LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If you thought that, after missing the NCAA Tournament last season, the University of Louisville baseball team would be on Cloud 9 after not only returning to college baseball’s summer showcase but earning the right to host a regional again this season, you’d be wrong.
TV Networks used to complain that NASA and its astronauts could make even going to the moon seem boring with their matter-of-fact communications and approach to the miracle of moon landings.
The NCAA Tournament may be just one, small step for the U of L baseball program, but it’s a step they expect to make, regardless of what went down a season prior. I’d show you before-and-after photos of the NCAA announcement, but they are the same. No wild cheering, no celebrations.
The Louisville baseball team learns its NCAA Tournament draw on May 30, 2022.
Louisville was selected as the tournament’s No. 12 overall seed. The Cardinals (38-18-1) will be joined by No. 2 regional seed Oregon (35-23), No. 3 seed Michigan (32-26) and No. 4 seed Southeast Missouri State (37-20).
Louisville will host Southeast Missouri State on Friday at 2 p.m. ET, with Oregon and Michigan scheduled to play at 7 p.m.
The Cardinals are hosting an NCAA Regional for the ninth time, and making their 14th NCAA appearance.
“The last couple of years have obviously been a challenge,” McDonnell said. “It dawned on me before the season that I had a bunch of kids in this program, the poor juniors, you know, went through that COVID year when they were freshmen. And then last year, you don't finish well. And so I have juniors, sophomores and freshmen that haven't experienced the postseason or experienced a fun Selection Show. So I just congratulated them, I really want them to enjoy it, and focus on us and just get ready to play good baseball.”
McDonnell talked this season in terms of resetting expectations, and “pressing the reset button.” All great coaches have a way of doing that, and McDonnell is a great coach. His returning players came back with the fire that comes from not reaching their goal a year ago. Some of them had the experience of being ranked No. 1 in the nation when the entire season was wiped out two years ago.
McDonnell credits those players with setting the tone this season, and following through with it.
“I give the players a lot of credit,” McDonnell said. “You know, the players had to live through that. We watched the selection show last year, our name's not called and, and as I said, ‘You know, this is Day One. Getting ready.’ And I give those players a lot of credit . . . all the older guys that, knowing what the expectation is, made it really about setting the standard or maybe resetting the standard, because I felt like we didn't live up to the standard last year. But the players have to be the ones. Coaches all around the country all want great culture and set a high standard and all that. But the players are the ones that are living it. You can coach them, you can motivate them, you can challenge them, but deep down in their hearts, they’ve got to be the ones that desire to do that. And I give them a lot of credit because resetting the standard was big for this program. And they got us back to where we've been.”
Louisville made a quick exit from the ACC Tournament. It wasn’t on purpose or by design. It just happened. But the result, again, is more rest and a chance to recharge before the NCAA Tournament.
After a long regular season, McDonnell’s message to his players can be seen in signs all over the baseball complex, inviting them to ride on the “Energy bus.”
“I'm not smart enough to intentionally go down there and not play well,” McDonnell said of the ACC Tournament. “We want to win and we're competitive. But there is value in getting your butt kicked. And there is value in getting home early and getting some rest and hitting the reset button. And for me, it's mapping out the schedule for the week and being super organized and feeling like we can have a great week of practice, because we're fortunate that we get to stay home and host. So you take advantage of sleeping in your own bed and utilizing the great resources that we have. It is what it is. You know, there are years we play great in a tournament, and there are several years we have not played great in that tournament.”
Regardless, his “energy bus” invitation is an exhortation to his players to recharge and to attack the postseason with renewed enthusiasm.
“It's a long, long year,” McDonnell said. “There's a lot of frustration on baseball buses. It's a failing sport, as we know, for hitters, and you can lose to anybody. And as good as you are, you could get it handed to you on any given day. So I've always felt like when you get to the postseason, no matter what happened in the conference tournament, celebrate, enjoy the great regular season. You better have some juice and energy, as you go into the postseason, and I give the 2007 team a lot of credit. I've said it publicly. They were a No. 3 seed and they jumped up and down in that locker room, just to be in a regional. And I remember thinking to myself, ‘Well, man, the bar is not set high enough for this program.’ But what I learned from that ’07 team was there's something powerful about energy and excitement and joy to play in the postseason, and I saw that group play their way all the way to Omaha.”
This one will set out to do the same thing on Friday.
TICKETS
All session tickets for the 2022 NCAA Regional in Louisville are currently available and can be purchased online here. Tickets will also be available for purchase by phone (502-852-5151) or in person through the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office on the third floor of the Student Activities Center Tuesday-Friday during business hours of 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All-session tickets for the four-team, double-elimination regional are $75 for reserved chairback seats and $60 for general admission berm seating.
All tickets for the NCAA Louisville Regional will be mobile and fans are encouraged to download tickets to their mobile device before arriving at the stadium to expedite the entry process. Single session tickets, including reserved chairback and general admission berm seating, will go on sale Thursday, June 2 at 10 a.m. ET online at GoCards.com or at the Ticket Office. Tickets will also be available at Jim Patterson Stadium starting on Friday, June 3, one hour prior to the first game.
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