# 2021 Louisville Cardinals baseball team

The 2021 Louisville Cardinals baseball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Cardinals played their home games at Jim Patterson Stadium as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by head coach Dan McDonnell, in his 15th season at Louisville.
With a record of 28-22, the Cardinals missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Four potential resume building games were cancelled. The series finale against Notre Dame was postponed and then cancelled due to weather and then a three game series against Pittsburgh was cancelled due to COVID-19.

## Previous season

The 2020 Louisville Cardinals baseball team notched a 13–4 (2–1) regular season record. The season prematurely ended on March 12, 2020, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

### 2020 MLB Draft

The Cardinals had three players drafted in the 2020 MLB draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | MLB Team |
| Reid Detmers | Pitcher | 1 | 10 | Los Angeles Angels |
| Bobby Miller | Pitcher | 1 | 29 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Zach Britton | Outfielder | 5 | 136 | Toronto Blue Jays |

## Game log

2021 Louisville Cardinals Baseball Game Log :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Canceled      Bold = Louisville team member     * Non-conference game :
Regular Season (27–21) :
February (6–1) :
| Date | Time (ET) | TV | Opponent | Rank | Stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall | ACC |
| February 20 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Bellarmine* | No. 5 | Jim Patterson Stadium Louisville, Kentucky | W 5–1 | Albanese (1–0) | Barringer (0–1) | | 210 | 1–0 | – |
| February 21 | 12:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Bellarmine* | No. 5 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 13–1 | Elliott (1–0) | Miley (0–1) | | | 2–0 | – |
| February 21 | 3:30 p.m. | ACCNX | Bellarmine* | No. 5 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 8–3 | Smith (1–0) | Davis (0–1) | | 188 | 3–0 | – |
| February 23 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Eastern Kentucky* | No. 4 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 6–2 | Corbett (1–0) | Kelly (1–1) | | 445 | 4–0 | – |
| February 26 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Western Illinois* | No. 4 | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 3–8 | Sears (1–0) | Kuehner (0–1) | Raymond (1) | 255 | 4–1 | – |
| February 27 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Western Illinois* | No. 4 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 4–1 | Kirian (1–0) | Warkentien (0–1) | Perkins (1) | | 5–1 | – |
| February 27 | 4:30 p.m. | ACCNX | Western Illinois* | No. 4 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 9–4 | Smith (2–0) | Fochs (0–1) | Corbett (1) | | 6–1 | – |
March (11–5) :
| Date | Time (ET) | TV | Opponent | Rank | Stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall | ACC |
| March 2 | 3:30 p.m. | ACCNX | Morehead State* | No. 5 | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 2–5 | Herron (1–0) | Lohman (0–1) | | 312 | 6–2 | – |
| March 5 | 4:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at No. 12 Georgia Tech | No. 5 | Russ Chandler Stadium Atlanta, Georgia | W 13–6 | Kirian (2–0) | Hurter (1–1) | | 713 | 7–2 | 1–0 |
| March 6 | 2:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at No. 12 Georgia Tech | No. 5 | Russ Chandler Stadium | L 6–19 | Archer (1–1) | Elliott (1–1) | | | 7–3 | 1–1 |
| March 7 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCN | at No. 12 Georgia Tech | No. 5 | Russ Chandler Stadium | L 9–13 | Finley (2–0) | Smith (2–1) | | 713 | 7–4 | 1–2 |
| March 9 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Morehead State* | No. 10 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 8–3 | Kuehner (1–1) | Vernon (0–1) | | 606 | 8–4 | – |
| March 12 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCNX | No. 22 Boston College | No. 10 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 7–3 | Kirian (3–0) | Pelio (2–2) | Elliott (1) | 880 | 9–4 | 2–2 |
| March 13 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | No. 22 Boston College | No. 10 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 5–0 | Albanese (2–0) | Sheehan (2–2) | | 880 | 10–4 | 3–2 |
| March 14 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | No. 22 Boston College | No. 10 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 8–6 | Perkins (1–0) | Gieg (0–1) | Corbett (2) | 880 | 11–4 | 4–2 |
| March 16 | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN+ | at Eastern Kentucky* | No. 8 | Turkey Hughes Field Richmond, Kentucky | L 3–6 | Travis (1–0) | Kuehner (1–2) | Brian (4) | 270 | 11–5 | – |
| March 19 | 6:30 p.m. | ACCNX | at NC State | No. 8 | Doak Field Raleigh, North Carolina | W 13–1 | Kirian (4–0) | Justice (1–2) | | 346 | 12–5 | 5–2 |
| March 20 | 2:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at NC State | No. 8 | Doak Field | W 6–3 | Albanese (3–0) | Highfill (0–1) | Corbett (3) | 353 | 13–5 | 6–2 |
| March 21 | 11:00 a.m. | ACCNX | at NC State | No. 8 | Doak Field | W 8–3 | Elliott (2–1) | Feeney (0–1) | | 304 | 14–5 | 7–2 |
| March 23 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Western Kentucky* | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 13–6 | Barrett (1–0) | Shiflet (0–2) | | 548 | 15–5 | – |
| March 26 | 4:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at No. 14 Notre Dame | No. 7 | Frank Eck Stadium South Bend, Indiana | W 7–4 | Elliott (3–1) | Sheridan (0–1) | Corbett (4) | 301 | 16–5 | 8–2 |
| March 27 | 2:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at No. 14 Notre Dame | No. 7 | Frank Eck Stadium | L 3–5 | Brannigan (1–0) | Kuehner (1–3) | | 315 | 16–6 | 8–3 |
| March 28 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at No. 14 Notre Dame | No. 7 | Frank Eck Stadium | – | (–) | (–) | | | – | – |
| March 30 | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ | at Cincinnati* | No. 7 | UC Baseball Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio | L 12–13 | Keathley (1–0) | Corbett (1–1) | | 815 | 16–7 | – |
April (7–5) :
| Date | Time (ET) | TV | Opponent | Rank | Stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall | ACC |
| April 2 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | Wake Forest | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 5–3 | Kirian (5–0) | Cusick (1–1) | Elliott (2) | 880 | 17–7 | 9–3 |
| April 3 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCN | Wake Forest | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 9–7 | Elliott (4–1) | Minacci (0–1) | | 880 | 18–7 | 10–3 |
| April 4 | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Wake Forest | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 3–6 | Lowder (1–1) | Smith (2–2) | Adler (5) | 880 | 18–8 | 10–4 |
| April 6 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | Kentucky | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 7–11 | Harney (2–0) | Perkins (1–1) | Rigsby (1) | 880 | 18–9 | – |
| April 9 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | No. 17 Florida State | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 4–3$^{10}$ | Elliott (5–1) | Scolaro (0–1) | | 880 | 19–9 | 11–4 |
| April 10 | 5:00 p.m. | ACCN | No. 17 Florida State | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 5–8 | Anderson (1–0) | Albanese (3–1) | | 880 | 19–10 | 11–5 |
| April 11 | 4:00 p.m. | ESPN2 | No. 17 Florida State | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 11–4 | Kuehner (2–3) | Scolaro (0–2) | | 880 | 20–10 | 12–5 |
| April 16 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | at Virginia | No. 7 | Davenport Field Charlottesville, VA | L 7–8$^{10}$ | Schoch (1–0) | Elliott (5–2) | | 477 | 20–11 | 12–6 |
| April 17 | 4:00 p.m. | ACCN | at Virginia | No. 7 | Davenport Field | W 9–5 | Kuehner (3–3) | Vasil (5–3) | | 522 | 21–11 | 13–6 |
| April 18 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCN | at Virginia | No. 7 | Davenport Field | W 8–2 | Smith (3–2) | Savino (1–2) | | 522 | 22–11 | 14–6 |
| April 20 | 5:00 p.m. | ESPNU | at Kentucky | No. 7 | Kentucky Proud Park Lexington, KY | W 12–5 | Lohman (1–1) | Kammin (1–1) | | 1,730 | 23–11 | – |
| April 23 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCN | Pittsburgh | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | – | (–) | (–) | | | – | – |
| April 24 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCN | Pittsburgh | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | – | (–) | (–) | | | – | – |
| April 25 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCN | Pittsburgh | No. 7 | Jim Patterson Stadium | – | (–) | (–) | | | – | – |
| April 30 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | at Clemson | No. 7 | Doug Kingsmore Stadium Clemson, SC | L 3–11 | Anglin (2–2) | Kirian (5–1) | | 1,782 | 23–12 | 14–7 |
May (4–9) :
| Date | Time (ET) | TV | Opponent | Rank | Stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall | ACC |
| May 1 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCN | at Clemson | No. 7 | Doug Kingsmore Stadium | L 4–5 | Gilbert (3–4) | Kuehner (3–4) | Hoffmann (2) | 1,912 | 23–13 | 14–8 |
| May 2 | 2:00 p.m. | ESPNU | at Clemson | No. 7 | Doug Kingsmore Stadium | L 5–15 | Hughes (1–0) | Smith (3–3) | | 1,873 | 23–14 | 14–9 |
| May 4 | 4:00 p.m. | ESPNU | No. 2 Vanderbilt | No. 15 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 7–2 | Lohman (2–1) | Little (2–1) | Elliott (3) | 880 | 24–14 | – |
| May 7 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Duke | No. 15 | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 3–13 | (–) | (–) | | | 24–15 | 14–10 |
| May 8 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | Duke | No. 15 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 5–1 | (–) | (–) | | | 25–15 | 15–10 |
| May 8 | 4:30 p.m. | ACCNX | Duke | No. 15 | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 15–6 | (–) | (–) | | | 26–15 | 16–10 |
| May 14 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at North Carolina | | Boshamer Stadium Chapel Hill, NC | L 1–5 | (–) | (–) | | | 26–16 | 16–11 |
| May 15 | 2:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at North Carolina | | Boshamer Stadium | L 0–5 | (–) | (–) | | | 26–17 | 16–12 |
| May 16 | 1:00 p.m. | ACCNX | at North Carolina | | Boshamer Stadium | L 5–10 | (–) | (–) | | | 26–18 | 16–13 |
| May 18 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCN | USC Upstate | | Jim Patterson Stadium | W 8–6 | (–) | (–) | | | 27–18 | – |
| May 20 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | Miami (FL) | | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 1–6 | (–) | (–) | | | 27–19 | 16–14 |
| May 21 | 6:00 p.m. | ACCN | Miami (FL) | | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 0–2 | (–) | (–) | | | 27–20 | 16–15 |
| May 22 | 12:00 p.m. | ACCN | Miami (FL) | | Jim Patterson Stadium | L 2–3 | (–) | (–) | | | 27–21 | 16–16 |
Post-Season (1–1) :
ACC Tournament (1–1) :
| Date | Time (ET) | TV | Opponent | Rank | Stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall | Postseason | Sources |
| May 25 | 11:00 a.m. | ACCNX | vs. Clemson | | Truist Field Charlotte, NC | W 15–10 | (–) | (–) | | | 28–21 | 1–0 | |
| May 27 | 3:00 p.m. | ACCNX | vs. Georgia Tech | | Truist Field | L 8–9$^{12}$ | (–) | (–) | | | 28–22 | 1–1 | |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| Coaches' | 6 (1) | 6 (1)* | 3 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 23 | — | — | —* | —* | —* | — |
| Baseball America | 7 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 19 | — | — | —* | —* | —* | — |
| Collegiate Baseball^ | 11 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NCBWA† | 6 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D1Baseball | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

## 2021 MLB draft

| Player | Position | Round | Overall | MLB Team |
| Henry Davis | C | 1 | 1 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Alex Binelas | 3B | 3 | 86 | Milwaukee Brewers |
| Cooper Bowman | 2B | 4 | 122 | New York Yankees |
| Michael Kirian | RHP | 6 | 173 | Washington Nationals |
| Lucas Dunn | INF/OF | 8 | 250 | San Diego Padres |
| Luke Brown | OF | 9 | 253 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Glenn Albanese | RHP | 15 | 441 | Los Angeles Angels |