11 Louisville Players Unavailable for Western Illinois Series
(Photo of Jim Patterson Stadium: University of Louisville Athletics)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After just four games into the 2021 season, and the Louisville baseball program is already heading into a series incredibly shorthanded.
Two hours before the start of their three-game weekend series against Western Illinois, the Cardinals announced that 11 players would be unavailable for the entire series against the Leathernecks.
Pitchers Glenn Albanese, Duncan Hall, Ryan Hawks, Gavin Sullivan, Kellen Tulio, Ben Wiegman and Kerry Wright; as well as position players Ben Metzinger, Dalton Rushing, Wyatt Stevenson and utility man Jared Poland are all out for the weekend.
The university did not specify the reason for the absences. However, head coach Dan McDonnell revealed in the preseason that Hawks, Metzinger, Sullivan and Wright are currently battling various injuries.
Albanese and Rushing are the biggest names who will not play against Western Illinois. Albanese was named the Friday night starting pitching vs. Bellarmine last week, and the right-hander struck out seven batters and surrendered just one run over 5.0 innings. Rushing has started in all four games this season at both first base and catcher, driving in a home run during the season-opener.
Louisville sits at 4-0 on the young season following a season-opening sweep of Bellarmine and a midweek victory over Eastern Kentucky. First pitch of Game 1 vs. Western Illinois is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 26 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
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