7th Inning Stretch: Battle of the Barrel (Week 12)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the regular season starting to inch towards a close, the Louisville baseball program is beginning to peak at the right time.
After easily dispatching of Western Kentucky in their midweek matchup, the Cardinals (31-12, 14-7 ACC) then followed that up with a sweep over Clemson to go 4-0 on the week. It was only their third perfect week on the season, and first since conference play started.
Louisville's performance at the plate, which had already been impressive throughout the course of the year, has looked stellar over the last couple weeks. The Cards have posted double-digit runs in six of their last seven games, including 18 in their finale vs. Clemson.
On the other hand, pitching continues to be a sore spot. Outside of Jared Poland as the Friday starter and Michael Prosecky as the go-to closer, Louisville has not gotten any consistency on their pitching staff. If the Cards are to make a deep postseason run, more pitchers besides those two will have to step up.
Louisville as a whole will have to step up, as they are facing arguably their toughest week of the season coming up. First, they will travel to Nashville to face a slumping but potent Vanderbilt, then head to Winston-Salem and take on one of the ACC's hottest teams in Wake Forest.
Last Week's Recaps:
- Game 40: Louisville Defeats Western Kentucky to Complete Regular Season Sweep
- Game 41: Strong Start Fuels Louisville's Series Opening Win vs. Clemson
- Game 42: Louisville Holds Off Clemson to Clinch Series
- Game 43: Louisville's Hot Bats Secure Series Sweep Over Clemson
News & Notes
- Louisville ranks as high as No. 5 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper) among the six major collegiate baseball polls.
- With nine conference games left, Louisville has a 1.0 game lead over Notre Dame for first in the Atlantic Division.
- Ben Metzinger ranks 32nd in the nation in home runs with 14, 22nd in walks with 39 and 39th in RBIs with 50.
- Christian Knapczyk ranks third in the nation in runs with 63.
- Michael Prosecky is 26th in the nation in saves with eight.
- Levi Usher ranks 10th in the nation in stolen bases with 27.
- Dalton Rushing ranks 22nd in the nation in walks with 39.
- Cam Masterman ranks 32nd in the nation in home runs with 14, and 28th in RBIs with 52.
The Week Ahead
Away (Hawkins Field - Nashville, Tenn.)
- Tuesday, May 3 at 7:00pm vs Vanderbilt
- SEC Network
- 93.9 The Ville
Away (David F. Couch Ballpark - Winston-Salem, N.C.)
- Friday, May 6 at 6:00pm vs. Wake Forest
- ACC Network
- 93.9 The Ville
- Saturday, May 7 at 4:00pm vs. Wake Forest
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Sunday, May 8 at 1:00pm vs. Wake Forest
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
Know The Foe
Midweek
School: Vanderbilt University
Nickname: Commodores
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Total Enrollment: 7,057
Head Coach (school record): Tim Corbin (831-390-1)
2022 Record (conference record): 29-13 (10-11 SEC)
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads 19-11
Top Performers (Hitters):
- UTIL Dominic Keegan (42 GP, 42 GS): .401/.473/.669, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 14 2B, 2 3B, 23 BB
- UTIL Spencer Jones (41 GP, 41 GS): .356/.452/.617, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 16 2B, 21 BB
- OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. (42 GP, 42 GS): .289/.402/.491, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 7 2B, 5 3B, 30 BB, 28 SB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- LHP Devin Futrell (9 APP, 8 GS): 2.11 ERA, 42.2 IP, 50 K, 5 BB, .179 B/AVG
- RHP Thomas Schultz (15 APP, 0 GS): 1.71 ERA, 21.0 IP, 26 K, 4 BB, .176 B/AVG
- RHP Christian Little (12 APP, 0 GS): 2.41 ERA, 22.1 IP, 28 K, 7 BB, .183 B/AVG
Weekend
School: Wake Forest University
Nickname: Demon Deacons
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Total Enrollment: 5,441
Head Coach (school record): Tom Walter (354-321)
2022 Record (conference record): 31-13 (10-11 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 18-5
Top Performers (Hitters):
- INF Tommy Hawke (42 GP, 30 GS): .380/.500/.496, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 2B, 27 BB
- C/OF Brendan Tinsman (43 GP, 42 GS): .357/.400/.726, 17 HR, 52 RBI, 11 2B, 9 BB
- OF/INF Nick Kurtz (37 GP, 36 GS): .343/.478/.629, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 11 2B, 34 BB
Top Performers (Pitchers)
- RHP Rhett Lowder (11 APP, 11 GS): 2.32 ERA, 66.0 IP, 71 K, 17 BB, .226 B/AVG
- RHP Camden Minacci (22 APP, 0 GS): 1.71 ERA, 31.2 IP, 46 K, 10 BB, .212 B/AVG
- LHP Crawford Wade (19 APP, 0 GS): 2.49 ERA, 25.1 IP, 29 K, 8 BB, .221 B/AVG
Opponent Breakdown
Rankings:
| Vanderbilt | Wake Forest | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
D1 Baseball Ranking | NR | NR | 10th |
RPI | 9th | 28th | 23rd |
SOS | 12th | 51st | 40th |
Home Record | 19-8 | 23-6 | 25-5 |
Away Record | 8-5 | 8-7 | 5-6 |
Neutral Record | 2-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 |
Hitting:
| Vanderbilt | Wake Forest | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Base on Balls | 46th (215) | 4th (266) | 8th (249) |
Batting Average | 59th (.292) | 2nd (.323) | 6th (.316) |
Home Runs | 77th (49) | 7th (83) | 23rd (67) |
On Base Percentage | 52nd (.393) | 2nd (.431) | 3rd (.429) |
Scoring Average | 84th (7.0) | 3rd (9.6) | 2nd (9.7) |
Slugging Percentage | 58th (.472) | 6th (.545) | 8th (.533) |
Pitching:
| Vanderbilt | Wake Forest | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Earned Run Average | 4th (3.15) | 72nd (4.61) | 140th (5.50) |
Hits Allowed/9 Innings | 3rd (6.54) | 54th (8.57) | 83rd (8.98) |
Strikeouts/9 Innings | 3rd (11.3) | 55th (9.7) | 25th (10.3) |
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 12th (3.14) | 75th (2.32) | 96th (2.19) |
WHIP | 3rd (1.13) | 67th (1.42) | 119th (1.52) |
Walks Allowed/9 Innings | 51st (3.61) | 116th (4.17) | 182nd (4.69) |
(Photo via Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)
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