The 2023 Louisville Cardinals baseball schedule features another challenging slate as head coach Dan McDonnell looks to lead the Cardinals back to the College World Series. Coming off a 40-win season that saw Louisville reach a regional final, McDonnell has put together another ambitious schedule that will test the Cardinals with quality opponents throughout the spring.
Louisville opens the 2023 season on February 17th with a three game series at Clemson. The Tigers are always one of the top programs in the ACC and country, so starting on the road against Clemson is a tough draw. It will get Louisville ready for the rigors of ACC play early. After Clemson, Louisville returns home to open its home schedule with a three game set against Ball State on February 24th-26th.
In early March, the Cardinals play four straight Tuesday night games against local opponents Bellarmine, Xavier, Western Kentucky, and Kentucky. These midweek contests allow Louisville to work on different aspects of their game against regional foes in front of their home fans. It’s also a way for McDonnell to give different pitching options a start under the lights.
The real meat of the ACC schedule begins in mid-March. From March 10th through March 19th, Louisville hosts Boston College for three games before hitting the road to take on Florida State for three games and North Carolina for three more. That stretch will be a major test for the Cardinals as all three of those ACC opponents are usually nationally ranked programs. Being able to win the series against at least one of those tough league foes would be a great early season resume builder.
After facing three top conference contenders on the road, Louisville gets a bit of a break with a midweek game against Indiana before welcoming Notre Dame to Jim Patterson Stadium for a three game set March 24th-26th. The Fighting Irish are also expected to be near the top of the ACC standings, so taking two of three in that series would continue Louisville’s momentum.
Louisville wraps up March with two midweek tilts against Indiana State and Eastern Kentucky before starting April with a rare five game homestand against Pittsburgh. The Panthers have been a middle of the pack ACC team in recent years, so the Cardinals will be hoping to sweep that series. That’s followed by a Tuesday night test at in-state foe Murray State.
The second and third weeks of April feature two more pivotal three game ACC road series. First, Louisville travels to Georgia Tech April 7th-9th for a weekend set in Atlanta. Then, the Cardinals head to Virginia April 14th-16th to face the reigning national champions in Charlottesville. Both the Yellow Jackets and Cavaliers will likely be ranked too, so splitting or winning those series could raise expectations for Louisville’s postseason potential.
After Georgia Tech and Virginia, Louisville returns home to host a challenging midweek opponent in Indiana on April 18th. The Hoosiers are usually a top 25 team and give the Cardinals another quality non-conference test. Louisville then enjoys its final home weekend of the regular season hosting Wake Forest April 21st-23rd. By mid-April, the Demon Deacons should be in the mix near the top of the ACC standings as well, adding more importance to that series.
To wrap up the regular season, Louisville travels to North Carolina State for a weekend series April 28th-30th. The Wolfpack have been one of the most consistent ACC programs for over a decade now. Closing the regular season against them on the road leaves no room for error if Louisville wants to enter the ACC Tournament on a high note.
Depending on how the Cardinals fare throughout March and April, they could host an NCAA regional at Jim Patterson Stadium during the first weekend of June. From there, the goal is advancing through super regionals to get to the College World Series in Omaha. Louisville has reached the CWS finals twice under McDonnell in 2013 and 2017. With another challenging schedule and highly ranked recruiting classes, the 2023 team will have the talent to potentially make another June run.
But first, the Cardinals must navigate this impressive slate that features 18 games against preseason top 25 opponents. Road trips to Clemson, Florida State, UNC, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and NC State will be grinders. While home weekends against the likes of Boston College, Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh provide opportunities for statement wins. How Louisville performs in those pivotal series could determine if 2023 is another 40-win season and potential Omak run or if it’s an early exit from regionals. Regardless, fans are in for an exciting spring of Cardinals baseball.
