By Derek DeBurger
After missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons and the ACC Tournament for the first time since joining the conference, Louisville will look to bounce back in 2024.
The Cards will start the new season in Tampa with a round-robin tournament versus the Indiana State Sycamores, the USF Bulls, and the U Conn Huskies.
The 2022-2023 season may have ended in disappointment, but the same promise carries over. Louisville returns eight of the top 11 batters from the previous season, with catcher Jack Payton and shortstop Christian Knapczyk being the two biggest departures by way of the MLB.
There were two additional departures on the pitching staff—Tate Kuehner and Ryan Hawks—through the MLB draft. The pitching rotation has been a glaring issue for the past three seasons while the hitters have mostly done exceptionally well.
For those wondering how a program that seems to have declined so sharply in the past few years can make its triumphant return to the tournament, I have two words for you: transfer portal.
This season is the first time head coach Dan McDonnell and company have embraced the portal as a means of roster construction.
The Cards have four transfers likely to make major impacts. Dylan Hoy is an infielder primarily playing at second base and has a phenomenal glove. Hoy was named one of the team captains, so there are high expectations for the Marist transfer. Luke Napleton is a catcher from Quincy University who led all of Division II in home runs (29), RBIs (87), and total bases (187) on his way to D-II All-American honors. Napleton will look to continue a long line of elite catchers under McDonnell.
In the bullpen, the 2023 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year from Wright State—Sebastian Gongora—will help bolster the starting rotation. Another D-II All-American from Lewis University Jake Karaba will add depth to the rotation of relief pitchers.
With lots of returning talent, the first meaningful transfer class under McDonnell and another top-10 recruiting class the Cards should be poised for a return to form in 2024, but it all starts with Indiana State at 10 a.m. ET on Friday.
