Freshman Nick Burdi, a 6-foot-3 righthanded pitcher from Downers Grove, Ill., will be on the mound Wednesday at 3 p.m. when the University of Louisville baseball team goes against Eastern Kentucky in the home opener at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Burdi earned All-American, All-State and All-Conference honors and was 22-2 in his prep career. As a senior, finished 7-1 with one save, a 1.21 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 24th round of the 2011 Major League Draft.
The game is the first of nine consecutive home games. The 16th-ranked Cards, currently 2-1, will play 22 of 26 games at home from Feb. 22 through April 3.
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Mick Cronin, former U of L basketball assistant, lives to beat his old boss Rick Pitino. He showed up unshaven at a UC press conference Tuesday to discuss the upcoming showdown, per the Cincinnati Post:
“You can tell by looking at me that I’ve been locked in my house watching film,” Cronin said. “When you know that a team really wants to beat you bad, I think it would be smart to just prepare to beat them and you’d better be really aware of how badly they would like to beat you. I’m well aware of it. I know they’re coming for us.”
“His ability to think outside the box is probably one of his biggest strengths,” Cronin said of Pitino. “He’s a guy that could run a Fortune 500 company as well as coach a basketball team. I don’t think you can say that about a lot of basketball coaches.”
The little guy has earned his mentor’s respect. He’s 3-4 against Pitino,
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Speaking of Cincinnati, a guest poster at Clones Confidential, an Iowa State blog, goes into great depth about why Cincinnati should be a member of the Big 12 conference, a week after the moderator had railed against UC’s admission. Among his observations:
Cincinnati is located in the 35th largest media market in the US, boasts 3 Big East Championships in just 7 years of play, a student body 41,000-strong, and a 65,000-seat stadium in which to play games against bigger opponents. There’s a lot to like about UC.
The article is extensive and makes a good case. Persuasive only if U of L goes first, however.
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If you’re planning on attending the UofL-Cincinnati basketball game at Fifth Third Arena, Howie Lindsey of Louisville Sports Report tweets that you should wear white Cardinal gear. Apparently, it’s a “Black Out” game for the Bearcats.