7th Inning Stretch: Battling for Position (Week 11)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville baseball program is continuing to show that they can win in a multitude of ways.
The Cardinals kicked off last week with a low-scoring midweek showdown against in-state rival Kentucky, and were able to prevail using their pitching. As for their weekend series against NC State, they were able to come from behind and mount late rallies not once, but twice to take the series two games to one.
While there have been some consistency issues with both hitting and pitching over the last few weeks, it was promising to see Louisville overcome this and post a winning record on the week - especially in a top 25 matchup against NC State
Next up, the Cards have a home rematch against Western Kentucky, a team they defeated 16-6 down in Bowling Green on Mar. 29. Then they have another stellar ACC series on tap, as Clemson comes to town
Like last week's series vs. NC State, this is another critical ACC series. With just 12 conference games left, Louisville (27-12, 11-7 ACC) is currently tied for the Atlantic Division lead with Notre Dame, and the Tigers (26-14 (6-11 ACC) will be looking to right the ship after a poor showing in the first half of ACC play.
Last Week's Recaps:
- Game 36: Louisville Takes Down Kentucky in Battle of the Bluegrass
- Game 37: Louisville Rallies Past NC State to Claim Series
- Game 38: Louisville Drops Game Two vs. NC State
- Game 39: Louisville Rallies to Clinch Rubber Match vs. NC State
News & Notes
- Louisville ranks as high as No. 10 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper) among the six major collegiate baseball polls.
- Ben Metzinger ranks 22nd in the nation in home runs with 14, 23rd in walks with 35 and 36th in RBIs with 46.
- Christian Knapczyk ranks third in the nation in runs with 57 and 19th in triples with four.
- Michael Prosecky is 31st in the nation in saves with seven.
- Levi Usher ranks 16th in the nation in stolen bases with 23.
- Dalton Rushing ranks 17th in the nation in walks with 36.
The Week Ahead
Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)
- Tuesday, Apr. 26 at 6:00pm vs Western Kentucky
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Friday, Apr. 29 at 6:00pm vs. Clemson
- ACC Network
- 93.9 The Ville
- Saturday, Apr. 30 at 1:00pm vs. Clemson
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Sunday, May 1 at 1:00pm vs. Clemson
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
Know The Foe
Midweek
School: Western Kentucky University
Nickname: Hilltoppers
Location: Bowling Green, Ky.
Total Enrollment: 15,286
Head Coach (school record): John Pawlowski (135-186-1)
2022 Record (conference record): 13-26 (4-14 C-USA)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 32-16
Top Performers (Hitters):
- INF Tristan Garcia (37 GP, 37 GS): .333/.380/.462, HR, 24 RBI, 13 2B, 2 3B, 10 BB
- C Ty Batusich (37 GP, 37 GS): .318/.416/.561, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 8 2B, 15 BB
- INF Aidan Gilroy (23 GP, 23 GS): .265/.311/.384, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 3 2B, 3 3B, 9 BB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- RHP Mason Vinyard (17 APP, 0 GS): 3.65 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 40 K, 7 BB, .271 B/AVG
- LHP Devyn Terbrak (10 APP, 10 GS): 5.55 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 60.0 IP, 51 K, 10 BB, .288 B/AVG
- RHP Jake Kates (12 APP, 7 GS): 5.68 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 44.1 IP, 45 K, 15 BB, .253 B/AVG
Weekend
School: Clemson University
Nickname: Tigers
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Total Enrollment: 20,868
Head Coach (school record): Monte Lee (233-127)
2022 Record (conference record): 26-14 (6-11 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Series tied 11-11
Top Performers (Hitters):
- INF Max Wagner (40 GP, 36 GS): .366/.494/.851, 17 HR, 47 RBI, 12 2B, 29 BB
- C/OF/INF Cooper Ingle (40 GP, 40 GS): .348/.448/.494, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 8 2B, 29 BB
- INF Blake Wright (28 GP, 23 GS): .330/.394/.629, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 5 2B, 10 BB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- RHP Mack Anglin (9 APP, 9 GS): 3.18 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 45.1 IP, 47 K, 31 BB, .191 B/AVG
- RHP Casey Tallent (11 APP, 1 GS): 2.37 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 19.0 IP, 20 K, 7 BB, .224 B/AVG
- RHP Jackson Lindley (22 APP, 0 GS): 3.04 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 25 K, 8 BB, .235 B/AVG
Opponent Breakdown
Rankings:
| WKU | Clemson | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
D1 Baseball Ranking | NR | NR | 16th |
RPI | 229th | 35th | 40th |
SOS | 121st | 22nd | 56th |
Home Record | 10-16 | 18-8 | 21-5 |
Away Record | 3-10 | 5-6 | 5-6 |
Neutral Record | 0-0 | 3-0 | 1-1 |
Hitting:
| WKU | Clemson | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Base on Balls | 261st (128) | 22nd (208) | 8th (230) |
Batting Average | 242nd (.251) | 161st (.273) | 10th (.313) |
Home Runs | 121st (37) | 21st (61) | 19th (63) |
On Base Percentage | 281st (.332) | 97th (.382) | 3rd (.428) |
Scoring Average | 228th (5.4) | 63rd (7.3) | 4th (9.5) |
Slugging Percentage | 179th (.408) | 77th (.458) | 7th (.534) |
Pitching:
| WKU | Clemson | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Earned Run Average | 161st (5.75) | 43rd (4.21) | 128th (5.32) |
Hits Allowed/9 Innings | 241st (10.80) | 51st (8.48) | 85th (8.95) |
Strikeouts/9 Innings | 168th (8.4) | 88th (9.2) | 30th (10.1) |
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 57th (2.46) | 78th (2.30) | 110th (2.14) |
WHIP | 159th (1.58) | 51st (1.39) | 122nd (1.52) |
Walks Allowed/9 Innings | 32nd (3.41) | 89th (4.01) | 188th (4.70) |
(Photo of Dalton Rushing: Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)
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