College World Series Preview: Louisville Cardinals

Louisville has probably been one of the most overlooked teams in college baseball this year. This is a team that is 40-22 overall and went 15-15 in the ACC conference. That conference record is why many people have counted Louisville out.

Part of the reason for some of their struggles during the regular season is that they faced numerous injuries, particularly to their pitching staff. They lost Parker Detmers early on, who was a key piece of their rotation, and they also lost ace Patrick Forbes for a while.

Despite the injuries, the Cardinals found ways to navigate the season until they acquired a player like Forbes late in the regular season and for the playoffs.

We discussed Louisville in depth on one of our recent podcasts, highlighting how they can be a formidable team if they can resolve their pitching issues and have key players return to health, mainly because their lineup is good already. 

This is an offense that ranks 38th in runs scored per game, 13th in strikeout percentage, 37th in slugging percentage, and 45th in wRC+. It’s a strong offense led by the likes of Eddie King, Jr., Jake Munroe, Lucas Moore, and Zion Rose.

It’s been productive one-through-nine, though, and they will have to continue their red-hot production if Louisville wants to make a run through the playoffs.

Journey to Omaha 

As mentioned earlier, Louisville’s run to Omaha hasn’t been easy. They’ve faced adversity and had to navigate their way through rough waters. But they have had the man at the top to help them in Head Coach Dan McDonnell.

Since the preseason, Coach McDonnell has believed in his team. From day one, Coach McDonnell knew that his team was being overlooked. He talked about how there was a chip on his and his team’s shoulder.

They’ve road that chip on their shoulder through the regular season, ACC tournament, NCAA Regional, and Super Regional. Louisville’s journey to Omaha started early, but in the postseason, it started in Nashville where they had to go through #1 Vanderbilt.

And boy did they perform. Louisville went a perfect 3–0 in the Regional. They opened with an 8–3 win over ETSU, with Patrick Forbes picking up the win and setting the tone early.

In their second game, the Cardinals edged out host Vanderbilt 3–2 in a tight battle, leaning on clutch bullpen work from Justin West to hold off a late push. They sealed the regional title with a 6–0 win over Wright State behind freshman Ethan Eberle, who threw six shutout innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

Offensively, Zion Rose provided key production across the weekend with a home run and RBI double, while the pitching staff combined for just five earned runs allowed in three games. The sweep advanced Louisville to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2019.

Louisville would go on to host Miami and took the series 2–1 to punch their ticket to Omaha for the sixth time in program history. The Cardinals came out strong in Game 1 with an 8–1 win behind another solid start from Patrick Forbes and multi-hit games from several in the lineup.

Miami responded in Game 2 with a 9–6 win, despite a big night from Eddie King Jr., who went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. In the winner-take-all Game 3, Louisville delivered under pressure.

Ethan Eberle tossed five innings of two-run ball to keep them in it early, while Zion Rose tied the game with a clutch RBI double in the fourth.

Jake Monroe sparked the go-ahead rally in the seventh, scoring on a bloop single from King Jr.

The bullpen trio of Evan Schweitzer, Justin West, and Brennyn Cutts combined for four scoreless innings to slam the door. It was a complete team effort, with the Cardinals getting contributions from up and down the roster to earn their trip back to Omaha.

It wasn’t the easiest path, but Louisville overcame it all to punch their ticket to the College World Series and it was more than well-deserved for Coach McDonnell and the entire team.

Expectations in the College World Series

It’s hard to figure out what the expectations for Louisville are in the College World Series. It is easy to just write them off given the path they’ll have to take to get to even the championship series, but they’ve proved everyone wrong time and time again.

The Cardinals will face off with Oregon State on Friday, June 13 at 6:00 PM EST. Oregon State will be a tough test as they have a high-octane offense and pitching staff that has been sneaky good all year.

Louisville will likely have Patrick Forbes going in this one, so the chances for a dominant outing are high. He will have his work cut out for him with Oregon State. Forbes will be the X-factor for Louisville and their chances to advance to the next round.

If they win that game, they’d face the winner of Arizona and Coastal Carolina. Again, not an easy task for the Cardinals. Their depth on the mound will really be tested in this first weekend.

There isn’t a non-zero chance that the Cardinals make it to the championship. They’ll have to lean on their biggest strength which is small ball and the running game, and that is a good fit for this park.

They’ve got 155 steals this season, which is 49 more than any other College World Series team. But their run will all come down to pitching.

They have the highest walk rate of any team that qualified for the NCAA tournament, so they will have to get themselves out of situations or find ways to limit the free passes.

The last thing I want to do is count this team out, but it feels like they will have one of the more complex paths to a College World Series championship. Regardless of the outcome, Louisville has been a fantastic team to watch.

Players to Watch

OF Eddie King Jr., Senior

We don’t talk about King Jr. enough in college baseball. This is a kid who slashed .362/.437/.770 with 18 doubles, 17 home runs, and 60 RBI. He has been one of the best hitters in all of college baseball. He doesn’t get enough draft love either because he’s a senior, but it feels like some team out there will get a steal.

He’s been a leader on this team all year long and will play a massive role to any success Louisville has in Omaha.

3B Jake Munroe, Junior

Again, we also don’t talk enough about Munroe. The former JuCo bandit has found considerable success in the ACC thanks to his solid hit tool. This kid easily utilizes the whole field, and it feels like he has come up clutch in almost every scenario during the Cardinals’ run.

He’s crushed 13 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs this season while sporting a .457 on-base percentage. He will likely be their x-factor on the offensive side of the ball.

OF Zion Rose, Sophomore

Rose is a star, man. This kid is one of the top draft prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft, and he has showcased all season why that is the case. Rose has slashed .315/.401/.550 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs, 63 RBI, and 30 stolen bases.

It is athleticism and speed for days. He’s just so much fun to watch on both defense and offense. He’s a sparkplug who brings a ton of energy and life to Louisville.

RHP Patrick Forbes, Junior

Not sure how much more we can add about Forbes that we haven’t talked about already, but he is the true ace of this team. One of the top draft prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft, when Forbes has been on, so has the entire Cardinals team.

Forbes has an argument for the best fastball in the ACC which sits in the mid-90s and has been up to 99 mph. He’s just a dominant force on the mound and when he’s right and on, it is a ton of fun.