7th Inning Stretch: Lone Star Road Trip (Week 2)

College baseball made it's much-anticipated return this past weekend, although Louisville didn't get their new season off on the right foot.

The Cardinals (1-2) welcomed Michigan State to Jim Patterson Stadium to kick off the 2026 campaign, but dropped the first two games of their three-game series against the Spartans before claiming the finale. It was Louisville's first series loss to kick off a new season since 2020 when they lost at Ole Miss.

Sure, there were some things not to like from the opening weekend, such as some early struggles from the top of the lineup and a couple really bad relief outings. However, it should not be indicative of team-wide futility. Two players for Michigan State drove in 14 of their 18 runs, while two players for Louisville were responsible for 11 of their earned runs. Not to mention that the Cards were without Zion Rose this past weekend.

That being said, it is still very much a young season, and there is still a lot of promise and potential for Louisville. This upcoming week, they'll get a few opportunities to show what they are truly capable of this year. After hosting Xavier for a midweek game, they'll head down to the Lone Star State for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, where they'll take on Nebraska, Michigan and Auburn.

News & Notes

• Louisville ranks as high as No. 15 in the five major collegiate baseball polls (D1Baseball).
• Outfielder Zion Rose (ankle) remains day-to-day, but is unlikely to play at least against Xavier.
• Left-handed pitcher Wyatt Danilowicz is one of 303 qualified pitchers to post a perfect ERA this past weekend.
• Ourfielder Ben Slanker ranks 21st nationally in home runs with two.
• Outfielder Lucas Moore ranks 15th nationally in stolen bases with four.

The Week Ahead

Home (Jim Patterson Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)

• Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 3:00 p.m. EST vs Xavier (ACC Network Extra/970 WGTK)

Neutral (Globe Life Field - Arlington, Tex.)

• Friday, Feb. 20 at 4:00 p.m. EST vs Nebraska (FloSports/970 WGTK)
• Saturday, Feb. 21 at 12:00 p.m. EST vs Michigan (FloSports/970 WGTK)
• Sunday, Feb. 22 at 11:30 a.m. EST vs Auburn (FloSports/970 WGTK)

Know The Foe

Xavier Musketeers

Head Coach (school record): Billy O'Conner (216-209)
2026 Record (conference record): 2-1 (0-0 Big East)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 42-22

Top Hitters:

• INF Josh Stonehouse (3 GP, 3 GS): .500/.571/.750, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
• OF J.D. Crisp (3 GP, 3 GS): .364/.417/.636, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
• OF Peter Johnson (3 GP, 3 GS): .429/.429/.714, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B

Top Pitchers:

• LHP Garret Helsel (2 APP, 0 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 3.1 IP, 4 K, 1 BB, .167 B/AVG
• RHP Karter Muck (1 APP, 0 GS): 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 3.1 IP, 3 K, 2 BB, .083 B/AVG
• RHP Ryan Piech (1 APP, 1 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 2 K, 0 BB, .133 B/AVG

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Head Coach (school record): Will Bolt (173-126-1)
2026 Record (conference record): 3-0 (0-0 Big 10)
All-Time Series Record: Nebraska Leads 4-2

Top Hitters:

• INF Cade Sanderson (3 GP, 3 GS): .636/.733/.818, 1 RBI, 2 2B, 4 BB
• INF Josh Overbeek (3 GP, 3 GS): .500/.600/.750, 7 RBI, 3 2B, 1 BB
• INF Dylan Carey (3 GP, 3 GS): .467/.467/.867, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B

Top Pitchers:

• RHP Carson Jasa (1 APP, 1 GS): 5.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 9 K, 1 BB, .250 B/AVG
• RHP Ty Horn (1 APP, 1 GS): 1.93 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 4.2 IP, 6 K, 4 BB, .176 B/AVG
• RHP Ryan Harrahill (1 APP, 0 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 1 K, 0 BB, .000 B/AVG

Michigan Wolverines

Head Coach (school record): Tracy Smith (96-79)
2026 Record (conference record): 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
All-Time Series Record: Louisville Leads 10-2

Top Hitters:

• OF Brenden Stressler (3 GP, 3 GS): .500/.583/.900, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB
• INF Cade Ladehoff (3 GP, 3 GS): .444/.615/.778, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 BB
• OF Evan Haeger (3 GP, 3 GS): .417/.462/.417, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

Top Pitchers:

• RHP Kurt Barr (1 APP, 1 GS): 1.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 7.0 IP, 8 K, 1 BB, .222 B/AVG
• RHP Cade Montgomery (1 APP, 1 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 6.1 IP, 5 K, 1 BB, .208 B/AVG
• RHP Tate Carey (1 APP, 1 GS): 5.40 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 5 K, 1 BB, .333 B/AVG

Auburn Tigers

Head Coach (school record): Butch Thompson (327-232-1)
2026 Record (conference record): 3-0 (0-0 SEC)
All-Time Series Record: Auburn Leads 2-1

Top Hitters:

• C/IF Chase Fralick (3 GP, 3 GS): .500/.538/.750, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
• IF Eric Guevara (3 GP, 3 GS): .462/.500/.692, 1 RBI, 3 2B
• OF/IF Bub Terrell (3 GP, 3 GS): .385/.429/.615, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Top Pitchers:

• LHP Jake Marciano (1 APP, 1 GS): 1.80 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 12 K, 0 BB, .118 B/AVG
• RHP Alex Petrovic (1 APP, 1 GS): 0.00 ERA, 0.20 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 9 K, 0 BB, .063 B/AVG
• LHP Jackson Sanders (1 APP, 1 GS): 1.50 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 8 K, 1 BB, .105 B/AVG

Statistical Breakdown

Rankings and Records:

Hitting:

Pitching: