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d1baseball.com had a massive relaunch of their website and hired away the best College Baseball writers from BA (Aaron Fitt) and Perfect Game (Kendall Rogers) to run the site. There is a subscription but they will also offer tons of free in depth content. They rolled out their top 25 and broke down each team. Here is the breakdown of #11 Louisville. Lots of Chicago flavor on this team:
Louisville's Projected Lineup
Pos. Name, Yr.
C Will Smith, So.
1B Danny Rosenbaum, Jr
2B Nick Solak, So. (Naperville North HS)
3B Zach Lucas, Sr.
SS Sutton Whiting, Sr.
LF Colin Lyman, So. (Huntley HS)
CF Mike White, RS Fr.
RF Corey Ray, So. (Simeon HS)
DH Colby Fitch, Fr.
Pos. Name, Yr
RHP Kyle Funkhouser, Jr. (Oak Park- River Park HS)
RHP Anthony Kidston, Jr.
LHP Josh Rogers, So.
RP Zack Burdi, So. (Downers Grove South)
Hitting: 60. Though the Cards aren’t expected to be loaded with power bats, this is an offense that should be very productive, using aggressive baserunning, extra-base hits, and much more to get the job done. The athleticism throughout the lineup is impressive, with spark plug Whiting leading things off atop the lineup. Rosenbaum, Solak and Lucas give the Cards three talented and experienced bats, while the UL staff feels Lyman and especially Ray are destined to have very productive seasons. The Cards also have a pair of young bats to watch in Brendan McKay and Colby Fitch. McKay has good strike zone recognition, a good swing and potential gap power, while Fitch showed good plate discipline during fall workouts and has the potential to hit for a good average and power from the start.
Power: 40. The Cardinals could very well have some power production this spring, but it’s certainly not a given with some of their personnel losses. The Cards enter the season without 20 of their 32 homers from last year’s club, including hard-hitting veteran outfielder Jeff Gardner, who finished the year with nine homers and 68 RBIs. With that said, the Cards have some guys back with some pop. Solak has a flat swing with some pop, Rosenbaum and talented freshman McKay both could provide some pop, White and Ryan Summers have some power potential, and it’s a very safe bet Ray hits for more power than his one home run last season. The silver lining with this club is McDonnell’s teams always tend to hit doubles. UL finished the ’14 campaign 22nd nationally in doubles with 115, and perhaps the Cards can emulate that performance.
Speed: 70. It’s safe to say the Cardinals won’t lack athleticism. The Cards welcome back several key speedsters from a team that reached the CWS last year. Whiting is a spark plug in many ways, and is back after recording 43 stolen bases, while Solak and Lyman each had double-digit stolen base totals last season, too. Lucas and Ray are other athletes who run well, while the platoon guys in center field, White and Summers, are athletic and can make things go. As usual, UL should be a fun team to watch in this regard.
Defense: 60. Since his arrival at Louisville, McDonnell has taken great pride in having offenses and defenses that are versatile and athletic. That once again is the case this season, as the Cards welcome back several premier defenders. The middle infield should be stout this season with Whiting, who has good range and instincts at shortstop, leading the way. Third baseman Lucas is a versatile defender who can play all over the infield. The outfield is in good shape with Ray, a premier athlete, leading the way, while White and Summers display good athleticism and speed in the outfield. Though he still has room to grow offensively, the Cards also like catcher Will Smith, who’s athletic with good arm strength.
Starting pitching: 60. Though the Cards might have some question marks in some areas, the weekend rotation looks to be in good shape. Funkhouser has a chance to be the top overall pick in the 2015 draft, and has a big, sturdy frame, to go with nasty overall stuff. Funkhouser has a fastball into the mid-90s, and features a high-quality four-pitch arsenal, highlighted by his power slider. Fellow junior righty Kidston doesn’t have the same overpowering stuff as Funkhouser, but his stuff took a jump in the fall and he has two good pitches in his changeup and curveball. Lefties Rogers and Drew Harrington will serve as starters Nos. 3 and 4. Rogers improved toward the end of last season and showed a good slider and command of a solid fastball. Meanwhile, Harrington is up to 92 mph with his fastball, has a physical build, and has good command. No matter how the Cards set things up on the weekend, they should feel good about this rotation.
Bullpen: 55. Replacing Nick Burdi, Kyle McGrath and Cole Sturgeon in the bullpen won’t be easy, and it’s a reason this unit is a question mark. With that said, the Cards have some real potential with this group, and look for pitching coach Roger Williams to really have this group rolling toward the middle and last half of the season. Zack Burdi, the younger brother of Nick, didn’t have a huge role last year, but blossomed in the fall, getting up to 97 mph with his fastball, while also showing better feel for his changeup and slider. Meanwhile, the Cards like fellow sophomore righty Jake Sparger, who competes with three pitches, including a sinking fastball and slider combination. The rest of the bullpen roles still are very much up in the air, but this group has potential, and the Cards really like their group of freshman arms.
Experience/Intangibles: 60. The Cardinals definitely will miss some departed veterans from a leadership standpoint, but they are still in excellent shape entering the 2015 campaign. For instance, the Cards must replace one of the more fiery and dominant closers in college baseball in second-round pick Nick Burdi, while offensively, they must replace Gardner and two-way talent Sturgeon, among others. With that said, the Cards have smartly recruited over the past few years, and still return enough key cogs from a production and leadership perspective to get back to Omaha. There are no guarantees in college baseball, but McDonnell, as usual, will have his club ready.
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