How Much Production is Louisville Baseball Losing?

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the Louisville baseball program missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, there is hope for next season that the Cardinals can bounce back from their down 2023 campaign and get back to the Big Dance in 2024.

As of this writing, the Cardinals are in line to return a whopping eight regular starters in the field, with five of them - J.T. Benson, Ryan McCoy, Logan Beard, Eddie King Jr. and Isaac Humphrey - posting an OPS of .800 or above. Carson Liggett looks to be the next star ace on the mound, and key relievers in Kaleb Corbett, Riley Phillips and Greg Farone are very likely to return.

Not to mention that Louisville is bringing in the No. 22 overall recruiting class, a handful of reserve players from 2023 are potentially in line to make big jumps in 2024, and head coach Dan McDonnell appears to finally be willing to utilize the transfer portal.

But, as is the case every year under McDonnell, Louisville is in line to lose a fair amount of production from their 2023 campaign. Between seniors playing their final game, juniors playing their way into an early MLB Draft selection, and others entering the transfer portal, several players have donned the Cardinals uniform for the final time.

Below are all the players that are departing, or potentially departing, the Louisville baseball program following the end of their 2023 season:

Graduation:

*Note: Players in this category have an optional COVID waiver for 2024.

Ryan Hawks

Position: Right-Handed Pitcher
2023 Statline (15 GP, 14 GS): 4.58 ERA, 80 K, 23

Hawks started the season as the Cardinals' Friday night starter, and never gave up that title, while he did have a handful of shaky outings, he still led the team in strikeouts and should hear his name called sometime during the MLB Draft.

Tate Kuehner

Position: Left-Handed Pitcher
2023 Statline (19 GP, 2 GS): 3.99 ERA, 54 K, 21 BB

Transitioning from a pseudo-starter role in 2022, Kuehner wound up being one of Louisville's better relievers this past season. Despite allowing multiple earned runs in five of his outings, 12 of his appearances were clean sheets.

Evan Webster

Position: Left-Handed Pitcher
2023 Statline (22 GP, 3 GS): 3.09 ERA, 36 K, 9 BB

Webster earned a reputation for helping Louisville get out of bases loaded jams, and was statistically the Cardinals' most consistent relief pitcher. Six of his 12 earned runs on the season came in just one appearance: the midseason loss to Lipscomb.

Early MLB Draft Hopefuls:

Christian Knapczyk

Position: Shortstop
2023 Statline (45 GP, 44 GS): .331/.455/.408, 1 HR, 24 RBI

A table-setter in every sense, Knapczyk was the catalyst for Louisville's offense. Leading the team in hit-by-pitches (19) and steals (19), while coming in second in on base percentage, his absence was felt during the handful of games he missed due to injuries. There are concerns about his defensive inconsistencies, but his ability to get on base makes him a potentially high draft pick.

Jack Payton

Position: Catcher
2023 Statline (48 GP, 47 GS): .374/.472/.642, 12 HR, 41 RBI

As good as Knapczyk was, the star of the show at the plate for Louisville was Payton. He was the runaway teams leader in hits (67), OPS (1.114) and total bases (115), while tied for first in homers and third in RBIs. He defense behind the dish has also improved over time, which should help him become the third-consecutive highly drafted Louisville catcher.

Transfer Portal:

Brantley Bamberg

Position: Catcher
2023 Statline: None

Bamberg signed with Louisville as part of their Class of 2022, and departs without having taken a single at-bat.

Braden Calise

Position: Shortstop
2023 Statline: None

Calise was a 2021 signee, but didn't make an appearance during his true freshman campaign in 2022, and didn't make the 2023 roster.

Adam Dowler

Position: Left-Handed Pitcher
2023 Statline: None

Dowler was a 2020 prospect who redshirted the 2021 season and did make several appearances in 2022, but like Calise, did not make the 2023 roster.

Alex Galvan

Position: Right-Handed Pitcher
2023 Statline (15 GP, 0 GS): 6.35 ERA, 9 K, 12 BB

Galvan had struggled for the past two seasons with Louisville, posting ERA's of six of greater in back-to-back seasons.

Tyeler Hawkins

Position: Outfielder
2023 Statline (36 GP, 9 GS): .222/.263/.389, 2 HR, 11 RBI

Even with a slightly inconsistent outfield at times, Hawkins was relegated to mainly pinch hitting and running duties in 2023, and could never lock down a consistent role.

Jameson Richmond

Position: First Baseman
2023 Statline: None

Like with Bamberg, Richmond was a 2022 signee and leaves Louisville without logging a single appearance.

Noah Smith

Position: Shortstop
2023 Statline (26 GP, 8 GS): .191/.208/.277, 0 HR, 4 RBI

Smith had a promising start to his Louisville career after batting .318 a true freshman in 2022, but his ability to get on base took a step back this past season.

Ben Wiegman

Position: Right-Handed Pitcher
2023 Statline (11 GP, 0 GS): 9.00 ERA, 6 K, 7 BB

While Wiegman did post the worst ERA on the entire team, nine of his ten earned runs came in just two appearances over only one of his ten innings pitched.

(Photo of Louisville Players: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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