000 B/AVG
RHP Joseph Chavana (1 APP, 1 GS): 2.45 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, 3.2 IP, 3 K, 1 BB, .357 B/AVG

Western Michigan Broncos

Head Coach (school record): Billy Gernon (305-404)
2025 Record (conference record): 0-4 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: WMU Leads 22-9

Top Performers (Hitters):

INF Tanner Mally (4 GP, 4 GS): 7-12, RBI, 2B, 2 BB, SB
OF Dylan Nevar (4 GP, 4 GS): 3-13, 3 RBI. 2B, 2 BB
INF Brendan Harrity (4 GP, 4 GS): 3-14, RBI, 2B

Top Performers (Pitchers):

RHP Ty McKinstry (1 APP, 1 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.17 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 2 K, 0 BB, .053 B/AVG
LHP Joey Wizceb (1 APP, 1 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 2 K, 0 BB, .222 B/AVG
RHP Zach Vriesenga (1 APP, 0 GS): 4.0 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 2 K, 2 BB, .214 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

	XU	WMU	UofL
D1Baseball Ranking	NR	NR	NR
RPI	20th	58th	29th
SOS	19th	52nd	46th
Home Record	0-0	0-0	0-0
Away Record	0-0	0-0	0-0
Neutral Record	2-1	0-4	2-1

Hitting:

	XU	WMU	UofL
Base on Balls	58th (19)	125th (14)	230th (8)
Batting Avg.	150th (.250)	227th (.198)	75th (.300)
Home Runs	89th (3)	N/A (0)	N/A (0)
OBP	123rd (.388)	210th (.321)	146th (.369)
Runs/Game	107th (7.0)	225th (3.3)	118th (6.7)
SLG	136th (.394)	251st (.234)	170th (.355)

Pitching:

	XU	WMU	UofL
ERA	124th (5.00)	129th (5.10)	128th (5.19)
Hit/9 Innings	57th (6.67)	107th (8.10)	99th (7.96)
K/9 Innings	255th (5.7)	261st (5.4)	41st (11.8)
K/BB Ratio	262nd (0.68)	248th (0.86)	78th (2.62)
WHIP	163rd (1.67)	149th (1.60)	101st (1.38)
BB/9 Innings	249th (8.33)	205th (6.30)	107th (4.50)

(Photo of Zion Rose: Chris Jones - Imagn Images)

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