7th Inning Stretch: Battle of the Bluegrass (Week 10)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last week started out with promise for the Louisville baseball program, only for things to completely collapse.

After the Cardinals' offense shined in their midweek game vs. Cincinnati, the bats went ice cold in Tallahassee, playing a large role in the getting swept by Florida State.

While the offense did show shines of life towards the end of the week, pitching was almost nowhere to be found all week long. Starters and relievers alike struggled, surrendering 37 runs in four games. It also didn't help that the defense had a few lapses as well.

It's well known at this point that hitting is very much Louisville's strength this season. But the difference between this team making another run at the College World Series and getting bounced in the first weekend will be pitching. They still have a month left to right the ship in that regard, but time will run out before you know it.

Louisville might have seen the road leg of their rivalry showdown against Kentucky rained out, but the Wildcats are ready to battle in Jim Patterson Stadium this week. Couple that with a crucial ACC series against NC State, and this is a big week in terms of momentum for the Cardinals.

Last Week's Recaps:

News & Notes

Louisville ranks as high as No. 9 (D1 Baseball) among the six major collegiate baseball polls.
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The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

Tuesday, Apr. 19 at 5:00pm vs Kentucky

ACC Network
93.9 The Ville

Friday, Apr. 22 at 8:00pm vs. NC State

ACC Network
93.9 The Ville

Saturday, Apr. 23 at 1:00pm vs. NC State

ACC Network Extra
93.9 The Ville

Sunday, Apr. 24 at 1:00pm vs. NC State

ACC Network Extra
93.9 The Ville

Know The Foe

Midweek

School: University of Kentucky
Nickname: Wildcats
Location: Lexington, Ky.
Total Enrollment: 22,227
Head Coach (school record): Nick Mingione (164-119)
2022 Record (conference record): 21-15 (5-10 SEC)
All-Time Series Record: Kentucky leads 26-24

Top Performers (Hitters):

INF Chase Estep (36 GP, 36 GS): .345/.448/.669, 11 HR, 35 RBI, 11 2B, 3B, 24 BB, 11 SB
INF Jacob Plastiak (36 GP, 36 GS): .269/.378/.545, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 9 2B, 2 3B, 19 BB
INF Ryan Ritter (36 GP, 36 GS): .270/.349/.432, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 5 2B, 2 3B, 11 BB, 9 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers)

RHP Darren Williams (9 APP, 2 GS): 0.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 29.0 IP, 31 K, 10 BB, .225 B/AVG
RHP Tyler Guilfoil (14 APP, 0 GS): 2.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 25.1 IP, 46 K, 11 BB, .198 B/AVG
RHP Sean Harney (9 APP, 1 GS): 3.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 34 K, 9 BB, .220 B/AVG

Weekend

School: North Carolina State University
Nickname: Wolfpack
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Total Enrollment: 26,150
Head Coach (school record): Elliott Avent (949-561)
2022 Record (conference record): 23-11 (10-7 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 15-4

Top Performers (Hitters):

INF Tommy White (34 GP, 34 GS): .336/.384/658, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 9 2B, 9 BB
INF LuJames Groover III (34 GP, 33 GS): .382/.461/.514, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 8 2B, 3B, 17 BB
OF Noah Soles (32 GP, 20 GS): .385/.449/.564, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 5 2B, 9 BB

Top Performers (Pitchers)

LHP Canaan Silver (14 APP, 2 GS): 2.13 ERA, 38.0 IP, 41 K, 6 BB, .194 B/AVG
LHP Chris Villaman (15 APP, 0 GS): 3.10 ERA, 29.0 IP, 47 K, 7 BB, .214 B/AVG
RHP Logan Whitaker (10 APP, 7 GS): 4.01 ERA, 33.2 IP, 32 K, 15 BB, .222 B/AVG

Opponent Breakdown

Rankings:

Kentucky	NC State	Louisville
D1 Baseball Ranking	NR	NR	9th
RPI	70th	31st	42nd
SOS	61st	36th	63rd
Home Record	16-7	16-5	18-4
Away Record	5-8	7-6	5-6
Neutral Record	0-0	0-0	1-1

Hitting:

Kentucky	NC State	Louisville
Base on Balls	95th (159)	119th (152)	10th (202)
Batting Average	49th (.294)	45th (.295)	10th (.316)
Home Runs	95th (36)	29th (51)	12th (59)
On Base Percentage	61st (.390)	88th (.383)	6th (.427)
Scoring Average	52nd (7.5)	40th (7.6)	5th (9.6)
Slugging Percentage	80th (.455)	33rd (.490)	6th (.541)

Pitching:

Kentucky	NC State	Louisville
Earned Run Average	125th (5.22)	95th (4.84)	124th (5.21)
Hits Allowed/9 Innings	137th (9.52)	77th (8.76)	83rd (8.83)
Strikeouts/9 Innings	13th (10.9)	42nd (10.1)	49th (9.9)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio	59th (2.49)	44th (2.59)	116th (2.15)
WHIP	140th (1.54)	64th (1.41)	109th (1.49)
Walks Allowed/9 Innings	145th (4.36)	80th (3.89)	173rd (4.59)

(Photo of Logan Beard: Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)

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