7th Inning Stretch: Conference Play Begins (Week 5)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville baseball program is starting to look like how we thought they would in the preseason, but not without some slight concerns.

This past week, the Cardinals were able to post a 3-1 record. While this included a three-game sweep against Seton Hall, it also came with an eyebrow-raising midweek loss to Morehead State.

The loss to the Eagles was, once again, mainly due to pitching, as Louisville walked a whopping 14 batters and allowed 11 base hits. Add in an off day at the plate, and you get a 13-5 decision against your favor. Fortunately, both the hitting and pitching got markedly better against the Pirates, resulting in two of the three games being decided via run-rule.

There's no question that Louisville does look better right now, as they've won six of their past seven games after starting 3-4. But hitting with runners on base continues to be an up-and-down venture, and pitching - both with starters and relievers - has been inconsistent at best.

This week, Louisville will continue their 14-game home stand, but it's arguably their toughest week yet. Not only do they have a two-game midweek set with Marshall, Atlantic Coast Conference play has finally arrived, with Notre Dame making their way to Jim Patterson Stadium for a weekend series.

News & Notes

Louisville remains out of the top-25 in all five major collegiate baseball polls.
Outfielder Zion Rose (ankle) remains day-to-day, but is trending towards playing soon.
First baseman Tague Davis ranks eighth nationally in runs batted in with 28, 11th nationally in total bases with 54, and 12 nationally in home runs with eight.
Left-handed pitcher Aaron England ranks 18th nationally in saves with three.
Outfielder Lucas Moore ranks 22nd nationally in stolen bases with 11

The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

Tuesday, Mar. 10 at 3:00 p.m. EST vs Marshall (ACC Network Extra/970 WGTK)
Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 11:00 a.m. EST vs Marshall (ACC Network Extra/970 WGTK)
Friday, Mar. 13 at 6:00 p.m. EST vs Notre Dame (ACC Network Extra/970 WGTK)
Saturday, Mar. 14 at 6:00 p.m. EST vs Notre Dame (ACC Network/93.9 The Ville)
Sunday, Mar. 15 at 1:00 p.m. EST vs Notre Dame (ACC Network Extra/970 WGTK)

Know The Foe

Marshall Thundering Herd

Head Coach (school record): Greg Beals (75-106)
2026 Record (conference record): 8-6 (0-0 Sun Belt)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 7-2

Top Hitters:

OF Evan Bottone (13 GP, 13 GS): .417/.533/.708, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 3B, 7 BB, 4 SB
INF Tyler Kamerer (14 GP, 14 GS): .386/.446/.596, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 9 2B, 6 BB, 1 SB
INF A.J. Havrilla (14 GP, 14 GS): .283/.477/.391, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 17 BB

Top Pitchers:

RHP Kenyon Collins (4 APP, 3 GS): 2.78 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 32 K, 9 BB, .202 B/AVG
LHP Bryce Blevins (4 APP, 4 GS): 2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 30 K, 2 BB, .250 B/AVG
RHP Drew Harlow (4 APP, 4 GS): 7.08 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 20.1 IP, 27 K, 7 BB, .305 B/AVG

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Head Coach (school record): Shawn Stiffler (98-74)
2026 Record (conference record): 9-4 (2-1 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 41-13

Top Hitters:

C Mark Quatrani (13 GP, 13 GS): .469/.548/.857, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 BB
OF/INF Bino Watters (13 GP, 13 GS): .295/.317/.557, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 4 2B, 1 BB
INF Noah Coy (13 GP, 13 GS): .390/.542/.488, 12 RBI, 3 3B, 13 BB

Top Pitchers:

RHP Jack Radel (4 APP, 4 GS): 1.57 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 33 K, 5 BB, .114 B/AVG
RHP Ty Uber (4 APP, 4 GS): 0.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 13 K, 7 BB, .154 B/AVG
LHP Noah Rooney (6 APP, 0 GS): 4.05 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 12 K, 2 BB, .255 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

	MU	ND	UofL
D1Baseball Ranking	NR	NR	NR
RPI	174th	29th	147th
SOS	226th	80th	182nd
Home Record	5-1	1-0	9-3
Away Record	1-4	5-2	0-0
Neutral Record	2-1	3-2	1-2

Hitting:

	MU	ND	UofL
Base on Balls	171st (61)	171st (61)	73rd (79)
Batting Average	55th (.303)	37th (.310)	22nd (.322)
Home Runs	71st (18)	83rd (17)	71st (18)
OBP	69th (.409)	64th (.410)	29th (.430)
Runs/Game	58th (8.0)	46th (8.4)	31st (8.8)
SLG	47th (.502)	67th (.478)	40th (.510)

Pitching:

	MU	ND	UofL
ERA	92nd (4.75)	19th (3.20)	168th (6.07)
Hits/9 Innings	110th (8.90)	25th (7.19)	124th (9.07)
K/9 Innings	21st (11.3)	115th (9.3)	44th (10.6)
K/BB Ratio	34th (3.06)	53rd (2.70)	140th (1.92)
WHIP	80th (1.40)	25th (1.18)	168th (1.62)
BB/9 Innings	66th (3.70)	39th (3.43)	212th (5.51)