Louisville Ranked No. 4 in Baseball America's Never-Too-Early 2023 Top 25

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following a 2021 campaign in which the Louisville baseball program missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, they entered 2022 unranked in every preseason poll. They reset the standard in 2022, and are now back on track to being one of the premier powers in college baseball.

Baseball American released their Never-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2023 season on Friday, and are extremely high on the Cardinals. They ranked Louisville as the No. 4 team in the poll, just behind top-ranked Tennessee, LSU and Stanford.

"Louisville bounced back from missing the NCAA Tournament in 2021 to this spring advance to super regionals," Baseball American wrote. "The Cardinals will look to keep that momentum going in 2022 with a roster that looks especially strong in the lineup."

While the Cardinals do lose impact pieces such as Dalton Rushing and Ben Metzinger, they are also returning regular starters such as Jack Payton, Christian Knapczyk, Isaac Humphrey and Logan Beard. Payton, Knapczyk and Humphrey posted the three best batting averages on the team last year.

Michael Prosecky is also heading to the Major Leagues, but Louisville is expected to return key pitchers such as Tate Kuehner and Riley Phillips. The Cards are also bringing in the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation.

Louisville went 42-21-1 in head coach Dan McDonnell's 16th year in charge, returning to the postseason to capture the Louisville Regional in thrilling fashion. They were swept by Texas A&M in the College Station Super Regional, but lost by a combined two runs.

(Photo via Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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