7th Inning Stretch: Trending Upward (Week 4)
This was a week that the Louisville Cardinals baseball program desperately needed. With the very real possibility of suffering back-to-back midweek losses staring them in the face, Louisville found a way to dig themselves out of the hole they created. They completed their comeback attempt against the Xavier Musketeers by plating 6 runs in their final two innings at-bat, and secured their first midweek victory of the season. Following that up was a riveting three game sweep of Western Michigan, in which the Cards outscored the Broncos 29-3.
Their perfect 4-0 week three was their first of the season, as they dropped their opening series at Ole Miss in week 1 and suffered a head scratching loss to Wright State in week 2. Since starting the season 1-3, the Cardinal Nine have now won seven in a row.
It was a week in which they got to show off their depth too. Most teams would be in dire straits if they lost two of their best players, but not the Cards. While third baseman Alex Binelas and infielder Lucas Dunn were shelved due to hamate surgery, Louisville kept on trucking. Sophomore Ben Metzinger, who slid into the hot corner starting with UofL's game against Valpo, is batting .462 with an OPS of 1.125. Jared Poland and Tim Borden, who have split reps at second base in place of Dune, are batting a combined .341.
Complimenting the surge at the plate, Louisville's pitching continued their domination from the mound. The potent weekend rotation of Detmers, Miller and Smith combined to allow just 2 earned run over 18.2 innings, while striking out 22 and walking 5. The bullpen was just as explosive, allowing no runs & hits over 8.1 innings and striking out 9.
Both facets of Louisville's game will have to continue to be on point. The Cards will officially kick off conference play this weekend, and the uptick in competition will be fierce.
News & Notes
- The Cards are ranked as high as 3rd in the nation in the polls (D1Baseball).
- Louisville has used a different lineup in all 11 of their games this season.
- After missing the first 9 games of the season, junior infielder Lucas Dunn made has season debut this past weekend vs. Western Michigan. He subbed at second base in the 8th inning of game two, and had his first AB of the season in the seventh inning of game three (4 pitch walk)
The Week Ahead
Coming up this week, the Cardinals will start the week by at home and host the Morehead State Eagles for the midweek game. They’ll follow that up with their first conference series of the season, taking on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem.
Home (Louisville, KY)
- Tuesday, March 3rd at 3:00pm vs. Morehead State
- ACC Network Extra
- 1450 WXVW
Away (Winston-Salem, NC)
- Friday, March 6th at 6:00pm vs. Wake Forest
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Saturday, March 7th at 4:00pm vs. Wake Forest
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
- Sunday, March 8th at 1:00pm vs. Wake Forest
- ACC Network Extra
- 93.9 The Ville
Know The Foe
Midweek
School: Morehead State University
Nickname: Eagles
Location: Morehead, KY
Total Enrollment: 10,200
Head Coach (school record): Mik Aoki (4-6)
2019 Record (conference record): 4-6 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: UofL leads 49-35
Team Leaders:
- Avg: Ryan Layne (.278)
- RBI: Stephen Hill (10)
- HR: Zach Boyd & Arthur Sells (2)
- ERA: John Sherman (0.00)
- Strikeouts: Alex Garbrick (25)
- Wins: John Bakke (2)
Weekend
School: Wake Forest University
Nickname: Demon Deacons
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Total Enrollment: 8,401
Head Coach (school record): Tom Walter (302-281)
2019 Record (conference record): 7-5 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: UofL leads 14-3
Team Leaders:
- Avg: William Simoneit (.406)
- RBI: Adam Cecere (12)
- HR: Chris Lanzilli & Adam Cecere (4)
- ERA: Three tied at 0.00
- Strikeouts: Ryan Cusick (32)
- Wins: William Fleming & Jared Shuster (2)
Opponent Breakdown
| Morehead State | Wake Forest | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
RPI | 190 | 186 | 34 |
SOS | 165 | 204 | 46 |
Home Record | 1-2 | 7-2 | 7-1 |
Away Record | 3-0 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
Neutral Record | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Morehead State | Wake Forest | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Base on Balls | 177 (41) | 64 (54) | 164 (42) |
Batting Average | 178 (.241) | 52 (.286) | 22 (.309) |
Hits | 199 (79) | 30 (117) | 38 (114) |
Home Runs | 57 (9) | 9 (17) | 95 (7) |
On Base Percentage | 167 (.341) | 82 (.375) | 63 (.387) |
Runs | 121 (60) | 45 (81) | 38 (82) |
Slugging Percentage | 120 (.375) | 22 (.479) | 29 (.469) |
| Morehead State | Wake Forest | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|---|
Earned Run Average | 266 (7.64) | 121 (3.86) | 97 (3.62) |
Hits Allowed/9 Innings | 289 (13.60) | 51 (7.20) | 111 (7.98) |
Strikeouts Per 9 Innings | 36 (11.0) | 19 (11.7) | 6 (12.4) |
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 45 (3.18) | 48 (3.16) | 12 (4.19) |
WHIP | 262 (1.90) | 63 (1.21) | 67 (1.22) |
Walks Allowed/9 Innings | 74 (3.45) | 95 (3.69) | 32 (2.97) |
*Key: Rank out of 297 (Value)
Morehead State Eagles
Historically speaking, the midweek contests with Morehead State in the Dan McDonnell era have more often than not produced high scoring affairs. Coach Mac is 13-0 against the Eagles as Louisville's head coach, and he has an average margin of victory of 5.9 runs. He averages 10 runs against them and have scored double digits runs 6 rimes, including the previous 3 matchups. It also helps that he will be matched up against head coach Mik Aoki, the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach who was fired after the 2019 season. While Aoki was the Irish skipper from 2011-19, McDonnell was 21-1 against him, and is on a 19 game winning streak.
The Eagles don't have a particularly potent lineup, as they collectively have just a .241 batting average. However they do have a couple pieces that on their own can do some damage. One of just 2 players to start all 10 games and have a batting average over .250, redshirt junior Stephen Hill leads the Eagles in RBI, total bases, doubles, and also leads the Ohio Valley Conference in walks. When starting, catcher Jon Burghardt & outfielder Arthur Sells become viable options with both having an OPS over .900, and pinch hitting outfielders Bryce Simon & Zach Boyd give sparks off the bench. Other than these hitters, the rest of the Eagles do not pose as serious of a threat.
From the mound, Morehead State is not much better off. The pitching staff has a collective ERA of 7.64, good for only 9th in the OVC out of the conference's 11 teams. Probable midweek starter junior RHP Will Lozinak has an ERA of 6.35 in 5.2 innings pitched, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5/0. In his lone start on the season, he went 3.1 innings deep vs. Michigan State, giving up 7 hits and 2 earned runs in the process. Out of the pen, the Eagles have a few tools at their disposal. Their main relief weapon is sophomore lefty John Bakke (2.79 ERA, 1.20 WHIP), who has struck out 14 batters over just 9.1 innings pitched. Jake Ziegelmeyer is another go-to option for the Eagles out of the pen with 5 appearances, but he has posted an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.97 (6.1 IP, 8 K, 2 BB, 10 H). 5 of the 6 other pitchers with a relief appearance on the season have an ERA over 9.50, so chasing out Lozinak will be one of the main keys in this game.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Louisville's first taste of conference play for the 2020 season has them hitting the road to Winston-Salem and gearing up for a matchup with Wake Forest Demon Deacons. There isn't much history between these two clubs, as they squared off for the first time when Louisville officially joined the ACC for the 2014-15 athletic year. However the series favors the Cards, as they are 14-3 against the Deacs and have won 4 of the 5 weekend series against them including 3 sweeps and both ACC Tournament matchups.
The Deacs are the second best power hitting team the Cards will have faced up to this point, second to only Ole Miss. They ranks 9th in the nation in home runs with 17, and 22nd in slugging percentage at 0.479. Wake Forest is primarily lead by a three pronged attack of Chris Lanzilli, Brandon Tinsman and William Simoneit. All three have a batting average over .300 and a slugging percentage over .600, with Simonelt leading the pack. His slash line of .406/.535/.688 is the best on the team in all 3 categories, resulting in an OPS of 1.223 (6th in ACC).
Wake Forest's pitching might not be their strong suit, but the Deacs still have a respectable pitching staff. Friday night starter RHP Ryan Cusick has the lowest ERA out of the weekend rotation at 3.12, Saturday starter Jared Shuster is tied for the best strikeout-to-walk ratio on the team at 30/3, and Sunday starter William Fleming has a WHIP of just 0.91. The Deacs also have a pair of solid bullpen arms in southpaws Bobby Hearn & Tyler Witt. Both have ERAs under 2.00, WHIPs under 1.00, and combine for a 19/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wake Forest does enough things right from that mound that they will keep the Cards honest at the plate.
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