Fall ball plans potentially changing for Louisville
After Louisville baseball’s season was cut short due to COVID-19, head coach Dan McDonnell and his staff have turned their attention to preparing a fall schedule of workouts, practices and scrimmages.
Louisville typically scrimmages twice a week while spending three or four days on fundamental practices, McDonnell said. That routine might change this fall.
“We have already figured out we are probably going to have to have three scrimmages a week, which is usually around the weekend and two to three fundamental practices with a day or two off based on that 45-day window,” McDonnell said.
The NCAA allows baseball teams 24 dates of practice and competition during a 45-day window in their non-championship seasons.
McDonnell says the length of intra-squad scrimmages are determined by the pitching staff, but the Cardinals will also see other competition.
Louisville is slated to play Western Kentucky in a fall scrimmage already while McDonnell shared the potential of playing Bellarmine as well.
“It’s cost effective, we are right down the street from each other,” McDonnell said.
The NCAA currently allows teams to play two exhibition games against outside competition in the fall, but McDonnell is hopeful the NCAA will grant additional scrimmages.
“I think coaches are hoping we can get more games in the fall just because you somebody in a different uniform in that dugout, it is a whole different game,” McDonnell said. “Intra-squads are good, but playing another opponent takes it to a real level.”
McDonnell is preparing for the typical time frame for fall practices. After several weeks of individual work, Louisville begins full team practices after Labor Day.
From the weekend following Labor Day to the middle of October, Louisville scrimmages during on weekends. The 15 annual Pizza Bowl is planned for mid-October.
The Pizza Bowl is a series of intra-squad scrimmages that caps fall practices. The winning team is rewarded by being served pizza by the losing team.