A few weeks ago if you had asked me about this Louisville baseball team I wouldn’t have had many nice things to say about them. Run ruled by Kentucky and a home loss to Bellarmine had even the most avid fans doubting this group and the coaching staff.

In a crazy twist of events that only college baseball could provide our Cardinals turned things around in Nashville and are now headed to their 10th Super Regional berth and hosting the Super Regional for the 7th time at Jim Patterson Stadium. The first time since 2019.

Dan McDonnell took over as head coach of the Louisville Baseball program in 2007 and has turned it into a perennial powerhouse. Despite some recent decline he closed the 2024 season ranked 3rd nationally among active coaches in winning percentage. The Louisville program ranks 5th nationally in wins (751) from 2007-24. Louisville owns the fourth-most wins in the country (786) since McDonnell was hired in 2007.

The Cardinal 9 (as we call them affectionately) has become a household name nationally enjoying a historic run by remaining ranked in at least one major national poll every week since the release of the 2012 preseason rankings. It is longest such span in school history.

All of that success has equaled to a lot of fun for Cardinal fans and my family has become accustomed to our trips to Jim Patterson Stadium in June for postseason baseball. Louisville has hosted the NCAA regional round nine of the last 14 seasons. My son is now 13 years old and that playground on the Berm has been a staple of his young summer life. I think he even had a little click of friends he used to see every summer there.

My wife is not even a sports person and she even started to enjoy our summer trips to Jim Patterson Stadium. I remember the first time she saw the rooftop renegades. She thought it was awesome that folks could sit on top of their house and cheer for their favorite team. Oh, yea we get on the rooftops for our Cardinals. Just one of the many unique and glorious things you’ll see at the University of Louisville’s baseball stadium in June.

I also love seeing fans sitting on the rooftops and that one group of Louisville fans that park their RV down the third base line. They tailgating like it’s September down there. What other ballparks in the NCAA will you see these things?

I’m no college Baseball aficionado. I follow the team loosely through the season getting most of my updates and Louisville Baseball news from Twitter. I am a sucker for nostalgia. And I really look forward to going to Louisville Baseball games with my family in June.

It’s been awful missing out on our summer tradition since 2022, but the Cardinals are back in the friendly confines of Jim Patterson Stadium, where they once won 15 consecutive regional games.

”Fullerton’s 11th inning always-bending line drive over the left-field wall in 2015”,
”the UC Santa Barbara walk-off home run off Zack Burdi in 2016”,
”that awesome dog pile after beating the Cayuts 6-2 in the 2017 Super Regionals”

The good and the bad all part of the experiences. I have been there for them all.

With guys like Eddie King Jr, Lucas Moore, and Zion Rose leading the Louisville offense and guys like Ethan Eberle and Tucker Biven controlling the mound our Cardinals are going to be a tough out. The Cardinals are 36-14 in NCAA Regional games.