If you thought Dan McDonnell would start Jeff Marks to get the University of Louisville off to a good start in the Big East Baseball Tournament, you had a lot of company. After all, Marks was the Big East Pitcher of the Year.
Getting the nod was Derek Self, a freshman from Cave City. If he was in awe of the starting assignment in the first game of his first conference tournament, Self hid it well.
The 6-foot-2 righthander held Cincinnati scoreless through the first six innings before being relieved in the seventh, picking up his fifth win without a loss, allowing only four hits and two earned runs in a 12-2 win over the Bearcats. Of course, his nerves may have been calmed by the five hits and six runs his teammates put on the scoreboard in the first inning.
Jeff Arnold had three hits, including a home run in the seventh and four runs batted in, to pace the Cardinal offense.
U of L takes on Notre Dame at 1 p.m. Wednesday. More than likely, Jeff Marks (9-2) will be on the mound. But that could change.