Just wondering if any thought has been given to retiring Chris Dominguez’  No. 17 for his impact on the program.  His name and hitting prowess will be associated with University of Louisville baseball for decades to come.

More than likely, Dominguez has played his last game, having powered 61 career home runs and batted in 281 runs  while leading his team to a record number of wins and post-season NCAA appearances in three seasons.

The Mingo has been around for four years but he injured a shoulder after three games during his freshman year. That forced him to take a medical redshirt. If things don’t go well in the draft, he would be eligible for another season. Yeah, but that’s a real long shot.

No. 17 should be a permanent fixture at Jim Patterson Stadium. Here’s a partial list of Mingo’s honors and numbers:

2009

Louisville Slugger All-American
Big East Player of the Year
Sporting News Preseason National Player of the Year
Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American
Brooks Wallace Watch List
Big East Preseason Player of the Year
Team Co-Captain

2008

Big East Championship MVP
Big East All-Tournament Team
Big East Co-Player of the Year
All-American (Four publications)

2007

Columbia NCAA Regional MVP
All-Columbia NCAA Regional Team
PING! Baseball All-American

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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.

6 thoughts on “Chris Dominguez, The Mingo Legacy”
  1. Agreed that UofL should maybe put up a banner or plaque in Patterson for Mingo. Plenty of room on the exterior of the press box or on one of the outfield fences.

  2. All good points, Paul. But he was instrumental in leading U of L to three NCAA appearances, including its first College World Series. Not suggesting a statue, just someway to honor him. As for Cal State Fullerton, you have to wonder whether they could have handled U of L’s 2007 team, which probably put up better numbers in all categories than CSF has thus far.

  3. Thank you, Chris…for your contribution to the University of Louisville baseball program. Some of the biggest cheers ever released at Jim Patterson Stadium occired when you took one of those mighty swings and deposited a basebsll out in the left fiels berm.

    Here’s wishing you a long and successful career in “the bigs” and Cardinal fans will long remember that infectious smile, dilligent guarding of the “hot corner” and massive swing.

    1. I’m going to take the opposite route here and say no statue for Mingo. Before you get mad, let’s ask ourselves a few questions.

      Did he lead us to a final four or championship game? (Angel and Griff did)

      Has he had a successful career in the pros? (Grif did, Angel looks on track to do so and Johnny Unitas definitely did)

      Any Mingo statue building should be delayed until he’s reached the lofty heights of the three mentioned above. Wes Unseld, Derek Smith, Sam Madison and Ray Buchannan deserve a little more than a banner, in my opinion. Here’s hoping he has the type of baseball career in the pros that might bring this conversation up down the road.

      Cal State Fullerton proved that we’re hardly a elite baseball program yet. Get to work, Dan.

  4. His impact on program is undeniable but they might want to let a little time go by before making the decision. There should be some way to honor him in the stadium in the meantime with a little creativity.

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