7th Inning Stretch: Baseball is Back! (Week 1)

Following another long offseason, college baseball has finally returned to the Derby City.

The Louisville baseball program begins their 2025 season this weekend down in Arlington, Texas for the Shriners Children's College Classic, and will make their return to Jim Patterson Stadium next week.

The Cardinals are entering a critical season as it pertains to the direction of the program. They are coming off a season where they missed the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons, and there is mounting pressure to get back to being a baseball powerhouse.

With that in mind, Louisville retains a decent amount of impact players from last season, and filled in holes by hitting the transfer portal harder than they ever have. UofL has the potential to make some noise if everything comes together.

All that being said, it's time to dive into another season of college baseball, and take a look at Louisville's first week of their 2025 campaign:

News & Notes

• Louisville is not ranked in the preseason top 25 in any of the five major collegiate baseball polls.
• Louisville was picked to finish ninth in the now division-less Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Junior right-hander Tucker Biven, senior outfielder Eddie King Jr., junior catcher Matt Klein, senior infielder Kamau Neighbors and sophomore outfielder/catcher Zion Rose were selected by the players and coaches to be the captains for the 2025 season.
• Rose was named to the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, as well as a top-101 sophomore by Perfect Game.
• Right-hander Parker Detmers and outfielder Lucas Moore were also named top-101 sophomores by Perfect Game, while right-hander Patrick Forbes was named a top-20 junior by the publication.
• Head coach Dan McDonnell enters his 19th season with the program, compiling a 751-333-1 record during his tenure as the Louisville skipper.

The Week Ahead

Neutral (Globe Life Field - Arlington, Texas)

• Friday, Feb. 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST vs Texas (FloCollege/93.9 The Ville)
• Saturday, Feb. 15 at 4:00 p.m. EST vs Oklahoma State (FloCollege/93.9 The Ville)
• Sunday, Feb. 16 at 11:30 a.m. EST vs Arizona (FloCollege/93.9 The Ville)

Know The Foe

Texas Longhorns

Head Coach (school record): Jim Schlossnagle (0-0)
2025 Record (conference record): 0-0 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: Texas Leads 1-0

Top Performers (Hitters, 2024):

• INF/OF Jared Thomas (60 GP, 60 GS): .349/.434/.635, 16 HR, 47 RBI, 15 2B, 31 BB, 18 SB
• INF Jalen Flores (60 GP, 60 GS): .340/.408/.656, 18 HR, 56 RBI, 22 2B, 21 BB, 2 SB
• OF Max Belyeu (59 GP, 56 GS): .329/.423/.667, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 15 2B, 27 BB, 3 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers, 2024):

• RHP Max Grubbs (18 APP, 12 GS): 3.67 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 72.3 IP, 50 K, 18 BB, .270 B/AVG
• RHP Gage Boehm (25 APP, 0 GS): 2.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 53.1 IP, 60 K, 17 BB, .187 B/AVG
• RHP Andre Duplantier II (29 APP, 0 GS): 3.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 53 K, 17 BB, .192 B/AVG

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Head Coach (school record): Josh Holliday (445-236-2)
2025 Record (conference record): 0-0 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 4-2

Top Performers (Hitters, 2024):

• OF/1B Nolan Schubart (49 GP, 48 GS): .370/.513/.838, 23 HR, 68 RBI, 10 2B, 49 BB
• OF Carson Benge (61 GP, 61 GS): .335/.444/.665, 18 HR, 64 RBI, 24 2B, 49 BB, 10 SB
• OF Zach Ehrhard (61 GP, 59 GS): .330/.458/.627, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 25 2B, 54 BB, 7 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers, 2024):

• RHP Brian Holiday (16 APP, 16 GS): 2.95 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 113.0 IP, 128 K, 19 BB, .199 B/AVG
• LHP Sam Garcia (16 APP, 16 GS): 3.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 89.0 IP, 115 K, 19 BB, .228 B/AVG
• RHP Robert Cranz (30 APP, 0 GS): 1.63 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 49.2 IP, 59 K, 12 BB, .153 B/AVG

Arizona Wildcats

Head Coach (school record): Chip Hale (108-74)
2025 Record (conference record): 0-0 (0-0)
All-Time Series Record: Arizona Leads 2-0

Top Performers (Hitters, 2024):

• OF Brendan Summerhill (58 GP, 58 GS): .324/.399/.550, 8 HR, 59 RBI, 18 2B, 31 BB, 7 SB
• INF Garen Caulfield (59 GP, 59 GS): .310/.391/.469, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 19 2B, 26 BB
• INF Mason White (59 GP, 59 GS): .305/.392/.603, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 10 2B, 33 BB, 5 SB

Top Performers (Pitchers, 2024):

• RHP Cam Walty (16 APP, 14 GS): 3.29 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 90.1 IP, 75 K, 13 BB, .266 B/AVG
• RHP Clark Candiotti (16 APP, 16 GS): 3.39 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 95.2 IP, 103 K, 23 BB, .249 B/AVG
• LHP Jackson Kent (15 APP, 15 GS): 4.08 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 86.0 IP, 89 K, 27 BB, .253 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

Hitting:

Pitching:

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