Cardinals Set for Super Regional Against Miami: 1st Pitch 3:00 Friday

Mark BlankenbakerJune 5, 2025

The Road to Omaha returns to The Ville as the University of Louisville hosts Miami in the super regional round. The best-of-three series begins Friday at 3 p.m. ET with game two set for Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. Game three will be played on Sunday if necessary. Game one will be televised on ESPN2 with game two on ESPN. Every game of the super regional can be heard on 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK.

THE ROAD TO OMAHA GOES THROUGH THE VILLE

Louisville has reached the postseason 15 times in program history. The Cardinals have hosted at least one round of the postseason in 11 of those seasons. This will be the seventh super regional held at Jim Patterson Stadium with the Cardinals advancing in four of the previous six.

SERIES HISTORY WITH MIAMI

Louisville is 11-12 in the all-time series with Miami. The Cardinals are 6-7 against the Hurricanes at Jim Patterson Stadium. The two teams did not play during the regular season.

CARDS VS CANES IN THE POSTSEASON

Louisville and Miami met on the Road to Omaha in 2007 during Dan McDonnell’s first season. The Cardinals defeated Miami 13-7 in the opening game of the NCAA Columbia Regional and then again 8-7 in an elimination game.

LOUISVILLE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Making their 14th NCAA Championship appearance in the 19 seasons under head coach Dan McDonnell, the Cardinals are 54-33 overall in NCAA postseason games during that span.
Louisville won a road regional for just the second time in program history after sweeping its way through the Nashville Regional last weekend. The last time the Cards won a regional on the road was in 2007 at Missouri.
Louisville is playing in its 10th super regional, all since 2007. The Cardinals are one of five programs to have appeared in 10 super regionals during that time – Florida State, LSU, Florida, North Carolina.
Louisville is one of two schools (LSU) to have played in eight Super Regionals since 2013.
Louisville has now advanced to an NCAA Super Regional 10 times and is seeking to reach the College World Series for the sixth time in its 15 NCAA Championship berths. The Cardinals are 39-14 in NCAA Regional games, 11-9 in NCAA Super Regional games and 4-10 in College World Series games.

PLAYER NOTES

Eddie King Jr. heads into the NCAA Super Regional on a tear, going 14-for-26 over the last seven games with four doubles, five homers, 13 RBIs and eight runs scored. King took home Nashville Regional Most Valuable Player honors after hitting .500 (6-for-12) with four RBIs in the three games. The senior led the Cardinals in home runs and RBIs last season and has set new career marks in both this spring with 15 and 56, respectively. The senior has been at his best against the best competition throughout his career, as 29 of his 34 home runs have come against Power Four teams including all 14 he hit during the regular season.
Lucas Moore has been the ultimate weapon at the top of the lineup for the Cards. Moore leads the Cardinals and the ACC with 82 runs scored, fourth-most in all of Division I. The speedy outfielder is also pacing the league and second nationally going 48-for-49 in stolen bases. He also ranks second in the ACC in hits, fifth in triples and eighth in batting average. Moore’s 46 stolen bases are the second-most in a single season in Louisville history. His 82 runs scored are tied for fourth-most in program history and most since Adam Duvall had 83 in 2009.
Matt Klein had an excellent first month to begin his junior campaign, hitting .342 with 26 RBIs in 22 games before getting hit by a pitch and missing the next two months. Klein made his return to the field off the bench in Louisville’s ACC Championship game against Pitt, but didn’t return to the starting lineup until last week’s NCAA Regional. In his return, Klein homered in each of the first two games and drove in four while hitting .333 on the weekend.
Zion Rose had an exceptional freshman campaign that saw him hit .380 with 19 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs while finishing with more walks than strikeouts. The 2025 season has seen more of the same but with more damage. Rose is hitting .316 with 29 extra-base hits and a team-leading 61 RBIs. The increase in production hasn’t affected his plate discipline though, as he has 29 walks and eight HBPs to just 33 strikeouts. Rose has also increased his production on the basepaths, going 30-for-33 in stolen bases.
Alex Alicea has gutted out the back half of the season, despite playing with an injured thumb. The Louisville shortstop had five hits during the NCAA Regional and reached base all four times in the final against Wright State. Alicea has four multi-hit outputs in his last five games, going 10-for-18 during the stretch. A switch-hitter normally, Alicea has only hit left-handed since the start of May. Despite never previously batting left-handed against left-handed pitching, Alicea is 5-for-8 with four RBIs hitting left-on-left this season.
Patrick Forbes has pitched just 60.1 innings this season after missing time due to injury. However, the right-hander has racked up strikeouts at an astounding rate. After his 13-strikeout performance against ETSU in the regional opener, Forbes is just two shy of reaching the century mark. The Bowling Green, Ky., native leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally with 14.62 strikeouts per nine innings. Forbes has struck out 10 or more in four starts this season.
Tucker Biven served as Louisville’s closer each of the last two seasons, but has recently taken on a new role. The junior pitched in the weekend rotation in the final two weekends of the regular season and then again in the regional. Biven has received a no-decision in all three starts, but allowed just four earned runs on seven hits over 13.2 innings with 14 strikeouts.
Ethan Eberle began the season as a key reliever for the Cards, but has since moved into the weekend rotation. The southpaw has allowed three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts, including a dominant showing in the regional final. Eberle set new career marks with 6.1 shutout innings and 11 strikeouts in Louisville’s regional-clinching victory over Wright State.
Justin West was having a tough junior season through two months, sporting a 12.00 ERA after giving up five runs without recording an out at NC State on April 11. However, the lefty has been lights out since that time. In the nine relief appearances that have followed, West has given up just two runs over 14.2 innings (1.23 ERA) with 18 strikeouts. The junior picked up the win against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Regional with 2.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen.
Wyatt Danilowicz and Jake Schweitzer have been a dynamic duo at the end of games for the Cardinals. Schweitzer is 3-2 with a 2.34 ERA and three saves in his freshman season, while Danilowicz also has three saves and a nearly identical 2.35 ERA. Opponents are hitting a combined .179 against the pair in over 75 innings of work. Schweitzer earned the save in the NCAA Regional win over Vanderbilt, while Danilowicz retired all 11 batters he faced across two appearances, including the final eight outs of the clinching game against Wright State.

CARDINALS PUT ON MASTERFUL PITCHING PERFORMANCE IN NASHVILLE REGIONAL

For much of the regular season, it was the offense that led the way for Louisville. However, it was the pitching staff that set the tone for the Cardinals in the Nashville Regional.

Louisville pitchers allowed just four earned runs over 27 innings (1.33 ERA) with 43 strikeouts to just nine walks. Opposing hitters tallied just 10 hits on the weekend for a .108 batting average, with only two extra-base hits. Louisville led all teams during the NCAA Regional round in ERA, WHIP and hits allowed per nine innings.

Patrick Forbes, Tucker Biven and Ethan Eberle were outstanding in three starts. The trio combined for three earned runs in 17 innings with all three matching or setting new career highs in strikeouts.

The bullpen was excellent as well, surrendering just one run on a solo home run in 10 innings of work. The quartet of arms that pitched in relief – Brennyn Cutts, Justin West, Wyatt Danilowicz and Jake Schweitzer – struck out 14 and did not issue a walk.