7th Inning Stretch: Heroes Week (Week 9)

With the Cardinals set to embark on another high-stakes week of baseball, it will be one played with a heavy heart.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last week didn't exactly start on the right foot for the Louisville baseball program, but it surely ended that way.

Following a stunning midweek loss to Lipscomb, the Cardinals (24-7, 7-5) got back on track in their weekend series against Boston College, sweeping the Eagles in the top-ten series at Jim Patterson Stadium.

As Louisville progresses into another week of high-stakes baseball, it will be on a bit of a somber note. Five people were killed and nine were injured - including two Louisville Metro police officers - in a mass shooting at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville on Monday.

In light of the tragic events, Louisville and Kentucky made a mutual decision to postpone their game that had been previously scheduled for Tuesday. Instead, the Cardinals will kick off the week against Bellarmine on Wednesday.

It will be "a night focused on community and healing throughout the city," and is part of Heroes Week at Jim Patterson Stadium. Both the matchup against Bellarmine and the weekend series against Wake Forest will have a focus on recognizing the first responders in the city of Louisville.

Last Week's Recaps:

• Game 28: Louisville Falls to Lipscomb to Continue Midseason Slump
• Game 29: Hawks' Gem, Consistent Hitting Powers Louisville to Series-Opening Win vs. Boston College
• Game 30: Louisville Mounts Furious Comeback to Clinch Series vs. Boston College
• Game 31: Liggett, Louisville Take Down Boston College to Complete Sweep

News & Notes

• Out of the six major collegiate baseball polls, Louisville ranks as high as the No. 17 team in the nation, courtesy of Baseball America.
• RHP Carson Liggett ranks fifth in the nation in in earned run average at 1.47 and 33rd in WHIP at 0.98.
• Shortstop Christian Knapczyk ranks 18th in the nation in hit by pitches with 13, and 44th in stolen bases with 15.

The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

• Wednesday, Apr. 12 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Bellarmine
• ACC Network Extra
• 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK
• Friday, Apr. 14 at 6:00 p.m. vs. Wake Forest
• ACC Network Extra
• 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK
• Saturday, Apr. 15 at 1:00 p.m. vs. Wake Forest
• ACC Network Extra
• 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK
• Sunday, Apr. 16 at 1:00 p.m. vs. Wake Forest
• ACC Network Extra
• 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK

Know The Foe

Midweek

School: Bellarmine University
Nickname: Knights
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Total Enrollment: 2,407
Head Coach (school record): Chris Dominguez (10-22)
2023 Record (conference record): 10-22 (5-7)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 44-29

Top Performers (Hitters):

• OF/3B Reed Blaszczyk (32 GP, 30 GS): .303/.362/.580, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 9 2B, 7 BB
• RHP/INF Casey Sorg (28 GP, 28 GS): .314/.371/.533, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 6 2B, 9 BB
• INF Colin Bertsch (31 GP, 31 GS): .310/.373/.504, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 5 2B, 5 BB

Top Performers (Pitchers)

• RHP Nolan Pender (8 APP, 8 GS): 4.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 49.2 IP, 50 K, 14 BB, .253 B/AVG
• RHP Matt Craven (13 APP, 0 GS): 4.82 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 19 K, 10 BB, .242 B/AVG, 4 SV
• RHP/INF Drew Buhr (8 APP, 8 GS): 7.01 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 43 K, 11 BB, .285 B/AVG

Weekend

School: Wake Forest University
Nickname: Demon Deacons
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Total Enrollment: 5,472
Head Coach (school record): Tom Walter (410-335-1)
2023 Record (conference record): 28-4 (12-2)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville leads 19-6-1

Top Performers (Hitters):

• INF/C Brock Wilken (32 GP, 32 GS): .302/.458/.707, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 5 2B, 29 BB
• OF/INF Nick Kurtz (26 GP, 26 GS): .345/.500/.747, 10 HR, 30 RBI, 5 2B, 25 BB
• OF/INF Tommy Hawke (32 GP, 32 GS): .387/.503/.516, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 13 2B, 28 BB, 7 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers)

• LHP Sean Sullivan (8 APP, 6 GS): 1.56 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 71 K, 9 BB, .138 B/AVG
• RHP Rhett Lowder (8 APP, 8 GS): 1.84 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 49.0 IP, 58 K, 11 BB, .217 B/AVG
• RHP Seth Keener (12 APP, 0 GS): 0.60 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 30.0 IP, 41 K, 7 BB, .152 B/AVG, 1 SV

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings:

	Bellarmine	Wake Forest	Louisville
D1Baseball Ranking	NR	2nd	10th
RPI	230th	6th	22nd
SOS	189th	46th	66th
Home Record	2-7	20-1	18-3
Away Record	8-15	8-3	3-4
Neutral Record	0-0	0-0	3-0

Hitting:

	Bellarmine	Wake Forest	Louisville
Base on Balls	85	2nd (217)	118th (145)
Batting Average	.277	61st (.295)	62nd (.295)
Hits	298	52nd (319)	97th (303)
Home Runs	31	21st (55)	107th (35)
On Base Percentage	.348	15th (.428)	41st (.405)
Runs Per Game	5.0	10th (9.2)	80th (7.4)
Slugging Percentage	.422	24th (.522)	80th (.468)

Pitching:

	Bellarmine	Wake Forest	Louisville
Earned Run Average	8.62	1st (2.30)	18th (3.91)
Hits Allowed/9 Innings	12.23	2nd (6.38)	10th (7.43)
Strikeouts Per 9 Innings	7.94	1st (12.4)	40th (10.1)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio	1.51	2nd (5.20)	67th (2.25)
WHIP	1.94	1st (0.98)	31st (1.32)
Walks Allowed/9 Innings	5.26	2nd (2.39)	126th (4.48)

(Photo via Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter