Back at The Pat: Louisville baseball to host Miami in NCAA Super Regional

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Baseball is a game of curveballs — and this week brings the University of Louisville a welcome one.

After losing five of their final six regular-season games and making a quick exit from the ACC Tournament, the Cardinals weren’t expecting to host a Super Regional. But they’ll get that chance — for the seventh time in school history.

Miami’s 5-4 win over Southern Miss late Monday night punched the Hurricanes’ ticket to the Super Regional round and sent them to Louisville. The Cardinals and Hurricanes didn’t meet during the regular season.

The first game of the Louisville Super Regional will be Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2, followed by a Saturday matchup at 11 a.m. on ESPN. A third game, if needed, would be played Sunday at a time not yet announced.

Louisville is 9-5 all-time in Super Regional games at Jim Patterson Stadium and has advanced to the College World Series three times from home turf — including sweeps in its past two Super Regionals as host.

While Miami hasn’t reached the College World Series since 2016, the program’s tradition is rich. The Hurricanes’ regional title in Mississippi was the 30th in school history. They've made 25 trips to Omaha and won four national titles, most recently in 2001.

Dates and times for the best-of-three series are still to be announced.

Let’s ride Louisville…let’s bring the city out!
— Zion Rose (@zionrosebball4) June 3, 2025

Louisville coach Dan McDonnell and his team weren’t counting on playing in front of a home crowd — but they were hoping.

“Obviously we’ve always played our best at Jim Patterson Stadium,” McDonnell told ESPN after the Cardinals won the Nashville Regional. “So you know, I’d love to play there. What Mr. Patterson has done for our program, we wouldn’t be here without him.”

Just after Miami's win, Louisville's Zion Rose posted a call to the Cardinal fan base on social media, saying, "Let's ride Louisville -- let's bring the city out."

Louisville and Miami have met three times in NCAA Tournament play, all won by the Cardinals — twice in the 2007 Columbia Regional and once during their 2013 run to the College World Series. Now, Louisville aims for its sixth trip to Omaha.