Too many pop ups in that 30 mile-per-hour wind blowing in from center field. Too many errors on routine plays. Too many Texas base runners. Final score: Texas 4, Louisville 1.

Just a sad ending for a team that brought such joy to the community during the past two weeks, raising hopes so high — so close yet so far — only to see them crushed in the end.

Another early exit for the University of Louisville from the College World Series. Zero wins in four tries the past two seasons. As disappointing as it was for the UofL baseball team, best to remember that Louisville was the only team that made back to back appearances in Omaha.

The future of the program couldn’t be any brighter as UofL prepares to enter the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. Seven ACC teams were invited to the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight season. Two of them were national seeds and hosted regionals.

A definite step up in competition from the American Conference, but that’s what Louisville fans want — to be able to consistently compete at the highest level.

Take heart from this parting tweet from a returning player:

And a reengineered sportswriter:

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.