Louisville Baseball has just finished up their 46th game of the season. With only 10 more to go, I’m going to provide you a recap of how I’ve looked at the Cards’ season thus far, and what I expect come postseason time.
In what was supposed to be a “rebuilding year” for the Cards, Coach Dan McDonnell has managed to put the team in a position to make a run here come postseason. While the team has definitely lost more games than it has in the previous few years, they’ve also shown a lot of resiliency in winning a lot of tough ballgames.
The Cards currently sit with a record of 30-14 and are ranked as the number 29 team in the country. While the team isn’t sitting as pretty as it has in the past, there are a plethora of reasons the Cards can make another run to Omaha.
Coming into the season, Louisville knew it was going to have to replace a bunch of big name players that the program lost to the MLB and to graduation, what Coach Dan McDonnell and staff didn’t know were which younger and relatively inexperienced guys were going to shine once thrown into the spotlight.
Despite having who I consider to be one of the best coaches in baseball in Dan McDonnell, I truly think that the rest of the season comes down to how well a few of the key players are able to build on what they’ve done so far this season.
Recap and expectations going forward
As I said before, this season was expected to be a rebuilding one for the Louisville Cardinals. While it was still expected to be a rebuilding year, Louisville sports a very talented roster and one of the best coaches in baseball.
The main question I had coming into the season, was who was going to be “that guy” for the Cards. Last year you could argue that it was Brendan McKay AND Drew Ellis. Both of them came through time and time again when the team needed it most. So, I wasn’t sure who would be the guy the team looked to when needing a boost or a big play.
So, the fact that they were so young and didn’t yet know who their go to guy would be led me to expect that the Cards would struggle some point early in the season but would get it straightened out with time.
Throwing expectations to the wayside, the Cards came out hot, starting the season on a 15 game win streak. Not only did the Cards show they could whip up on weaker competition, but they also won a series and split a two game set with North Carolina and Texas Tech who were both ranked towards the top of the polls at the time.
They looked like they hadn’t missed a beat from their trip to Omaha last year and seemed like they were destined for another great year. Then, some adversity hit. After beating Texas Tech, Louisville went 11-10 in their next 21 games, and lost some games that they certainly should’ve won. With a team this young, it wouldn’t have been shocking to see them mentally fold, and continue this way until the end of the season.
They were making errors in the field, walking guys, and weren’t executing very well when it came to situational hitting. These are all things that the fans aren’t used to seeing with a Dan McDonnell coached team, as he regularly preaches how important the fundamentals are. I didn’t expect this trend to keep up, and feel like it could mostly be attributed to how young the players are.
Something else that was definitely contributing to the mediocre play was the fact that they simply weren’t getting a lot of production from guys who were expected to have big seasons. When the rest of the team realized those guys were struggling, they surely tried to over compensate for it which didn’t help matters.
However, after this stretch of baseball, the Cards have put together a 7-1 record and look poised to keep playing well. The Cards are playing fundamentally sound baseball of late, which is something that was not happening when they were floating around that .500 mark in the stretch of games mentioned above.
There are a few things going on with the team right now that lead me believe the Cards will keep up the stellar play, and may even make another deep postseason run. For example, Josh Stowers started has been stuck in a bit of a slump for most of the year, but over the last 8 games he’s batting a solid .350 including a walkoff double. Logan Wyatt has over 9 RBI’s over the last 8 games which is certainly something you want to see out of your clean-up hitter. Also, over the last 8 games the pitching staff has only allowed over 5 runs one time, and the Cards still managed to win that contest. If the offense can stay hot and the pitching staff stay where they’re at, the Cards have plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the postseason.
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One of the things that I think is playing a huge factor in the Cards’ latest hot streak is that a lot of the young players are showing that they have matured. They’re putting together lengthy at bats, playing fundamentally sound in the field, and are showing a short memory when things don’t go their way. This is something that was lacking early in the season, and I’d say it definitely shows that the younger guys are accepting the coaching they’re getting and are maturing a lot.
Another thing which is definitely contributing to their stellar play at the moment is that the key guys who were struggling a bit are beginning to hit the ball like they were expected to at the beginning of the season. Aside from the obvious production this brings, it also allows some of the players to loosen up and relax a bit since they don’t have to press as much.
One of the most promising things that points towards a postseason run for the Cards, is that they seem to be peaking at the right. You could ask any coach of any sport and they would all agree that one of the most important things in regards to the postseason is that their team is playing their best ball going into the most critical part of their season. As of right now, the Cards seem to be playing the most complete and polished baseball they have so far this season and that definitely bodes well for the postseason.
The Cards season will go as far as these 5 players take them
Here’s a guy who is without a doubt one of the most important players on the team. At the end of last season, Stowers was playing arguably the best baseball out of anyone on the team. He was on fire in the regional, super regional, and even played well when the team got to Omaha. All of this led myself and other fans to believe that he was going to have a breakout season this year and would be a star as long as he was able to build off of what he did last year.
Unfortunately, Josh got off to a slow start this season and seemed as if he might be stuck in a slump for the foreseeable future, but man he is beginning to break out in a big way. Over their last 8 games, he is looking just like the player everyone knew he could be. He’s showing power and solid contact to all fields, he’s flying around the bases, and he’s making spectacular plays out in center field. It’s awesome to see Josh getting hot at the right time , and if he can keep it up then the Cards can more than likely go as far as he can take them.
To say the least, the rise of Logan Wyatt is somewhat surprising. Wyatt came into the year with very little experience, he was replacing one of the best players to ever wear a Cardinal uniform, and there was a ton of unknown surrounding the young first baseman. One thing that never changed however, was that Dan McDonnell knew he was one of the most talented guys on the team.
Wyatt has proven Coach McDonnell dead right as he has started every game for the Cards. He leads the team in doubles, walks, OBP, slugging percentage, hits, total bases, and RBI’s. I’m excited to see Logan continue to get better and develop, because it’s absolutely ridiculous how good this kid can be. If Wyatt can continue to get on base and drive in runs at the pace he is now, it will certainly bode well for the Cards come post season time.
Very similar to Josh Stowers, Mann is a guy who many people,including myself, expected would have a great year this year after amassing a ton of playing time during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He slugged 8 homers during his sophomore season, so naturally people expected he’d be able to build off of that and show some serious power coming into his junior season.
So far, Mann seems to be in a bit of a funk at the plate this season batting only .266 with 3 homeruns, both stats being down from his sophomore season. In my opinion, if the Cards are going to make a run then Devin Mann is going to have to be a big part of it. They need the junior second baseman to find his groove at the plate and be able to contribute in order for the offense to reach its potential and take some pressure off of the young pitching staff. Here’s to hoping Devin can figure it out in the next couple of weeks and get things going at the plate.
Oriente is a sophomore who in my opinion has been the most pleasant surprise for the Cards so far this season. He leads the team in average hitting a solid .354 and he’s been consistent at the plate throughout the entire season. While I admit I didn’t know much about him coming into the year, it’s obvious that Dan McDonnell thought he was talented enough to play last season as a true freshman considering he got hurt in the opening series of the year. The fact that he was going to get serious playing time as a true freshman on a team as deep as the one last year speaks volumes to the caliber of player that Oriente is.
This season he has shown exactly why he was slotted to play as a true freshman. If Oriente can keep up the pace that he’s at now it’ll make him one of the biggest producers come postseason time which is obviously a major plus for the Cards.
Last but not least, I think Nick Bennett will end up being a huge player for the Cards going forward. Bennett started off the season in street clothes as an injury delayed his season debut. He pitched very well for the Cards last season as a true freshman and even made a start in the College World Series.
In 7 starts this year Bennett has pitched to the tune of a 5-2 record with a 2.17 ERA. These numbers are pretty solid, but when you take into account that he’s still getting better and improving since getting a late start they’re that much more impressive. If Bennett can stay healthy and continue to get better then he can be a key member of the rotation for the Cards and will end up solidifying their rotation.
Remaining Schedule and Postseason Expectations
The Cards have 9 regular season games remaining on their schedule, and 6 of those are will be home games at Jim Patterson Stadium. Six out of the nine remaining games are against Pitt on the road and Notre Dame at home, both of which should be very winnable series for the Cards. It’s important that they at least win the series as it will boost their seeding going into the ACC tournament, as well as boost their record and RPI. Realistically, I think the Cards should win at least 7 out of their last 9 games which would put them in a good spot heading into the postseason.
This would be the type of season that would really standout if the Cards were to make a run for a couple of reasons. One reason being that it has been such an up and down year that if they were to make a run it would be kind of a thrill for the players and the fanbase the entire time. It would truly to be a team effort which is something that Louisville fans always love to get behind. In my opinion, this team has everything it takes to make a run into the postseason and can go as far as Coach Dan McDonnell will take them. I’m excited to see the Cards close out the regular season and make a run come postseason time.
Important Dates
The ACC Tournament – May 22 – May 27, in Durham, North Carolina
2018 NCAA Regional- June 1- June 4, at a campus site TBD
2018 NCAA Super Regional- June 8 – June 11, at a campus site TBD
2018 NCAA College World Series- June 16-June 27, in Omaha, Nebraska
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Louisville baseball will next take the field tomorrow night against Wright State at Jim Patterson Stadium.