The Louisville baseball regular season concluded on May 17 with a 14-9 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. However, the Cardinals didn't end the season positively as Louisville lost five of their last six and seven of their previous 10.
The Cardinals finished the regular season at 35-20 overall and 15-15 in ACC play. The Louisville Cardinals finished the season as the No. 10 seed in the ACC Tournament in Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. The Cardinals will be in the third game in the ACC Tournament as Louisville will play the 15-seeded Pitt at 5 p.m. local time.
The Panthers finished ACC play at 10-20 and ended the season on a three-game losing streak, getting swept by the Clemson Tigers. The Cardinals didn't play Pitt this season, making the Tuesday showdown the first matchup of the Cardinals vs the Panthers.
What does Louisville need to do in the ACC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament?
A win for Dan McDonnell and his Cardinals over Pitt on Tuesday should clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, Louisville's last 10 games left a sour taste for the Cardinals' baseball season, making the Cards' have to play well in Durham.
A loss to Pitt would put the Cardinals on the bubble and be a team that could fall on the outside looking in. Some believe a win over Pitt should clinch the Cardinals in, but a win over the Duke Blue Devils in the second round would clinch a spot in the Big Dance for the Cardinals.
If the Cardinals beat Pitt, they would face the Blue Devils on Wednesday, May 21, at 5 p.m. local time. Louisville didn't face Duke this season, but the Cardinals own the series history with a 10-6 record against the Blue Devils. The winner of the second-round matchup would then battle the No. 2-seeded Florida State on Thursday. The full bracket can be viewed here.
Louisville has never won the ACC Tournament, but it did win two baseball tournaments in 2008 and 2009 when it was in the Big East. The Cardinals will have a long road if they want to make history, as it would take six wins to win their first ACC Tournament. Louisville needs just a win or two to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but if Louisville makes history, then the Cardinals would gain massive momentum ahead of the Big Dance.
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