Louisville Approved to Host More Fans at Jim Patterson Stadium
(Photo of Jim Patterson Stadium vis University of Louisville Athletics)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It seems that Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell spoke it into existence.
The Louisville baseball program announced Wednesday that they had "sought and received permission" to increase the capacity of Jim Patterson Stadium to 50%, or roughly 2,000 fans, effective immediately.
With the upgrade to capacity, additional tickets will be available for their upcoming weekend series against Duke and all remaining home games. Tickets will go on sale to the general public starting Thursday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
The move comes just one day after McDonnell voiced his frustration with the previous attendance plan, at which Jim Patterson Stadium as only operating at 20% capacity.
"I'm ready to open this place up, I'm not gonna lie. I'm beyond frustrated, I'm tired of it," he said after their 7-2 win over Vanderbilt. "I'm tired of playing games without people in the stands. So, let's open it up, and let's let our fans come, and let's let them enjoy some Louisville baseball."
Tuesday's win against Vanderbilt had an announced attendance of just 880 people. For full context, the last three home games against the Commodores have averaged 4,133.
Due to COVID-19, the NCAA will announce pre-determined regional host sites for the NCAA Tournament on Monday, May 10, instead of assigning them to the top 16 teams after conference championship weekend in late May.
Louisville currently sits at 24-14 on the 2021 season and 14-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Cardinals have three series left in the regular season: Duke, at UNC and Miami. McDonnell said that Louisville is looking to add a couple midweek games to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume.
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