The Cards Have a Challenge to Open ACC Play
What a refreshing week, huh? A sweep of Seton Hall where the Pirates offered Louisville little resistance.
The Cards then restarted their hit machine and thoroughly dismantled the Thundering Herd of Marshall.
The two-game Marshall series was a sight to behold. Not only did Zion Rose make his long-awaited return to the Cardinal lineup in the DH spot, he made an instant impact with zero signs of rust.
Zion vs. Marshall: 6/8, six RBI, five runs scored, and a walk in the two games. Welcome back, Mister Z. Rose’s addition to the mix seemed to do what we all thought it would, and energize the team top to bottom.
Photo by Ryan Hammel
Tague Davis is Swinging a Rake
I cannot say enough good things about the leader and asset that Tague Davis has made himself to this team, and perhaps because Rose was slamming pitches all over the stadium, but Marshall just would not stop pitching to Tague, who has now homered in five-straight games.
Davis hit a ball that left Jim Patterson Stadium on a 17-degree launch angle, so fast that the TV camera couldn’t follow it. However, there was no bigger swing on the series than number 10 on the season, that was as ‘grand’ as one could be:
We are witnessing something truly special with Davis this season. The sophomore not only leads the ACC in both home runs and RBIs with 11 and 39, his .400 batting average is 20th in the conference. The RBI tally also just happens to lead the entire country.
Tague is on pace for 36 home runs and 126 RBI on the season, which would make him just one shy of the all-time leader in home runs in the BBCOR era, coming second to Charlie Condon’s 37 in 2024 (Pete Incaviglia’s record of 48 in 1985 will more than likely never be touched). If Davis were to finish the season with those RBI numbers, he would hold the record for the most in the BBCOR-bat era (2011-present) and surpass Jeff Ledbetter’s 1982 total of 124 – placing Tague at #4 on the all-time season RBI list. If Tague keeps swinging it at this clip, ESPN will have to do cutaways to late-season Louisville games like they did for Aaron Judge.
We can dream, but right now, it’s just as much fun watching #13 do what he’s doing. The guys around him are getting their jobs done at the plate, so it forces opposing pitchers to have to try and get Davis out, and he’s been making teams pay in a big way.
The Offense is Producing
Kade Elam blasted his first career home run as a Cardinal on Tuesday, and after starting the season a bit rough, Kade has lit his bat on fire recently, raising his average to .339.
Photo by Ryan Hammel
Ben Slanker also got back in the…swing…of things after some illness and an injury.
Louisville Pitchers are Getting it Done
After seeing the ERA number for the team balloon to over 7.00 after the loss to Morehead, Louisville pitchers looked more composed and poised (even in the wind on Wednesday against Marshall) in the Seton Hall and Marshall series. They are going to need to continue that trend going forward into ACC Conference play.
The starting pitcher in four of the last five games has picked up the win due to the run support from the offense. Jake Schweitzer (1-0, 5.40 ERA) didn’t pick up the W on Tuesday, which was almost just bad luck since the offense went crazy beginning just after his exit from the game. Nick Ballard (1-0, 3.00 ERA) picked up the Tuesday win, but relief pitching against the Pirates of Seton Hall and the Marshall Thundering Herd looked like this:
3.60 ERA. Eight runs allowed on 13 hits, eight walks, 20 strikeouts, four wild pitches and three HBPs – over a five-game stretch. That’s putting in work and seeing it pay off, and it’s a big momentum boost that they will have to maintain, as there are weapons in the Fighting Irish lineup. Regardless, getting the ERA for the team under 6.00 (to 5.98) is a big deal and a trend in the right direction for the longevity outlook of this season.
Photo by Ryan Hammel
The Irish Will Play the Cards Tough
Notre Dame brought in a great transfer class and has solid upperclassman leadership. They’re well-coached, and there’s no doubt they are going to be looking to keep rolling after winning their series at Duke this past weekend. Louisville will have to be just as dialed in as they were this past week and last weekend, against a visible step up in competition.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Head Coach: Shawn Stiffler
Record (10-4) (2-1 ACC) (Streak: W2)
UofL Series History: 6-0 (5-0 at home) / Streak: W6 (Last: W 12-8, 2008)
Last Series: Won 2-1 at Duke
2025 Result: 32-21 overall / 14-16 Atlantic Coast Conference
2025 Postseason: Lost 4-5 to Boston College (ACC Tournament)
Last Postseason (2022, made College World Series)
College World Series Appearances: (3 – 1957, 2002, 2022)
Head Coach Shawn Stiffler has the Irish back near the top of the ACC after several rough seasons middling around a .500 record following the departure of Link Jarrett to Florida State after Notre Dame made the College World Series in 2022. They are currently seventh in the conference in batting average, but boast guys in the lineup that can absolutely wreck pitchers if they aren’t careful.
The one bat in the lineup of which Louisville has to be keenly aware, knowing where he is coming up at all times is Junior Cornell transfer Catcher Mark Quatrani (.500). He’s second in the conference and tied for seventh nationally in batting average, leads the team with five home runs, and has two doubles, and a triple on the season. Dude gets a hit half the time he’s up, and that will derail any solid inning for a staff.
Sophomore Shortstop Noah Coy (.372), Sophomore Right Fielder Jayce Lee (.316), and 2025 Freshman All-American Left Fielder Bino Watters (.308) are also three names to know as the other Irish batters that are over .300. The Sophomore Watters is second on the team with four home runs and is tied for the team lead with four doubles.
Right-handers Ty Uber (3-0, 0.96 ERA), a grad transfer from Stanford, and NCBWA Preseason All-American Junior Jack Radel (2-1, 1.57 ERA) are extremely dangerous arms for the Irish, and the Cards will face them both this weekend. Radel has been ACC Pitcher of the Week already this season, as well, leading the team with 33 strikeouts to only five walks.
Notre Dame has announced that Radel, recently added to the College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Watch List, will start the Friday evening contest, Freshman Lefty Caden Crowell (1-1, 5.17 ERA) is going to start on Saturday, and Uber will get the ball on Sunday. Freshman Righty Aiden Zerr (0-0, 2.25 ERA) has been a force in midweek games, and could provide extra spark should one of the starters make an early exit.
Louisville also has to worry about facing Sophomore Right-hander Oisin Lee (2-0, 2.70 ERA) later in games, who was on the NCBWA preseason ‘Stopper of the Year’ List and has allowed four runs in 6.2 innings of work this season, with six strikeouts.
Notre Dame has played some up and down competition this season, as most power four teams do in the run up to conference play. They played LSU tough, and have beaten Indiana, and certainly kicking off ACC play with the road series win at Duke is a big deal. This is a daunting task for Louisville to start the conference slate, but one that will start to solidify how Louisville looks both offensively and defensively/pitching-wise.
A Look at the Stats
This is going to be where Louisville sits, green on the good side of the offensive stats, and green on the opponent side of the pitching stats, unless the staff can continue with their current trajectory and continue to lower the ERA and limit walks and HBPs.
Notre Dame has Quatrani, but Louisville has a lineup that is dangerous one through nine, and despite playing more games on the season so far than Notre Dame, the offensive stats tilt toward the Cards being more than capable of holding their own. If these guys can get to Uber and Radel, which translates to run support for Ethan Eberle, Wyatt Danilowicz, and Jake Bean, then the formidable pitching staff for the Irish can succumb to the pressure that Louisville’s offense can create, much like LSU being able to get to Caden Crowell earlier in the season.
Final Take on the Series
This one is going to be fun. there is going to likely be a ton of offense, which means the key to this series is which team can make the pitches at the right moments and come out ahead. I love what I’ve seen from the starters recently, though Schweitzer getting going would be an incredible boost, and I’ll mention again the confidence and swagger (looking at you again, Casen Murphy) that I’ve seen from the bullpen arms.
While we may not be likely to see the fireworks that Davis, Elam, Rose, Slanker, and the guys produced against Marshall, one of the big backyard Fourth of July displays may just suffice. If the fellas want to pull another Thunder Over Jim Patterson Stadium – I doubt any of us would complain, especially against the Irish.
First pitch is Friday, March 13 at 6:00pm. Friday Blacks under the lights. Be there and be loud.
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