Welcome to Omaha !!

Friday afternoon, the University of Louisville will make its first appearance in the College Baseball World Series. In unprecedented fashion, the Cardinals fought through both the Regional and Super-Regional Tournaments to place their first birth at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE. Just 3 weeks ago, the words Louisville & baseball just did not go together, unless referring to where the wooden bats are made for MLB. Before this tournament run, the Cardinals had only played in the season ending tournament one other time, in 2002, and were sent home quickly after losing their first two games. Now, U of L sits among the big boys of college baseball as the Cinderella story of 2007.

The Cardinals' road to Omaha was not easy, but at times, they sure made it look that way.
In the Regional Tournament, Louisville surprisingly beat four time national champion Miami 13-7 in game one, but lost to #11 Missouri in game 2. After beating Miami yet again, the Cardinals were forced to beat Missouri twice, a strong hitting team that had already handed them their first loss. The first game was played shortly after beating Miami. After squeaking by Missouri 4-3 in that first game, how could the Cardinals come out on top once again against a team ranked #11 in the country? Is 16-6 convincing enough? On to the Super-Regional.

So, it's being hosted at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville, KY. That helps. Whereas most Louisvillians are more familiar with March Madness and more recently, the college footbal BCS system, over 4,000 packed out the stadium each day for the three-day tournament to support what almost instantly has become the city's new team.
By holding offensive powerhouse Oklahoma State to merely 7 runs over 27 innings of play, the Cardinals managed to score 32 runs, 20 of which came in game 3, demonstrating excellent pitching and explosive hitting.


By their convincing wins over Miami, Missouri, and Oklahoma State, the Louisville Cardinals proved they deserved their at large bid ... and they deserve to be playing in Omaha.

Yet, somehow, the Cardinals still seem to be the underdog of sorts as they are stacked in a bracket with perhaps the stiffest competition. The Rice University Owls have been to the College Baseball World Series in Omaha on five other occasions, claiming the championship in 2003. In the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, the Owls are ranked # 1, while Louisville comes in at #8. It sure is nice they put the Cards in the 8th spot since they're playing in the Elite 8 of sorts ...
Rice has not lost a game the entire tournament but struggled a bit with TCU and Texas A&M in their previous tournaments. The Owls will in no way be a push over, but certainly , they are not unbeatable. If the Cards show up with what they have done thus far - stiff pitching and dynamite hitting, the college baseball world could be shocked come next weekend.

Friday's game is scheduled for 2 PM (EST) and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
If the Cardinals win Friday's game, they will play the winner of North Carolina & Mississippi State, Sunday at 6 PM. If they lose, they will play the loser of that game at 2 PM.

Cardinal fans,
Feel free to leave comments, questions, and game updates in the comments section of most recent posts. This is your place to discuss the recent success of the University of Louisville baseball team. The Cardinal Blogger will try his best to provide game updates when possible.

GO CARDS!