C-A-R-D-S After Winning Super Regional

After nearly a century of playing at the intercollegiate level, Louisville baseball has finally arrived and June has become a time to celebrate The Cardinal Nine.

Since its inception in 1909, the Louisville baseball program had been an 96-year see-saw session in which the Cardinals would contend for a few conference titles and fifth-place finishes with equal frequency. That all changed when Dan McDonnell took over as coach in 2007 and built Louisville into a consistent winner that now must be considered among the nation’s top powers.

Tom Jurich Super Regional Champions Post-Game

In the 89 years before McDonnell, Louisville had been to the NCAA Tournament only once and had never won a game in the NCAA. In the seven seasons since, Dan has led the Cardinals to the College World series three times, captured five regional titles, and hosted a super regional for the second time this past weekend. It has been the most successful seven year stretch ever averaging nearly 40 wins per season.

Dan McDonnell Full Press Conference Super Regional Champs Post-Game

And if you build it they will come. – Saturday’s crowd of 6,007 surpassed the previous school record attendance total of 5,351 set just one night earlier in the game one win over the Owls. Prior to the weekend, Louisville’s attendance record was 4,733 set on April 2, 2013 against Kentucky at Jim Patterson.

Now with McDonnell at the helm, the Cardinals seem to have everything they want — except for a national championship that is. The Cardinals are the only team from last season’s College World Series field returning to this year’s event and they have got themselves in position for that national tile and should they win, well, then, there would be no more argument about whether Louisville is a consistent national power.

Louisville baseball will play Vanderbilt in the first round of the College World Series on Saturday, June 14 at 8:00pm ET on ESPN2. #L1C4 . Go Cards!