7th Inning Stretch: One Final Push (Week 15)

The Louisville baseball program's 2026 season ight not have panned out like many expected it would, but they were at least able to end the regular season on a high note.

The Cardinals (30-26, 13-17 ACC) had a near-perfect 3-1 week of baseball this past week, taking down Bellarmine in the midweek before winning their weekend series against Virginia.

Now, it's officially do-or-die time for Louisville. With an RPI of just 83rd and an overall win/loss record that's barely above .500, the Cardinals are very much out of the running for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. If they are to get into the Big Dance, they'll have to win the ACC Baseball Championship, which gets underway this week.

Securing the No. 11 seed for the single elimination tournament, Louisville will open up postseason play against 14th-seeded Pitt. As part of the their draw, they also have the possibility to face Wake Forest in the second round, and Florida State in the quarterfinals.

Overall, Louisville has not had a ton of success in the ACC Baseball Championship, sporting just a 7-14 record in the event since joining the league in 2014. But considering they have won four of their last six games, that could be just the momentum needed to extend their season.

News & Notes

• Louisville remains out of the top-25 in all five major collegiate baseball polls.
• First baseman Tague Davis ranks first nationally in home runs with 34, first in RBI with 96, first in total bases with 195, and third in slugging percentage at 0.863.
• Outfielder Lucas Moore ranks 12th nationally in stolen bases with 37.

The Week Ahead

Neutral (Truist Field - Charlotte, N.C.)

• Tuesday, May 19 at 9:00 p.m. EST vs Pitt (ACC Network/93.9 The Ville)
• *Wednesday, May 20 at 9:00 p.m. EST vs. Wake Forest (ACC Network/93.9 The Ville)
• *Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. EST vs. Florida State (ACC Network/93.9 The Ville)
• *Saturday, May 23 at 5:00 p.m. EST vs. TBD (ACC Network/93.9 The Ville)
• *Sunday, May 24 at 12:00 p.m. EST vs. TBD (ESPN2/93.9 The Ville)

*If Necessary

Know The Foe

Pitt Panthers

Head Coach (school record): Mike Bell (191-197)
2026 Record (conference record): 30-23 (11-19 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 23-14

Top Hitters:

• OF Lorenzo Carrier (53 GP, 53 GS): .396/.543/.819, 20 HR, 66 RBI, 13 2B, 2 3B, 53 BB, 6 SB
• INF Caden Dulin (49 GP, 49 GS): .355/.432/.590, 12 HR, 43 RBI, 11 2B, 29 BB, 3 SB
• C Sebastian Pisacreta (53 GP, 53 GS): .270/.391/.550, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 9 2B, 1 3B, 31 BB

Top Pitchers:

• RHP David Leslie (16 APP, 10 GS): 7.11 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 55.2 IP, 60 K, 25 BB, .315 B/AVG
• LHP Antonio Doganiero (13 APP, 11 GS): 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 56.0 IP, 49 K, 20 BB, .241 B/AVG
• RHP Drew Lafferty (14 APP, 14 GS): 5.72 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 61.1 IP, 41 K, 22 BB, .309 B/AVG

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Head Coach (school record): Tom Walter (533-401-1)
2026 Record (conference record): 38-18 (16-14 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 22-15-1

Top Hitters:

• INF Luke Costello (49 GP, 49 GS): .323/.463/.689, 17 HR, 61 RBI, 10 2B, 31 BB, 3 SB
• INF Dalton Wentz (56 GP, 56 GS): .296/.408/.602, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 16 2B, 1 3B, 40 BB, 2 SB
• INF Kade Lewis (55 GP, 55 GS): .359/.452/.607, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 10 2B, 1 3B, 34 BB, 7 SB

Top Pitchers:

• RHP Chris Levonas (14 APP, 14 GS): 2.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 68.1 IP, 110 K, 32 BB, .175 B/AVG
• RHP Troy Dressler (19 APP, 7 GS): 4.56 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 53.1 IP, 75 K, 26 BB, .248 B/AVG
• RHP Duncan Marsten (13 APP, 10 GS): 4.39 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 55.1 IP, 71 K, 24 BB, .202 B/AVG

Florida State Seminoles

Head Coach (school record): Link Jarrett (152-80)
2026 Record (conference record): 38-16 (19-11 ACC)
All-Time Series Record: Florida State Leads 37-15

Top Hitters:

• OF Brayden Dowd (46 GP, 46 GS): .301/.461/.554, 10 HR, 34 RBI, 12 2B, 45 BB, 10 SB
• OF John Stuetzer (51 GP, 46 GS): .269/.356/.484, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 10 2B, 1 3B, 19 BB, 11 SB
• C Hunter Carns (46 GP, 44 GS): .318/.425/.516, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 11 2B, 1 3B, 29 BB, 2 SB

Top Pitchers:

• LHP Wes Mendes (14 APP, 14 GS): 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 84.0 IP, 109 K, 23 BB, .201 B/AVG
• LHP Trey Beard (13 APP, 12 GS): 4.78 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 64.0 IP, 88 K, 23 BB, .244 B/AVG
• RHP John Abraham (17 APP, 1 GS): 1.04 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 43.1 IP, 55 K, 19 BB, .182 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

Hitting:

Pitching: