The University of Louisville baseball team is set to begin a nine-game homestand by hosting Morehead State on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET in Jim Patterson Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
The Cardinals had an impressive performance in the 2023 Shriners Children’s College Classic held in Houston. The team went 3-0, winning the championship after defeating No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 10 TCU, and Michigan in just seven innings. During the event, the UofL starting pitchers, Ryan Hawks, Greg Farone, and Carson Liggett, performed almost flawlessly, allowing just one run and five hits, striking out 24. The lone run scored against them resulted from a two-run homer after Farone had exited the game.
Louisville and Morehead State will face off for the 88th time on Tuesday, with the Cards leading the all-time series 51-36. The two programs have matched up every year, except for 1984 and 1998, dating back to 1972. In their previous meeting, Louisville won after Ben Metzinger hit a three-run walk-off homer, bringing them back from a 5-4 deficit in the ninth inning.
The Cardinals have a record of 142-25 (.850) in regular-season non-conference games since 2016, including a record of 114-13 (.898) in regular-season non-conference home games. The team has recorded at least ten hits in nine of their first eleven games and had done so 41 times during the 2022 season. They are 8-1 when tallying more hits than the opposition, and under coach Dan McDonnell’s tenure, the team has a record of 559-64 (.897) when they record more hits. Additionally, the Cardinals have outscored their opponents 22-3 in the first two innings of games played this season.
Individually, Jack Payton had an outstanding 2022 season, leading the ACC with 23 doubles, but he only hit four home runs. However, Payton has already hit five doubles and four home runs in the ten games of the 2023 season. He has a batting average of .463 and is 17-for-34 (.500) over the past eight games. Eddie King Jr. had a great start to his playing career, hitting in seven of his first eleven at-bats and reaching base in 11 of his first 15 plate appearances.
Ryan McCoy, a junior, has made his presence known in the Louisville lineup, leading or tied for the lead in runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, and total bases through eight games. Christian Knapczyk has reached base 25 times and scored 13 runs, hitting .372 at the top of the order. In his three starts this spring, senior Ryan Hawks has allowed just one earned run in 19.2 innings, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 25-5. Greg Farone has punched out 21 batters in 12.1 innings, while Carson Liggett is 3-0 this season and turned in an impressive complete-game effort against Michigan, allowing only one hit over seven shutout innings.
Louisville baseball is coming off a successful tournament win and is ready to begin a nine-game homestand. The team has had strong performances from both the pitching staff and individual players, with several players putting up impressive numbers in the early part of the season.
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