Time to start seriously following the University of Louisville baseball team again with the wintry weather and basketball fading from view. The Cardinals will be taking on Virginia in a three-game series Saturday through Monday at Charlottesville.
The series matches two of nation’s top 10 teams, an opportunity for one team to move up, to improve positioning to host post-season regionals. Virginia, remember, advanced to the College World Series Finals last season, falling 3-2 to Vanderbilt in the deciding game of the best-of-three series.
UofL is ranked as high as seventh in five of the six national polls with an overall record of 22-7 and a league-leading 11-1 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers are ranked ninth in at least two polls, with a 19-9 record and are 6-6 in the ACC.
The first pitch for Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m., and Monday at 7 p.m. All games will be broadcast on 93.9 FM. Monday night’s game will be televised by ESPNU.
— Through 29 games this season, the Louisville bullpen has a 1.67 ERA with a 12-0 record, 134 strikeouts in 113.0 innings pitched and opposing batters are hitting just .166.
— Senior Sutton Whiting leads the Cardinals with a .382 average through 29 games and is hitting .438 in ACC games.
— Sophomore Corey Ray is the power hitter, with four home runs, 27 RBI, 21 runs scored, three triples and 13 stolen bases on 16 attempts.
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Louisville will welcome Kentucky back to Jim Patterson Field on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Same place where the Cardinals ushered the Wildcats out of the NCAA tournament last season.