No. 16 UVA Plays Host to No. 2 Louisville This Weekend

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March 30, 2017

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (20-6, 4-5 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – Fr. RHP Noah Murdock (1-1, 8.22 ERA)
Sat. – So. RHP Evan Sperling (3-2, 6.75 ERA)
Sun. – Jr. LHP Adam Haseley (4-1, 3.60 ERA)

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (22-2, 8-1 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – Jr. LHP Brendan McKay (4-1, 1.12 ERA)
Sat. – Jr. RHP Kade McClure (3-0, 2.43 ERA)
Sun. – Fr. LHP Nick Bennett (3-0, 0.69 ERA)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Davenport Field is the site of a top-20 ACC showdown this weekend as the No. 16 Virginia baseball team plays host to No. 2 Louisville Friday through Sunday (March 31-April 2) in a three-game conference series. The series opener is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, while Game 2 is at 4 p.m. Saturday. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets
Tickets are available online at VirginiaSports.com or beginning one hour prior to the game at the ticket window at Davenport Field. Gates open one hour prior to first pitch.

Parking
For Saturday (parking map), free parking for baseball fans will be available in Emmet-Ivy Garage, while reserved season ticket holder passes will be accepted in Cage lot at University Hall. Please note there is a concert at John Paul Jones Arena Saturday evening and parking in the JPJ and University Hall lots will be reserved for concert parking.

On Friday and Sunday, baseball parking is available in the University Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and McCue Center lots.

Promotions
Trading Card Fridays – Every ACC Friday, collect a new set of Cavalier trading cards at the Promotions table located on the concourse on the third-base side.

ACC Family Sundays – Family Packages are available for the Sunday game and include four general admission tickets and four $8 concessions vouchers, good for any food or drink item at Davenport Field.

After the game, all fans are invited down to the field where kids can run the bases and get autographs.

MLB Opening Day (Sunday) – In celebration of MLB’s Opening Day, a commemorative poster featuring former Cavaliers in the Pros will be handed out at the Sunday game.

Little League Day (Sunday) — Little league teams can purchase $5 GA tickets in advance by contacting the Ticket Office or using the promo code “2017LLDAYS” online.

Virginia to Honor Javier Lopez Saturday
Cavalier alum Javier Lopez is returning to Charlottesville this weekend, and UVA will honor the 14-year MLB veteran for his recent retirement in a pregame ceremony prior to the Saturday game. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 3:40 p.m. Saturday for the ceremony.

Lopez played at UVA from 1996-98 and was a member of the Cavaliers’ 1996 ACC Championship team. The left-handed pitcher went on to a long pro career, winning four World Series championships (2007 with Red Sox and 2010, 2012 and 2014 with Giants), while making 839 career appearances, which ranks 41st in MLB history.

Broadcast Information
All three games will air on ACC Network Extra, which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. WINA 1070-AM/98.9-FM has the radio broadcast for the full series, with online links available at VirginiaSports.com and WINA.com. A link to live statistics also can be found on VirginiaSports.com.

Things to Know
• Pavin Smith is 8-for-24 (.333) in seven career games vs. Louisville (HR, 5 RBI).
• With three strikeouts in 117 PA, Smith is the second toughest to strike out in Division I.
• Adam Haseley ranks second in the ACC in batting, OBP and slugging, fifth in hits and home runs, sixth in runs and ninth in walks.
• Haseley (40) and Ernie Clement (37) rank third and fourth, respectively in the ACC in hits.
• Tommy Doyle ranks second in the ACC in saves (7).

The Basics
Virginia has won three straight games after downing VCU, 4-2, Wednesday in Richmond. UVA won its first ACC series last weekend, taking two of three games at home against Duke. The Cavaliers are ranked as high as 16th nationally this week (in the USA Today Coaches and NCBWA polls). UVA stands third in the ACC in batting average at .317, while the team has a 4.62 ERA, which is 10th among conference teams. UVA owns a .975 fielding percentage, which is fourth among ACC teams.

Virginia-Louisville Series
Louisville holds a 5-2 lead in the brief series with Virginia. The teams split four games last year, with Louisville taking two of three games on its home field in the regular season before UVA won 7-2 on May 28 in the ACC tournament in Durham. UofL handed UVA a home series sweep in 2015 in Charlottesville.

Cavaliers in Midst of Big Home Stretch
Virginia is currently in the midst of a stretch in which it plays 14 of 15 games at home at Davenport Field. UVA is playing three straight ACC series at home, the first time the Cavaliers have hosted three straight home ACC series since the 2001 season.

The Cavaliers are 13-2 at home this season and 390-97 (.802) at Davenport Field since 2004.

Knight Emerges in Catcher Role
Caleb Knight has stepped up over the last week to take over as the starting catcher in the absence of Robbie Coman, who has missed the last seven games with a hamstring injury. Since entering in the third inning last Friday against Duke, Knight has gone 8-for-14 (.571), including three straight multi-hit games.

He was the NJCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner last year at Connors State College (Okla.).

Noting Louisville
Louisville has won all three of its ACC series, including a road series at NC State last weekend. The Cardinals lead the ACC in batting (.321), pitching (2.08) and fielding (.980), ranking second nationally in ERA, 13th in batting and 19th in fielding. All-American Brendan McKay is a two-way standout, leading the ACC in batting (.431) while also standing fourth on the mound in ERA (1.12).

Up Next
Virginia remains home for five games next week. UVA plays Old Dominion Tuesday, George Washington Wednesday and Pittsburgh next Friday through Sunday (April 7-9).