LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — For University of Louisville baseball fans, the most interesting development over the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament was not Kentucky advancing to the Louisiana State Super Regional or three Atlantic Coast Conference programs making the final 16 teams.
It was this development out of Athens, Georgia Monday:
The University of Georgia hired LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson to fix the Bulldogs’ sagging baseball program. Johnson, a former major-league pitching coach, will take over after LSU completes its NCAA Tournament run.
That cuts the number of possible baseball head coaching openings in the Southeastern Conference to one — Alabama. It should reduce concerns about the Cardinals losing head coach Dan McDonnell.
Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell talks to his team after practice in preparation for the NCAA Baseball Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium on June 2, 2022.
I wrote “possible” because interim coach Jason Jackson led the Crimson Tide to a regional victory as well as a Super Regional series at Wake Forest this weekend.
Maybe Jackson gets that job. Or maybe the Crimson Tide keep looking.
But the Alabama position is the last one on the board with the revenue, competitive will, recruiting base, weather and other necessities to develop into a more consistent winning program than the one McDonnell has built at Louisville since 2007.
And, Alabama is the opening that inspired Baseball America magazine to list McDonnell as a likely candidate there after the school fired coach Bobby Bohannon May 4 after an investigation into suspicious betting activity around an Alabama-LSU baseball game.
The Baseball America report led me to ask McDonnell about this future at Louisville after the Cardinals’ season ended with 6-2 home loss to Florida State on May 20, a loss that confirmed U of L would not qualify for the ACC Tournament.
After taking responsibility for Louisville’s disappointing 31-24 season, McDonnell publicly questioned the athletic department’s commitment to competing at the highest level, citing a lack of follow through on facilities’ upgrades.
In 2021 Kroger pledged to donate $3 million ($300,000 per year for 10 years) toward the construction of a $12 million indoor practice facility beyond the left field fence at Jim Patterson Stadium. Ground has yet to be broken.
This was part of what McDonnell said:
"I just I want to be at a place that's committed when it's all said and done. Because the kids were recruited to be at a place that's committed. And, ultimately we're trying to get to Omaha and win a national championship. And (it) ain't gonna happen unless we make a full commitment.”
That was 17 days ago.
The Georgia job, a plum, has opened and closed.
The Alabama job remains open but the interim coach has positioned himself for stronger consideration and other candidates with ties to Alabama have been added to the discussion.
Rival Kentucky took care of business while hosting a regional and advanced to Super Regional competition at powerhouse Louisiana State this weekend.
After visiting Kentucky Proud Park and the UK baseball complex Monday night, I can understand McDonnell’s concern about facilities. Spending $49 million, the Wildcats have all the latest bells and whistles, including a record crowd of 6,796 that watched UK defeat Indiana 4-2 in the Monday night final.
McDonnell has not publicly addressed the situation or his future.
Neither McDonnell nor U of L athletic director Josh Heird responded to text messages for comment on Tuesday.
Just watching a couple of guys from @LouisvilleBSB play catch for the @Dodgers. Really cool to see @BMilled15 and @will_smith30 tonight!! #GoCards | @GoCards pic.twitter.com/Jn0iN7znbc
— Josh Heird (@joshheird) May 23, 2023
They did meet several days after the Cardinals’ season ended and attended a Dodgers-Braves game in Atlanta May 23 when former Louisville pitcher Bobby Miller made his major-league debut.
Other than that …
The ACC played its conference tournament without Louisville. Clemson, led by first-year coach Erik Bakich won the title.
The ACC placed eight teams in the NCAA Tournament, two fewer than the record-tying 10 bids earned by SEC programs.
Duke, Virginia and top-seed Wake Forest will represent the ACC in Super Regional play this weekend. With Duke playing at Virginia, the league is guaranteed at least one representative at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
The SEC flexed in regional play, putting six teams (Louisiana State; Kentucky; Florida; South Carolina; Alabama and Tennessee) into the Super Regional. At least two SEC teams will play in Omaha.
The scouting report in college baseball remains firm: The SEC is the gold standard, the winner of the last three national titles. The ACC sits in the next tier, although the league has won one national title (Virginia, 2015) in the last two decades.
McDonnell has always aspired to win a national title at Louisville, directing the Cardinals to five trips to the College World Series as well as 13 NCAA Tournaments since 2007.
Now, with only one SEC job potentially open, we wait to learn if McDonnell will continue that chase at Louisville.
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