Coffee Break: Baseball's 3-0 start

One of the perks of retirement is being able to check out the Cardinal baseball team when it plays in Florida. It’s especially gratifying when the Cards go 3-0 against the competition including No. 22 Maryland the team tabbed by the Big 10 coaches to be league champion.

I was joined by one of my CardinalSports.com buds "gocds" and we agree that the 2017 edition of Card baseball could be special. Three victories over good collegiate baseball teams sent a message to future opponents that the Cards are the real deal.

The strength of the Cardinal team starts with All-American Brendan McKay. McKay pitched six innings in the opening game and gave up four hits and no runs. He struck out nine and walked none. It was a stellar performance from the remade McKay. He has lost significant weight and seems to be much more toned and athletic. McKay came to bat 14 times and hit .500 including two home runs. He walked four times and was hit by pitch two times. His on base % was .714 and he had five RBI’s.

Colby Fitch also had a home run and a triple with three RBI. Drew Ellis had a home run and four RBI indicating the Cards are not bereft of power at the plate. Josh Stowers hit .571 and freshman Danny Oriente batted .500 before being injured in the third game.

The most remarkable statistic of the weekend is that Louisville did not have an error in three games while the opposition had nine for the weekend. They were flawless in the field and appear to be one of the best defensive teams of Dan McDonnell’s time at UofL.

The question mark concerning this team is the depth of the pitching. The three starters for the weekend were McKay, Kade McClure and freshman Michael McAvene. Both McClure and McAvene seemed to tire in the fourth inning and were replaced. McClure pitched against Maryland a team picked to win the Big 10. Three relievers failed to stop the bleeding until Lincoln Henzman shut down the Terrapins without a hit the final 2.2 innings.

Strong relievers for the weekend included Bryan Hoeing (3 innings no hits), Riley Thompson (five hitters, four strikeouts), Henzman and Shane Hummel. Fans should watch with interest as McDonnell and pitching coach Roger Williams work with this talented roster of young pitchers.

The Cardinals host EKU Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Jim Patterson Stadium.