By Benjamin Lampkin
The postseason expectations of one of the best season’s in school history may not have been met, but the University of Louisville baseball team has definitely set a new standard in excellence for future seasons.
After posting a school-record 39-14 mark during the regular season, the Cardinals faltered in postseason play, dropping their two Conference USA games and their first and only NCAA Tournament appearances.
Expectations were especially high after the Cards ran through the C-USA regular season schedule. Picked to finish as low as ninth in the pre-season standings, U of L got off to a great start in the season-opening series, grabbing a pair of wins over SEC power Vanderbilt.
The Cards continued to improve with each series, getting production from the top to the bottom of the order, and using a vastly improved pitching staff to finish what the offense started.
At the top of the list has to be Mark Jurich. The redshirt sophomore led U of L in almost every offensive category, including batting average, home runs, and RBI. Jurich was rewarded by being named an NABC All-American for the 2002 season. Jurich was also invited to participate in the 2002 USA Baseball National Team Trials.
Also having strong season’s were shortstop Adam Haley, who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 13th round of the 2002 Amateur baseball draft, as well as freshman southpaw pitcher Zach Jackson, a 2002 Freshman All-America selection after finishing with a 10-3 record.
Yet the season definitely ended with a sour taste. The Cards headed into the C-USA tournament on an unfamiliar high, posting their 38th win of the season just prior to the start of the tournament. But the Cards were unable to capture the energy, and offense, that had propelled them to a second-place C-USA finish.
The Cards did not get their first run of the tournament until the second game against TCU, which turned out to be a humiliating 8-1 loss. U of L was then forced to sit and wait for a NCAA at-large bid that was not a certainty. 40 wins has been the benchmark for postseason berths for years, and with 39, the Cards were fortunate to receive a bid into the 64-team field.
Yet the NCAA tournament would prove to be just as unforgiving as the C-USA tourney. In the opening match against Georgia, the Cards’ bats once again fell victim to an opposing pitcher’s arm. UG’s Matt Woods picked up the win by going seven innings, giving up no runs on five hits as Georgia won 7-1.
“We kept trying to pull the ball,” said head coach Lelo Prado. “You’ve got the make adjustments. I give them credit. He made us look pretty silly.”
After the poor showing in the opening game, the Cards fell to the losers bracket and faced Coastal Carolina. However, the Chanticleer’s were just as formidable as the Bulldogs, handing the Cards a 9-1 loss and sending U of L home.
“You can’t fall behind without swinging the bats and we did that today,” said Prado. “Give Coastal credit. They came out swinging the bats.”
The Cards failed to pick up a victory in the postseason, and were outscored 34-3 in those games. However, optimism remains high for next season, with only five seniors departing.
We’re going to have a strong senior class,” said first baseman Morgan Bojorquez. “I guarantee you we’ll be back to the Regionals next year.”
“It’s a learning process,” said Prado. “We made it here for the first time in school history and I’m very proud of our guys.”
With a strong pitching staff, an exciting core of fielders, and an offense with the capabilities of scoring a plethora of runs, the Cardinals will definitely make a lot of noise next season not only in Conference USA, but in NCAA baseball.
Additional information provided by Charlie Leffler
