Eddie King Jr. Delivers for Louisville in Super Regional vs. Miami

This past Sunday, the Louisville baseball program found themselves that they hadn't found themselves in six years: dog pilling next to the pitcher's mound.

While their Super Regional against Miami had to go to the "if necessary" third game, the Cardinals were able to finish the job against the Canes, winning the best-of-three series and punching their ticket to the College World Series. It marks their first time going to Omaha, Neb. since 2019, and their sixth time overall in program history.

As you can imagine, it took multiple efforts on behalf of the Cards to get back to the CWS. Third baseman Jake Munroe blasted three home runs, including two in the opener. Outfielder Zion Rose drove in a pair of runs on the weekend. Louisville's collective pitching staff allowed just eight earned runs, anchored mostly by great starts from right-hander Patrick Forbes and left-hander Ethan Eberle.

But if you had to pick one person to be the Louisville Super Regional MVP, those honors would undoubtedly go to Eddie King Jr.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound outfielder put together a fantastic weekend out at Jim Patterson Stadium against the Hurricanes. Playing in all three games as a left fielder, right fielder and designated hitter, he went 6-for-10 with two home runs, four RBI, two doubles and a walk.

"He got a warning (on Saturday) for the bat flip, but those that are around the program would tell you that Eddie might be the sweetest kid on the team," head coach Dan McDonnell said. "He is loved. He's such a good person. For me, the talent is off the chart. He's a really good outfielder. ... He's a corner outfielder, but he's a darn good corner outfielder. The power, I don't know how you're an organization not fighting for Eddie King. I mean, you're telling me you can't see that guy in a big league uniform playing left or right field?"

Munroe stole the show in game one with his two-home run and five-RBI day, but King had a solid game as well, going 2-for-3 with a double. Despite Louisville losing game two, it wasn't because of King, as he went 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBI.

The Lynwood, Ill. native started game three going "just" 0-for-2 with a walk. However, he had been such a force in the series that when he went up to bat in the seventh inning, Jim Patterson Stadium broke out chants of "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!"

"I've never experienced anything like that," King said. "It's definitely cool and special for me. I try to stay cool in those moments, try not to worry about all of that, but it's definitely something I can remember for the rest of my life. I've never gone through anything like that, and I don't know if I'm ever going to go through anything like that again."

A short time later, King gave the fans something to cheer about.

The outfielder stepped up to the plate in a crucial spot. Munroe hit a two-out single in the previous at-bat, and had made it to second base on a wild pitch. With a runner in scoring position in the seventh inning of a tie game, King took full advantage of the opportunity.

Facing a 1-2 pitch, King choked up, sending a ball to center field that was just within range of Michael Torres. The Miami center fielder dived to try and snag the low-arcing ball, but the ball bounced just out of his glove. This allow Munroe to scramble home, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.

"I was just trying to hit the ball, honestly," King said. "Just move it, put the barrel on it, let it go somewhere, hopefully it falls and I get a hit. It was just my mindset. I didn't want to strike out or try to do too much. I just move the ball, I have a chance of getting the run in."

It was a turn of fortune that King hadn't seen much of during the regular season. He had not one, but two home runs robbed at Georgia Tech and Clemson - both of which were series losses. Several other well-struck balls, by McDonnell's own admission, seemed to be heading over the fences only to be caught short. Not to mention that he also dealt with a hamstring injury through much of the regular season.

But because King was the type of player to keep sticking to the process despite luck not breaking his way, McDonnell believes it finally paid off in the form of his RBI double that eventually won the game and series.

"When it hit off his glove and it landed, I just kind of looked down and I smiled," he said. "I thought, "Okay, like that was the break we needed. It's got to even out." If you do things right, and you stick to the process, it's not always going to go your way, but I do believe things will even out like that. It couldn't happen to a nicer kid."

With Louisville's sights now set on Omaha, King heads into the College World Series as one of the hottest hitters in college baseball. Add in his performance in the Nashville Regional, where he was named Regional MVP, and King is 12-for-22 with three homers, eight RBI, four doubles and a walk in the NCAA Tournament.

King, along with the rest of Louisville's team, head to Charles Schwab Field with the same mindset: win the whole thing.

"We're going to Omaha to win it all," King said. "We're not just going there just to play because we're in Omaha, but we're trying to win it all. We're trying to get a national championship for this program."

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