LouisvilleKY Baseball to Open NCAA Championship at Lubbock Regional

Story and photo from gocards.com

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For the first time since 2012, the University of Louisville baseball team will open the NCAA Championship away from home as the 21st-ranked Cardinals were assigned to the Lubbock Regional and a first round game against Kent State, the NCAA Selection Committee announced on Monday.

No. 2 seeded Louisville (43-17) and No. 3 Kent State (39-16) will play Friday at 7 p.m., ET at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park on the campus of Texas Tech University. The No. 9 national seed and host Red Raiders (39-17) will open the Lubbock Regional against New Mexico State (40-20) on Friday at 2 p.m., ET. All games at the Lubbock Regional will air on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app, while radio coverage for all of Louisville’s NCAA Championship games can be heard on 93.9 The Ville.

Photo by Jeff Reinking, Louisville Athletics
Photo by Jeff Reinking, Louisville Athletics

The winner of Friday’s first round games will play on Saturday at 8 p.m., while the two losing teams will play an elimination game on Saturday at 3 p.m. The winner of Saturday’s elimination game will play the losing team from Saturday night’s winner’s bracket game in an elimination game on Sunday at 3 p.m., with the winner advancing to play the winner of Saturday night’s winner’s bracket game on Sunday at 7 p.m. If needed, the two teams from Sunday’s second game will return for the final game of the Lubbock Regional on Monday at 7 p.m.

Louisville is making its 11th NCAA postseason appearance in the last 12 seasons and the program’s 12th NCAA appearance overall. The Cardinals will take to the road for an NCAA Regional for the first time since finishing 2-2 and falling in the title game to host Arizona in the 2012 Tucson Regional. Having hosted an NCAA Regional in each of the last five seasons, Louisville enters the Lubbock Regional on a 15-game winning streak in NCAA Regional contests. The Cardinals have advanced to an NCAA Super Regional in each of the last five seasons, the nation’s longest active streak.

The Louisville baseball team will enter the 2018 NCAA Championship having won 23 of the last 29 games overall, including a trio of wins at last week’s ACC Championship in Durham, North Carolina. The Cardinals had their six-game winning streak halted with Sunday’s 11-8 loss in 10 innings to No. 7 Florida State in the ACC Championship title game.

Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at @UofLBaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.

2018 NCAA REGIONAL – LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SCHEDULE
Friday, June 1 | (WatchESPN)
Game 1: No. 1 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 New Mexico State – 2 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 3 Kent State – 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 2 | (WatchESPN)
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 3 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 3 | (WatchESPN)
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser – 3 p.m.
Game 6: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner – 7 p.m.

Monday, June 4 | (WatchESPN) – If necessary
Game 7: Game 6 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner – 7 p.m.

All times are Eastern Daylight Savings | Lubbock, Texas is Central Daylight Savings Time