7th Inning Stretch: For The Crown (Week 15)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Unlike this time last year, the Louisville baseball program is heading into the postseason with momentum on their side.
The Cardinals (38-16-1, 18-11-1 ACC) handled their business against Eastern Kentucky, then were able to end the regular season on a high note by capturing a top-10 series against Virginia.
At this point in time, Louisville is a near-lock to be hosting an NCAA Tournament regional for the first time since 2019. With a solid showing down in Charlotte, N.C. for the ACC Baseball Championship, they might be even be able to lock down a top eight seed.
But first they have to deal with a both Pitt and Georgia Tech in pool play the ACC Baseball Championship. The Cardinals earned the No. 2 overall seed, with the Yellow Jackets earning the No. 7 seed and Panthers getting the No. 11 seed.
Each of the four pools play a round robin, with the top team advancing to the semifinals. If all three teams go 1-1, the top seeded team gets the nod to the semis.
With Pitt and Georgia Tech facing off in the very first game of the week, the blueprint for Louisville is simple: defeat the winner of that game, and you move on to the semifinals. A premium seed in the NCAA Tournament could be depending on it. Outright win the ACC title, and it's a guarantee.
Last Week's Recaps:
- Game 52: Louisville Overwhelms EKU in Midweek Finale
- Game 53: Louisville Claims Rain-Delayed Series Opener vs. Virginia
- Game 54: Louisville Demolished by Virginia to Even Series
- Game 55: Louisville Defeats Virginia in Regular Season Finale to Clinch Series
News & Notes
- Louisville ranks as high as No. 6 (Baseball America, USA TODAY) among the six major collegiate baseball polls.
- Louisville captured the Atlantic Division title for the fifth time since joining the league in 2014-15.
- Eight Cardinals were named to the 2022 All-ACC Team - the most of any team in the conference.
- Levi Usher, Jared Poland, Michael Prosecky and Dalton Rushing were all Second-Team selections. Christian Knapczyk, Cameron Masterman, Ben Metzinger and Jack Payton were each named to the Third-Team. Logan Beard was also voted to the ACC All-Freshman team.
- Usher was also named the 2022 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He's the second Cardinal to win the award, joining Devin Hairston in 2017.
- Louisville earned the No. 2 seed of the ACC Baseball Championship. Virginia Tech, Miami and Notre Dame rounded out the top four and top seeds of their respective pools.
The Week Ahead
Neutral (Truist Field - Charlotte, N.C.)
- Wednesday, May 25 at 11:00am vs. Pitt
- RSN/ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Thursday, May 26 at 11:00am vs. Georgia Tech
- RSN/ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- *Saturday, May 28 at 5:00pm vs. Pool C Winner (Semifinal)
- ACC Network
- 93.9 The Ville
- *Sunday, May 29 at 12:00pm vs. Pool A/D Winner (Championship)
- ESPN2
- 93.9 The Ville
*If Necessary
Know The Foe
Game 1
School: University of Pittsburgh
Nickname: Panthers
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Total Enrollment: 19,197
Head Coach (school record): Mike Bell (81-86)
2022 Record (conference record): 27-26 (13-16 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 21-10
Top Performers (Hitters):
- C Tatem Levins (53 GP, 53 GS): .313/.430/.611, 15 HR, 52 RBI, 8 2B, 3 3B, 31 BB
- OF C.J. Funk (43 GP, 42 GS): .297/.486/.523, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 8 2B, 3 3B, 40 BB
- OF Ron Washington, Jr. (45 GP, 43 GS): .272/.383/.574, 15 HR, 37 RBI, 10 2B, 24 BB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- RHP Matt Gilbertson (14 APP, 14 GS): 3.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 91.1 IP, 87 K, 11 BB, .261 B/AVG
- RHP Billy Cocoran (13 APP, 13 GS): 4.24 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 80.2 IP, 66 K, 8 BB, .265 B/AVG
- RHP Brady Devereux (23 APP, 0 GS): 4.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 36.0 IP, 30 K, 13 BB, .271 B/AVG
Game 2
School: Georgia Institute of Technology
Nickname: Yellow Jackets
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Total Enrollment: 16,561
Head Coach (school record): Danny Hall (1,137-597-1)
2022 Record (conference record): 33-21 (15-15 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 8-6
Top Performers (Hitters):
- C Kevin Parada (54 GP, 54 GS): .362/.451/.746, 26 HR, 84 RBI, 9 2B, 3B, 26 BB
- INF Andrew Jenkins (54 GP, 54 GS): .389/.443/.707, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 20 2B, 3B, 17 BB
- INF Chandler Simpson (41 GP, 41 GS): .422/.505/.503, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 5 2B, 3 3B, 29 BB, 21 SB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- RHP Marquis Grissom, Jr. (16 APP, 12 GS): 5.57 ERA, 51.2 IP, 48 K, 37 BB, .249 B/AVG
- RHP John Medich (19 APP, 7 GS): 5.72 ERA, 50.1 IP, 55 K, 27 BB, .251 B/AVG
- RHP Zach Maxwell (19 APP, 5 GS): 5.73 ERA, 44.0 IP, 69 K, 34 BB, .228 B/AVG
Opponent Breakdown
Rankings:
| Pitt | Georgia Tech | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
D1 Baseball Ranking | NR | NR | 7th |
RPI | 72nd | 20th | 9th |
SOS | 30th | 5th | 21st |
Home Record | 12-9 | 22-9 | 29-6 |
Away Record | 10-11 | 11-11 | 8-9-1 |
Neutral Record | 5-6 | 0-1 | 1-1 |
Hitting:
| Pitt | Georgia Tech | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Base on Balls | 11th (306) | 43rd (265) | 12th (303) |
Batting Average | 185th (.270) | 2nd (.323) | 20th (.306) |
Home Runs | 49th (73) | 5th (109) | 25th (84) |
On Base Percentage | 58th (.392) | 12th (.417) | 13th (.416) |
Scoring Average | 138th (6.5) | 5th (9.4) | 12th (8.8) |
Slugging Percentage | 83rd (.461) | 5th (.555) | 15th (.515) |
Pitching:
| Pitt | Georgia Tech | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Earned Run Average | 202nd (6.27) | 218th (6.50) | 111st (5.23) |
Hits Allowed/9 Innings | 200th (10.33) | 228th (10.64) | 70th (8.93) |
Strikeouts/9 Innings | 123rd (8.7) | 54th (9.5) | 24th (10.0) |
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 93rd (2.19) | 142nd (1.96) | 114th (2.08) |
WHIP | 159th (1.59) | 220th (1.72) | 115th (1.53) |
Walks Allowed/9 Innings | 86th (3.98) | 197th (4.82) | 194th (4.81) |
(Photo via Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)
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