7th Inning Stretch: First True Road Trip (Week 6)

The Cardinals are starting to surge in terms of becoming an ACC and national contender, and will put their hot streak on the line in their first true road trip of the year.

Feb 14, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns versus the Louisville Cardinals during the Shriner's Children's College Showdown at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - To say that it was a dominant past week for the Louisville baseball program would be selling their efforts a little short.

The Cardinals (16-3) had not one, but two midweek outings where they showcased their might. Then, they followed that up with a top-ten series win over North Carolina to kick off ACC play.

In their midweek games against Lipscomb and Oakland, Louisville combined to out-score them 26-5 - and that was after the first game ended via run-rule. While it was wasn't a clean sweep over the Tar Heels with a loss in game two, the Cardinals mounted a furious comeback in game one and tossed a one-hit shutout in the game three rubber match. Not to mention that this came against then then-No. 6 team in the country.

As such, Louisville is slowly but surely starting to gain some respect at the national level, and is beginning to surge towards becoming a contender for the ACC crown. While there are still a handful of things to clean up, by and large, the Cardinals are starting to round back into the traditionally powerhouse form.

Now, Louisville has another challenge in front of them. Their midweek game this week vs. Northern Kentucky will mark the end of their 18-game home stand, and they will hit the road for the first time this weekend to face Virginia Tech. Time will tell how the Cardinals deal with some of their recent success when having to go in a true road environment.

News & Notes

• Louisville ranks as high as No. 15 in the five major collegiate baseball polls (Baseball America).
• Right-Handed Pitcher Patrick Forbes ranks No. 9 nationally in strikeouts with 45.
• Outfielder Lucas Moore ranks No. 16 nationally in the NCAA's Toughest to Strike Out metric, No. 17 in runs scored with 29, and is No. 21 in stolen bases with 14.
• Infielder Jake Munroe ranks No. 21 nationally in batting average at .453.

The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

• Tuesday, Mar. 18 at 6:00 p.m. EST vs. Northern Kentucky (ACCNX/93.9 The Ville)

Home (English Field - Blacksburg, Va.)

• Friday, Mar. 21 at 4:00 p.m. EST vs Virginia Tech (ACCNX/970 WGTK)
• Saturday, Mar. 22 at 3:00 p.m. EST vs Virginia Tech (ACCNX/93.9 The Ville)
• Sunday, Mar. 23 at 1:00 p.m. EST vs Virginia Tech (ACCN/93.9 The Ville)

Know The Foe

Northern Kentucky Norse

Head Coach (school record): Dizzy Peyton (96-92)
2025 Record (conference record): 12-6 (3-0)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 17-7

Top Performers (Hitters):

• INF Gabe Miranda (18 GP, 18 GS): .444/.534/.917, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 6 2B, 2 3B, 11 BB, 3 SB
• OF Logen Devenport (17 GP, 17 GS): .435/.538/.855, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 8 2B, 12 BB, 8 SB
• OF Tyler Shaneyfelt (18 GP, 18 GS): .342/.425/.447, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 2B, 2 3B, 9 BB, 8 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers):

• RHP Kaden Echeman (4 APP, 4 GS): 3.15 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 31 K, 6 BB, .206 B/AVG
• LHP Conner Linn (5 APP, 5 GS): 4.13 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 21 K, 5 BB, .258 B/AVG
• LHP Aaron Boster (5 APP, 5 GS): 5.85 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 18 K, 15 BB, .263 B/AVG

Virginia Tech Hokies

Head Coach (school record): John Szefc (206-156)
2025 Record (conference record): 13-7 (2-4)
All-Time Series Record: Virginia Tech Leads 49-20

Top Performers (Hitters):

• Sam Tackett (20 GP, 19 GS): .471/.532/.853, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 5 2B, 9 BB, 7 SB
• Jared Davis (19 GP, 19 GS): .351/.432/.545, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 6 2B, 8 BB, 10 SB
• David McCann (19 GP, 18 GS): .270/.385/.556, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 7 2B, 1 3B, 9 BB

Top Performers (Pitchers):

• Jake Marciano (5 APP, 4 GS): 2.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 24.1 IP, 27 K, 7 BB, .182 B/AVG
• Brett Renfrow (5 APP, 5 GS): 2.63 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 29 K, 12 BB, .222 B/AVG
• Preston Crowl (9 APP, 0 GS): 1.84 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 16 K, 9 BB, .214 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

	NKU	VT	UofL
D1Baseball Ranking	NR	NR	16th
RPI	153rd	74th	71st
SOS	256th	94th	193rd
Home Record	7-1	9-4	14-2
Away Record	2-5	2-3	0-0
Neutral Record	3-0	2-0	2-1

Hitting:

	NKU	VT	UofL
Base on Balls	187th (79)	29th (115)	132nd (90th)
Batting Avg.	34th (.315)	47th (.308)	14th (.329)
Home Runs	34th (28)	49th (26)	73rd (23)
OBP	50th (.420)	41st (.425)	32nd (.429)
Runs/Game	27th (9.2)	40th (8.8)	38th (8.8)
SLG	23rd (.538)	28th (.529)	37th (.523)

Pitching:

	NKU	VT	UofL
ERA	168th (6.42)	64th (4.46)	61st (4.36)
Hits/9 Innings	151st (9.71)	41st (7.96)	58th (8.24)
K/9 Innings	118th (8.9)	10th (11.5)	23rd (10.6)
K/BB Ratio	183rd (1.59)	76th (2.22)	48th (2.50)
WHIP	179th (1.70)	86th (1.46)	65th (1.39)
BB/9 Innings	208th (5.61)	178th (5.16)	88th (4.25)

(Photo of Zion Rose: Chris Jones - Imagn Images)

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