Louisville baseball won't ignore top ranking

Cardinals ranked number one overall in several national polls

Louisville baseball won’t play down its expectations or number one ranking in national polls. The Cardinals sit atop the nation in several preseason polls and were voted to win the ACC.

Dan McDonnell expected Louisville to be ranked high in polls as he begins his 14 season as the program’s head coach. Louisville returns starters Reid Detmers, Bobby Miller and Luke Smith, along with relievers Michael Kirian, Jared Polan and Adam Elliott.

Detmers was a first-team All-America selection by D1Baseball while junior Kirian and sophomore Alex Binelas were named the second team.

“We tried to prepare the kids for it before Christmas to what the rest of the country will think about us,” McDonnell said. “You have to be mature how you handle that.”

The expectations don’t bother the players as McDonnell says that’s why they came to Louisville.

With proven pitchers, the lineup still needs time to take shape.

“It’s usually positional player wise are trickery to figure out how they perform when the lights come on,” McDonnell said. “You want to give them enough opportunity and try to play the hot hand.”

McDonnell said the number one ranking helps the fan base get excited and adds interests for recruits, but production on the field is what the team focuses on.

“We have always done a good job, we talk about goals, we write it down, we put it out there for the world to know,” McDonnell said. “Once the season starts, we respect our opponent and we really want to be where our feet are.”