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The University of Louisville baseball team is about to kick off their season this weekend verse Bowling Green State University. The Falcons are the beginning of a tough out of conference schedule the Cards will face in the next several weeks. The Falcons are the defending Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champions, and are projected to repeat this season.
“They’re a great team that isn’t going to make mistakes,” said Head Coach Dan McDonnell. “Bowling Green is simply going to play fundamental baseball, and force us to beat them. It is a great opportunity to start the season, and will allow us to gauge our progress so far this year.”
The Cards will also travel to Florida at the end of February to compete in the Big Ten / Big East Challenge. At the Big Ten / Big East Challenge, the Cards will face Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota. According to junior third basemen Phil Wunderlich the entire team is excited for the opportunity to play in the challenge.
“We are all anxious to get to Florida,” said Wunderlich. “We are itching to play some quality teams, and get away from this freezing cold weather in Louisville. It will be interesting to see how we perform on a stage like the Big Ten / Big East Challenge.
In the three full seasons under Dan McDonnell the Cards have completed many firsts in the University’s history. It was the first time to win three conference tournament titles in a row, first time hosting a NCAA Regional, and in McDonnell’s inaugural season the Cards advanced to their first College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. This is a trend that Coach McDonnell wants to do it again this year.
“We have a lot of talent this season, and I’m hoping to bring a National Championship back to the University of Louisville,” said McDonnell. “Our squad has a core group of seniors, surrounded by a talented group of juniors. With that combination our first and foremost goal is to win Big East, but after that with our group I’m shooting as high as anybody can.”
Thomas Royse, junior starting pitcher, will get the ball Friday afternoon verse the Falcons and said a National Championship is a very real possibility this year.
“On the surface it would seem like we declined from last year,” said Royse. “Losing Chris Dominguez and Justin Marks definitely is a step backwards, but we brought in 8-10 new guys that are going to help this team tremendously. Our lineup is deeper than it was last year, and believe me no one is an easy out. Our pitching rotation is also deeper than it has been in the past. As long as we can stay healthy I give us a great shot at advancing to Omaha, and once you get there anything can happen.”
The schedule has the Cards playing the Falcons on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, that is subject to change depending on the weather. Even with more snow forecasted for Saturday, Dan McDonnell is optimistic that all three games will be played one way or another.
“Well the weather is always a factor this time of year,” said McDonnell. “We are fortunate to have a wonderful facility that allows us to get in a lot of games that most teams can’t. Whether we have to play a double header on Saturday or Sunday I’m pretty confident that we will get in all three games.”
The Cards will play at 2 P.M. on Friday, and at 1 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
