7th Inning Stretch: Conference Play Begins (Week 5)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the Louisville baseball program is no longer on a double-digit win streak, they certainly look a lot better than they did roughly a month ago.
The Cardinals were able to extend their win streak all the way up to ten games, and went 3-1 on the previous week. They won their midweek contest against Morehead State, then took the first two games of their series vs. Northwestern before falling in the finale.
This was a crucial week for Louisville. The beginning of their win streak could be partially attributed to the level of competition faced, as St. Bonaventure, EKU and Youngstown State are a combined 6-37 right now. However, even with the slight uptick in competition, Louisville continued to press onwards in dominant fashion - for the most part.
Louisville's hitting looks much better than it did the first week, and they are starting to get more consistent performances from both young players and veterans alike. Returner such as J.T Benson and Gavin Kilen are making their impact felt every game, second-year players Brandon Anderson and Michael Lippe have made huge jumps, while freshmen like Lucas Moore and Alex Alicea are starting their careers off hot.
The Cardinals' pitching is still a little shaky at times, but it's definitely improved. Sebastian Gongora looks like an ace despite some bad luck in his first few starts, Evan Webster has been extremely efficient, and relievers such as Riley Phillips, Tucker Biven and Ty Starke have been reliable.
Now, things really start to get serious with Louisville kicking off conference play starting this week. The Cardinals are trending in the right direction after a poor first week of the season, and they can ill afford a setback now. Every weekend moving forward is sure to be difficult in an extremely deep ACC.
Last Week's Recaps:
- Game 12: Louisville Obliterates Morehead State for Eighth-Straight Win
- Game 13: Louisville Outlasts Northwestern in Series Opener
- Game 14: Webster, Louisville Take Down Northwestern to Clinch Series
- Game 15: Louisville Falls in Series Finale with Northwestern
News & Notes
- Louisville remains unranked in of all of the five major collegiate baseball polls.
- Alex Alicea ranks No. 12 nationally in the NCAA's "Toughest to Strike Out" metric.
- Lucas Moore ranks No. 16 nationally in stolen bases with 10.
- Gavin Kilen ranks No. 19 nationally in triples with two, and No. 16 in doubles with eight.
- Evan Webster ranks No. 15 nationally in ERA at 0.90.
- Michael Lippe ranks No. 22 nationally in batting average at .469.
Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)
- Tuesday, Mar. 12 at 3:00pm vs. Lipscomb
- ACC Network Extra
- 970 WGTK
- Wednesday, Mar. 13 at 11:00am vs. Lipscomb
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Friday, Mar. 15 at 6:00pm vs. Virginia Tech
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Saturday, Mar. 16 at 1:00pm vs. Virginia Tech
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Sunday, Mar. 17 at 12:00pm vs. Virginia Tech
- ACC Network
- 93.9 The Ville
Know The Foe
Lipscomb Bisons
Head Coach (school record): Jeff Forehand (460-478)
2024 Record (conference record): 3-11 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: Lipscomb Leads 4-0
Top Performers (Hitters):
- INF Mason Lundgrin (14 GP, 13 GS): .378/.525/.689, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 2 2B, 10 BB
- INF Trace Willhoite (14 GP, 14 GS): .278/.385/.648, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 7 BB
- OF Alex Vergara (14 GP, 14 GS): .212/.388/.442, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 10 BB, 4 SB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- LHP Michael Dunkelberger (4 APP, 4 GS): 6.75 ERA, 1/77 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 19 K, 3 BB, .366 B/AVG
- RHP Alex Brewer (4 APP, 4 GS): 10.42 ERA, 2.21 WHIP, 19.0 IP, 16 K, 10 BB, .376 B/AVG
- RHP Brock Puckett (4 APP, 0 GS): 4.15 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 4.1 IP, 2 K, 5 BB, .286 B/AVG
Virginia Tech Hokies
Head Coach (school record): Jeff Szefc (171-130)
2024 Record (conference record): 11-3 (3-0)
All-Time Series Record: Virginia Tech Leads 47-19
Top Performers (Hitters):
- OF Chris Cannizzaro (14 GP, 13 GS): .408/.452/.776, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 6 BB
- OF Eddie Micheletti Jr. (14 GP, 14 GS): .326/.452/.761, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 13 BB
- IF Christian Martin (14 GP, 14 GS): .375/.559/.667, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 2B, 12 BB, 3 SB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- RHP Brent Renfrow (4 APP, 4 GS): 1.88 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 29 K, 4 BB, .179 B/AVG
- RHP Griffin Stieg (4 APP, 4 GS): 3.57 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 15 K, 4 BB, .224 B/AVG
- RHP Wyatt Parliament (4 APP, 4 GS): 3.72 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 19.1 IP, 21 K, 4 BB, .171 B/AVG
Statistical Breakdown
Rankings and Records:
| LU | VT | UofL | |
|---|---|---|---|
D1Baseball Ranking | NR | NR | NR |
RPI | 185th | 19th | 228th |
SOS | 44th | 53rd | 271st |
Home Record | 2-5 | 9-1 | 10-3 |
Away Record | 1-6 | 3-2 | 0-0 |
Neutral Record | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 |
Hitting:
| LU | VT | UofL | |
|---|---|---|---|
Base on Balls | 175th (64) | 104th (76) | 69th (82) |
Batting Average | 192nd (.258) | 15th (.334) | 8th (.344) |
Home Runs | 63rd (20) | 7th (33) | 52nd (22) |
On Base Percentage | 156th (.375) | 32nd (.432) | 17th (.454) |
Runs Per Game | 205th (5.5) | 20th (9.8) | 9th (10.7) |
Slugging Percentage | 151st (.423) | 3rd (.648) | 19th (.573) |
Pitching:
| LU | VT | UofL | |
|---|---|---|---|
Earned Run Average | 265th | 28th (3.85) | 66th (4.51) |
Hits Allowed/9 Innings | 266th (12.20) | 43rd (7.84) | 102nd (8.75) |
Strikeouts/9 Innings | 175th (8.4) | 76th (9.8) | 57th (10.0) |
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 235th (1.31) | 24th (2.93) | 55th (2.49) |
WHIP | 260th (2.07) | 21st (1.24) | 76th (1.42) |
Walks Allowed/9 Innings | 243rd (6.41) | 27th (3.34) | 63rd (4.03) |
(Photo of Eddie King Jr.: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)
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