Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Baseball April 15, 2021 Stephen Williams
No. 2 Cardinals Head to Virginia for Three Games
The series begins on Friday at 6 p.m. ET in Charlottesville.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The second-ranked University of Louisville baseball team travels to Charlottesville this weekend for a three game series at Virginia beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Saturday's game is set for 4 p.m. ET, while Sunday's first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. All three games will be televised on ACC Network Extra and radio coverage will be available on 93.9 The Ville.ABOUT THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals captured another ACC series last weekend, winning two out of three over Florida State at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville notched a walk-off victory on Friday night before rallying from behind with nine unanswered runs to secure the series on Sunday.
Louisville did not have a midweek game leading into this weekend's series at Virginia. It marks the first time the Cardinals have not played in the midweek since consecutive series against Clemson and Florida State the last two weekends of March in 2018.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Virginia have met 16 times since the Cardinals became members of the ACC for the 2015 season. UofL is making its fourth trip to Charlottesville, where it holds a 6-3 record. The Cardinals are 9-7 all-time against the Cavaliers. Virginia took two of three from the Cardinals in 2019, despite Louisville winning the opening game of the weekend.
TEAM NOTES
- Louisville owns 123 conference wins since joining the ACC in 2015, the most conference wins during that time of any Power Five school.
- UofL has won 43 of its 57 ACC series (two series ended 1-1) since joining the league and is 45-10 in its series finales during that span, including a 15-6 record in rubber games.
- Louisville's offense ranks among the best in the ACC this season. The Cardinals currently lead the ACC in batting average, runs, hits, triples, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and stolen bases.
- UofL is 77-1 when leading after eight innings over the past three seasons, including an 19-0 mark this season. Since the start of 2012, the Cardinals are 382-8 when taking a lead into the ninth inning.
- The Cardinals have been the one of the best in the country on the basepaths this season with 83 stolen bases, 45 more than anyone in the ACC. Levi Usher leads the ACC and country with 23, while Cooper Bowman and Luke Brown are third in the ACC with 12, and Henry Davis is sixth with nine.
PLAYER NOTES
- Trey Leonard is having the best season of his Louisville career in 2021. The junior currently leads the ACC with a .416 batting average. Leonard had a career night at Cincinnati going 4-for-6 with three RBIs against and hitting a go-ahead home run in the sixth, a game-tying double in the eighth and adding another double in the 10th. Over the last eight games, Leonard is hitting .485 (16-for-33) with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs.
- Henry Davis has been the most consistent hitter for the Cardinals this season. Davis saw his 23-game hitting streak come to an end in the second game at Notre Dame, the only game he hasn't recorded a hit this season. The sophomore leads the ACC in on-base percentage, ranks third in batting average and walks, fourth in hits and RBIs, fifth in slugging, and sixth in home runs and stolen bases. Davis has nine stolen bases after having just one through his first two seasons at Louisville. Over his last eight games, Davis is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBIs, 10 walks and a .625 on-base percentage.
- Alex Binelas got off to a slow start but has returned to being a major run producer in the middle of the Louisville order. Over his last 14 games, Binelas is hitting .327 (18-for-55) with a double, two triples, six home runs and 23 RBIs. He registered his third career multi-homer game against Florida State, including his first career grand slam. Binelas also recorded two triples against Western Kentucky, becoming the first Louisville player with two triples in a game since Ty Young did so against Notre Dame on March 28, 2013.
- Luke Brown has quietly been a hitting machine for the Cardinals in 2021. The junior outfielder leads the team with 14 multi-hit games, including four in the last six contests. Over the last six games, Brown has a .393 (11-for-28) batting average with a pair of doubles.
- Levi Usher set a Louisville school record (since 2000) with five stolen bases in the win over Murray State. Usher is the national leader in stolen bases with 23, 10 more than anyone else in the ACC. Since joining the Cardinals, Usher is 34-of-37 (23-for-25 this year) on the basepaths in 46 career games.
- Michael Kirian has smoothly made the transition from closer to weekend starter this season. The southpaw took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in the series opener at NC State and tallying a career-high 13 strikeouts. Kirian is currently tied for the ACC lead with five wins and has three double-digit strikeout efforts this season. Since the start of the 2019 season, Kirian has a 1.93 ERA in 79.1 innings with 103 strikeouts.
- Luke Seed has started each of the last four weekends for the Cardinals. The left-hander has allowed just four earned runs in 21.1 innings for a 1.69 ERA. Seed has allowed just one earned run in all four starts, but is still yet to record a decision.
- Adam Elliott opened the season in the starting rotation but has returned to his usual role in the Louisville bullpen. In nine relief appearances this season, Elliott is 4-0 with nine saves and a 2.19 ERA, striking out 27 in 24.2 innings with an opponents' batting average of .140.
DAVIS NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Catcher Henry Davis was one of 45 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list.
Through 30 games, Davis leads the ACC in on-base percentage, while ranking third in batting average and walks, fourth in hits and RBIs, fifth in slugging percentage, and sixth in home runs and stolen bases.
The sophomore opened the 2021 campaign by getting a hit in each of the first 21 games to extend his hit streak to 23 overall, giving him the second-longest streak in Louisville baseball history. Davis went hitless in the second game at Notre Dame, but has recorded at least one hit in each of the eight games since.