Dan McDonnell Taking Responsibility for Louisville's Tournament Exclusion
(Photo of Dan McDonnell: Steven Branscombe - USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Since taking over as the head coach of Louisville baseball in 2007, Dan McDonnell has turned the Cardinals into one of the top programs in the sport. Having made just one NCAA Tournament prior to his arrival, not only did Louisville become a mainstay in the tournament, but also a favorite to get to the College World Series year in and year out.
It's what made this past Selection Monday so abnormal for Louisville. For the first time since 2011, and just the second time in the McDonnell era, the Cardinals failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
While a rarity, it was hardly a surprise. Following the cancellation of their weekend home series against Pitt, the bottom completely fell out. Louisville went 5-11 over the last month of the season, including a 1-1 showing at the ACC Baseball Championship. Their team batting average of .283 was the lowest since 2015, and their ERA of 5.00 was the highest under McDonnell.
When looking back on the season, it's easy to place blame on clutch hitting, bullpen woes, injuries to the pitching staff, or any combination of the three. But McDonnell is not one to offer any excuses, and in his eyes, the buck stops here.
"I told the kids when the (end-of-season) meeting ended, I said "guys, I'm gonna talk to the media". I'm responsible," McDonnell said Monday. "I hold myself responsible for this, and where we're at, and how we played, and so I have to look in the mirror first, and have to do my checks and balances."
Part of his checks and balances involve drawing takeaways from previous years in which he missed the tournament, which over the totality in baseball, actually has a few instances. Over his playing and coaching career at The Citadel, the Bulldogs made the tournament just five times. Even as an assistant at Ole Miss in the early 2000's, the Rebels missed out in 2002.
"As I reminded the kids in the meeting today, we hope you learn a lot of valuable lessons from this program. One being there's a fine line between winning and losing," he said. "As good as we've been for many, many years, I've always respected the fine line between winning and losing.
As Louisville heads into the offseason, McDonnell says the program has a 'high sense of urgency'. During individual meetings, each player is given his individual set of notes on what he needs to improve on, whether or not they need to go to summer ball or remain in Louisville to weight train, and other details.
But, as previously mentioned, the players are not the only ones who will be learning and making adjustment to make sure Louisville gets back to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, having the proper mindset that allows him and the rest of the program to grow is crucial.
"As coaches, you always feel that's our job, that's our responsibility to help these kids be their best. It's a growth mindset," he said. "The fixed mindset, you got to be careful. As successful as we've been, I don't ever want to have a fixed mindset. I believe me, I got to grow in areas, and I got to get better."
Now comes an extensive period of roster management. Louisville will be losing a lot of talent to next month's MLB Draft, but will also be bringing in a plethora of talent as part of their 2021 recruiting class. No matter who will be suiting up for the Cardinals next season, McDonnell is confident they will make a triumphant return to the postseason.
"Oh it's on. Get ready next spring, it's on. You better pencil us in on your calendar, because I promise you we're gonna keep you busy," he said. "Doesn't mean we're gonna be perfect. we'll have some hiccups, but I promise we'll keep you guys busy."
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