< Previous48 University of Louisville | gocards.com BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff O n June 27, 2006, Dan McDonnell, one of the top young minds in college base- ball, was named the 18th head coach of the University of Louisville baseball team. And on June 15, 2007, McDon- nell and the Cardinals took the field at hallowed Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha for game one of the 2007 College World Series. Not bad for 353 days on the job. As the first rookie head coach to lead his team to Omaha in 27 years, McDonnell was named National Coach of the Year by Rivals.com after guiding the Cardinals to a then-school record 47 wins during that 2007 season. He followed that impressive debut season by leading Louisville to 11 more NCAA appearances during the next 12 years, including four more College World Series berths in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019, as well as nine conference regular season titles and two conference tournament championships. Louisville has hosted 14 different rounds of NCAA postseason baseball in the last 14 full seasons with NCAA Super Regionals in 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 as well as eight NCAA Regionals in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. McDonnell added his second career National Coach of the Year honor following the 2017 season receiving the award from Baseball Amer- ica. In McDonnell’s first 15 seasons as head coach, Lou- isville ranked No. 2 nation- ally in wins with 646, including a school-record 53 wins dur- ing the record- setting 2017 sea- son. During the 15-year span, the Cardinals have produced a consen- sus National Player of the Year (Brendan McKay, 2017), 40 All-Ameri- cans, 102 all-conference selections, seven conference Pitcher of the Year winners, four conference Player of the Year winners and one conference Freshman of the Year. Addi- tionally, the UofL baseball program has gen- erated 94 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft selections in the last 15 years. The 2021 season saw yet another milestone achieved for the Louisville program. Catcher Henry Davis was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2021 MLB Draft, giv- ing the Louisville baseball program its first-ever No. 1 overall pick. Davis was one of seven Cardinals chosen in the 20-round draft -- Alex Binelas (Milwaukee Brewers, third round), Cooper Bowman (New York Yankees, fourth round), Michael Kirian (Washington Nationals, sixth round), Lucas Dunn (San Diego Padres, eighth round), Luke Brown (Pittsburgh Pirates, ninth round) and Glenn Alba- nese (Los Angeles Angels, 15th round). Davis was a consensus All-American and one of four All-ACC selections for the Car- dinals, joining Bine- las, Bowman and Christian Knapczyk. The 2020 cam- paign was limited to just 17 games before the COVID- 19 pandemic shut down the season, but McDonnell and the Cardinals put together a 13-4 mark. The Cardi- nals opened the season with the program’s first- ever preseason No. 1 ranking and were ranked as high as second when the season stopped. Despite the short season, the Car- dinals were once again prominently featured during the 2020 MLB Draft with Reid Det- mers going 10th over- all to the Los Angeles Angels and Bobby Miller following to the Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 29. Zach Britton was later selected in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays, while Justin Lavey (Seattle Mariners) and Danny Oriente (Arizona Dia- mondbacks) each signed free agent contracts. The Louisville program reached new heights in 2019, posting a 51-18 overall record and recording the deepest postseason run in program history. The Cardinals cap- tured the ACC Atlantic Division crown for the fourth time in five seasons and earned a national seed for the fifth time in program history. After rallying out of the loser’s brack- et to capture the Louisville regional, the Cardinals swept East Carolina in the super regional round to punch their fifth ticket to the College World Series. In Omaha, Louisville lost its opening contest before defeating Auburn and Mississippi State to reach the bracket final for the first time. The Cardinals notched their highest final ranking in program history, sitting third in five of the six national polls. Individually, Reid Detmers was a near consensus All-American and cap- tured ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. Eight Cardinals were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft and signed professional contracts -- Logan Wyatt (San Francisco Giants, second round), Michael McAvene (Chicago Cubs, third round), Tyler Fitzgerald (San Francisco Giants, fourth round), Nick Bennett (Mil- waukee Brewers, sixth round), Bryan Hoe- ing (Miami Marlins, seventh round), Jake Snider (Pittsburgh Pirates, 20th round), Drew Campbell (Atlanta Braves, 23rd round) and Shay Smiddy (Tampa Bay Rays, 36th round). The Cardinals finished the 2018 season with a 45-19 record overall after advancing to the final round of an NCAA Regional for the seventh straight year. Louisville regis- tered its seventh straight 40-win season and the 11th in 12 seasons under McDonnell. The Cardinals also advanced to the ACC Championship final for the first time since joining the league. Individually, a trio Lou- isville players earned All-America honors as lefthanded pitcher Adam Wolf was a second team selection and outfielder Josh Stowers Dan McDonnell Head Coach – 16th Season | 646-266 Record at Louisville | The Citadel, 1992 & 1995gocards.com | University of Louisville 49 BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff and first baseman Logan Wyatt were third team members. Following the season, eight UofL players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft -- Stowers to the Seattle Mariners (second round); Wolf to the Detroit Tigers (fifth round); infielder Devin Mann to the Los Angeles Dodgers (fifth round); pitcher Riley Thompson to the Chicago Cubs (11th round); pitcher Sam Bordner to the Miami Marlins (16th round); pitcher Liam Jenkins to the Cleveland Indians (17th round); pitcher Austin Conway to the Chicago White Sox (31st round); and pitcher Bryan Hoeing to the San Francisco Giants (36th round). The Louisville baseball team concluded its record-setting 2017 season ranked fifth in every major national poll after advancing to the College World Series for the fourth time in school history, setting a school record for wins with a 53-12 mark and earning the pro- gram’s third straight ACC Atlantic Division championship. In addition to the team suc- cess, the Cardinals also received numerous individual honors, highlighted by consensus National Player of the Year Brendan McKay. The 53 wins in 2017 for Louisville surpassed the previous school record mark of 51 vic- tories achieved in 2013. The Cardinals are the only team in the country to advance to an NCAA Super Regional in each of the last five seasons while ranking second nationally in total wins (251) during that five-year span. McKay became the program’s first National Player of the Year as the junior two-way stand- out swept each of the seven awards, including the prestigious Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy. The Darlington, Pennsylvania native also earned his third straight John Oler- ud Two-Way Player of the Year honor and was selected as the ACC Player of the Year. McKay became the highest MLB Draft selection in program history going fourth overall in the first round to the Tampa Bay Rays. Pitcher Lincoln Henzman was honored as the 2017 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year, a First Team All-American and All-ACC First Team selec- tion while also being selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Shortstop Devin Hairston was selected as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, earned All-America honors for the second straight season and was chosen in the sixth round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Drew Ellis emerged as one of the nation’s top hitters in 2017 earning First Team All- America honors, All-ACC First Team recog- nition and was the ACC Baseball Scholar- Athlete of the Year. The third baseman was selected 44th overall in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamond- backs. Additionally, sophomore reliever Sam Bordner was an All-American honoree, pitcher Nick Bennett was a Freshman All- American and All-ACC Third Team selection, Colby Fitch was an All-ACC Second Team member and was selected in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, Kade McClure was an All-ACC Third Team honoree and was chosen in the sixth round of the MLB Draft by the White Sox and out- fielder Logan Taylor was taken in the 16th round of the MLB Draft by the White Sox. The Louisville baseball program experi- enced another strong season in 2016 as the Cardinals won their second straight ACC Atlantic Division championship, advanced to a fourth straight NCAA Super Regional and reached the 50-win plateu for the fourth time in school history while finishing 50-14 overall. Louisville players received numerous honors and accolades in 2016, highlighted by Brendan McKay becoming the first repeat winner of the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. McKay was among seven different Cardinals (Zack Burdi, Devin Hairston, Drew Harrington, Kade McClure, Corey Ray, Nick Solak) earn- ing All-America honors this season setting a single season school record. Louisville also received a pair of ACC awards for the second straight season as Harrington was tabbed as the league’s Pitcher of the Year and McDon- nell repeated as Coach of the Year. For the third time in school history and the second straight season, Louisville was chosen by the NCAA Division I Selection Committee as a national seed for the 2016 NCAA Championship. Named as the No. 7 national seed in 2010 and No. 3 national seed in 2015, the Cardinals were in the No. 2 spot in 2016 after leading the nation in RPI top 50 wins with 20 and was second overall in the RPI. The Cardinals finished the season ranked in the top 10 nationally in nine differ- ent statistical categories -- hits allowed per 9 IP (2nd), sacrifice flies (3rd), shutouts (3rd), Year Record Postseason The Citadel - Player 1989 30-20 SoCon Tournament 1990* 46-14 College World Series 1991* 34-19-1 SoCon Tournament 1992 35-20 SoCon Tournament The Citadel - Assistant Coach 1993 32-25 SoCon Tournament 1994* 32-34 NCAA East Regional 1995* 39-21 NCAA Mideast Regional 1996 33-26 SoCon Tournament 1997 37-21 SoCon Tournament 1998* 37-24 NCAA East Regional 1999* 41-20 NCAA Tallahassee Regional 2000* 39-20 SoCon Tournament Mississippi - Assistant Coach 2001 38-21-1 NCAA Regional 2002 37-19 None 2003 35-27 NCAA Regional 2004 39-21 NCAA Regional 2005 48-20 Super Regional Final 2006 44-22 Super Regional Final Louisville - Head Coach (618-244 in 13 seasons) 2007 47-24 College World Series 2008 41-21 NCAA Regional 2009 47-18 NCAA Super Regional 2010 50-14 NCAA Regional 2011 32-29 BIG EAST Tournament 2012 41-22 NCAA Regional 2013 51-14 College World Series 2014 50-17 College World Series 2015 47-18 NCAA Super Regional 2016 50-14 NCAA Super Regional 2017 53-12 College World Series 2018 45-19 NCAA Regional 2019 51-18 College World Series 2020 13-4 shortened season (COVID-19) 2021 28-22 ACC Tournament 33 years 1322-657-2 record as player & coach McDonnell Year-by-Year • 2-time National Coach of the Year (2017 Baseball America, 2007 Rivals) • Cardinals rank 2nd nationally in wins (646) from 2007-21 • 5 College World Series appearances (2007, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019) • 12 NCAA Regional appearances • 8 NCAA Super Regional appearances • 9 regular season conference championships (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) • 1 National Player of the Year, 40 All- Americans, 102 all-conference selections, 7 conference Pitchers of the Year, 4 conference Players of the Year & 1 conference Freshman of the Year • In McDonnell’s 15 seasons as head coach, 94 Louisville players have been selected in the MLB Draft with 82 of those signing professional contracts. Coach Mac in The Ville50 University of Louisville | gocards.com BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff ERA (5th), batting average (6th), doubles (6th), slugging percentage (6th), WHIP (6th) and runs scored (9th). The Louisville baseball program set a school record with three players selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, while seven of the team’s eight selections were among the first 115 players selected over- all. Ray became the highest draft selection ever for the Cardinals going No. 5 overall to the Milwaukee Brewers. He was joined in the first round by Burdi (No. 26, Chicago White Sox) and Will Smith (No. 32, Los Angeles Dodgers). That trio was followed by Solak (2nd Round, No. 62, New York Yankees), Harrington (3rd Round, No. 80, Atlanta Braves), Blake Tiberi (3rd Round, No. 100, New York Mets), Kyle Funkhouser (4th Round, No. 115, Detroit Tigers) and Lincoln Henzman (31st Round, Seattle Mariners). The 2015 baseball season was another record-setting campaign for Louisville, high- lighted by an impressive debut in the ACC as well as the program’s third straight NCAA Super Regional berth. In its inaugural season in the ACC, Louisville dominated the Atlan- tic Division in record-setting fashion with a 25-5 mark and McDonnell was honored as the ACC Coach of the Year. For the second time in school history, Louisville was tabbed by the NCAA Division I Selection Committee as a national seed for the 2015 NCAA Championship entering the postseason as the No. 3 team in the nation. Despite falling one game short of their third straight trip to Omaha, the Cardinals hosted NCAA Regional and Super Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium for the second straight season while advancing to their fifth Super Regional in nine years. McKay delivered the best rookie season in school history earning national Freshman of the Year honors from multiple organiza- tions as well as being selected as the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year by the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Tabbed as the nation’s top freshman by Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game, McKay was also honored as a First Team All-American by those same three outlets as well as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Associ- ation and was the ACC Freshman of the Year. Led by McKay’s Freshman of the Year and Two-Way Player of the Year honors, the Car- dinals earned numerous national accolades during the 2015 season. McKay was joined by Ray, Burdi and Funkhouser as All-Ameri- cans, while Henzman and Sean Leland were tabbed as Freshman All-Americans. Along with the two major awards for McDonnell and McKay, the Cardinals had a league-high five players named to the All-ACC first team to go with two second team selec- tions and two All-Freshman Team honorees. McKay led the way for Louisville earning All- ACC first team accolades as a starting pitcher, second team accolades as a utility player and All-Freshman team recognition. The Cardinals were also represented on the All-ACC first team by infielder Sutton Whiting, Funkhouser, Burdi and Ray. Pitcher Josh Rogers was named to the second team and Henzman was chosen for the All-Freshman team. Following the season, three Louisville players signed professional contracts after being chosen in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. Rogers was chosen in the 11th round by the New York Yankees, lefty pitcher Robert Strader went in the 12th round to the Baltimore Orioles and infielder Sutton Whiting was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 24th round. Additionally, Funk- houser became the highest draft selection in school history going 35th overall to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first round of picks, but the righty elected to return to Louisville for his senior season in 2016. The Cardinals continued their upward trajectory in 2014 highlighted by the return to Omaha for the third time under McDon- nell, another 50-win season, the inaugural American Conference regular season cham- pionship and a pair of successful NCAA postseason events at Jim Patterson Stadium. After being chosen as a host site for an NCAA Regional for the second straight year, Louis- ville swept through its NCAA Regional with wins over Kent State, Kansas and Kentucky before clinching the CWS berth with a Super Regional triumph over Kennesaw State in front of a then-school record crowd of 6,007. Louisville ended 2014 ranked as highly as No. 6 in the final national rankings while also leaving its mark on the NCAA statistics. On the mound, the Cardinals ranked fifth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 8.4, 12th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.4), 19th nationally in shutouts with eight and 20th in ERA at 2.80. Offensively, Louis- ville was second in the nation in stolen bases for the second straight season with 133, fifth in stolen bases per game at 1.99, fifth in runs with 417, sixth in hit by pitch with 109 and 14th in sacrifice flies with 34. Individually, the trio of senior outfielder Jeff Gardner, junior righty closer Nick Burdi and sophomore righty starter Kyle Funkhous- er led the way earning All-American honors for the Cardinals in 2014. Gardner was named Second Team All-America by Col- legiate Baseball newspaper and the NCBWA and Third Team All-America by the ABCA, while Burdi, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, was named First Team All-America by Colle- giate Baseball newspaper, Perfect Game, the ABCA and the NCBWA. Funkhouser earned Second Team All-America honors from the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball newspaper and Third Team All-America accolades from Baseball America and Perfect Game. Prior to the postseason, Gardner was named American Conference Player of the Year to lead a group of seven Cardinals earning All-American Conference honors. It marked the eighth time in the last eight seasons a member of the Cardinals has been selected as conference player or pitcher of the year and the first time a Cardinal was the player of the year since Chris Dominguez earned back-to- back Big East Player of the Year awards in 2008 and 2009. Joining Gardner as All-American Conference First Team selections were Burdi, third baseman Alex Chittenden and Funk- houser. Righty Jared Ruxer and outfielder/lefty pitcher Cole Sturgeon were All-American Con- ference Second Team honorees, while second baseman Zach Lucas was an All-American Conference Third Team pick. Major League Baseball continued to take notice in the Louisville program as a total eight Cardinals were chosen in the 2014 MLB Draft with seven of those signing professional contracts. Burdi led the way becoming the highest draft pick in school history at the time going 46th overall in the second round to the Minnesota Twins. He was followed by Gardner going in the eighth round to the Washington Nationals, Sturgeon going in the 10th round to the Boston Red Sox, righty Jared Ruxer going in the 12th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, lefty Joe Filomeno went in the 15th round to the Texas Rangers, infielder Grant Kay going in the 27th round to the Tampa Bay Rays, Lucas going in the 29th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates (did not sign pro contract) and lefty Kyle McGrath in the 36th round to the San Diego Padres. Even with all of the success in the program since McDonnell’s arrival, the 2013 season proved to be one of the best ever with the Cardinals return to the College World Series for the second time while also winning a record-setting 51 games. That victory total included a 16-game winning streak to close the regular season to clinch the fourth BIG EAST championship in five seasons. Louis- ville’s march to Omaha started at home where the Cardinals’ hosted an NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium for the third time. After earning wins over Bowling Green, Miami (Fla.) and Oklahoma State, Louisville trav- eled to Nashville, Tenn., for an NCAA Super Regional showdown with No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt. In the latest chapter of a highly competitive rivalry, the Cardinals became the first team in 2013 to take a series from the Commodores winning back-to-back days at Hawkins Field to advance to the CWS. The Cardinals closed the season ranked as highly as No. 8 in the final set of national rankings. Led by one of the nation’s best pitching staffs, Louisville closed the season fifth in the NCAA in ERA at 2.52 and first in strikeouts per nine innings at 9.6. Offensive- ly, the Cardinals were second in the nation in stolen bases with 150, just three shy of matching the school record of 153 set during the 2007 CWS season. Louisville also led the nation in hit-by-pitch with 129. Individually, Burdi and righty pitcher Jeff Thompson earned All-America honors from multiple organizations to become the 14th and 15th players respectively at Louisville to be honored among the nation’s best. Burdi garnered All-America honors from Perfect Game (First Team) and the NCBWA (Sec- ond Team), while Thompson was named Louisville Slugger Second Team All-America by College Baseball newspaper, Third Team All-America by Perfect Game and Third Team All-America by NCBWA. Two more righty pitchers, Funkhouser and Anthony Kidston, were named Louisville Slugger Freshman All- Americans by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Following the regular season, Thompson was honored as BIG EAST Conference Pitch- er of the Year in 2013 becoming the fifth different Louisville player to earn the award as a school record-tying 10 Cardinals earned All-BIG EAST accolades. Joining Thompson as First Team All-BIG EAST selections were Gardner and Burdi. The Cardinals, who equaled last year’s record-setting 10 All-BIG EAST selections, had four players named Second Team All-BIG EAST -- righthanded pitcher Chad Green, outfielder Coco John- son, shortstop Sutton Whiting and junior third baseman Ty Young. Earning Third Team All-BIG EAST honors from Louisville were senior second baseman Nick Ratajczak and outfielders Adam Engel and Sturgeon. Continuing another trend since McDon- nell’s arrival, Louisville was well represented in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in 2013 as seven Cardinals were select- ed during the three-day event. Righthander Dace Kime was taken 79th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the third round of the 40-round draft, Thompson was selected 94th overall in the third round by the Detroit Tigers and Young was taken in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Rays to close day two. Johnson was taken in the 11th Round by the Miami Marlins, Green was selected in the 11th Round by the Detroit Tigers, lefty Cody Ege was taken in the 15th Round by the Texas Rangers and Engel was selected in the 19th Round by the Chicago White Sox. The 2012 season was another success- ful one for Louisville as the Cardinals won another BIG EAST Conference regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional in Tucson. Overall, Louisville finished with a 41-22 record while advancing to the NCAA Regional final before falling to eventual national champion Arizona. Along with the BIG EAST title, a school record 10 Louisville players earned All-BIG EAST honors led by BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Justin Amlung, who was also a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-America selection. Louisville had five play- ers named Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2012 - first baseman Stewart Ijames, Engel, Gard- ner, Sturgeon and Thompson. Ruxer became the second Louisville player ever to be named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and led a foursome of Cardinals to earn Third Team All-BIG EAST accolades. Joining Ruxer on the third team was righty reliever Derek Self, second Ratajczak and Young. Following the season, Lou- isville had a trio of right-hand- ed pitchers in Matt Koch, Self and Amlung selected during the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Koch was selected 107th overall by the New York Mets in the third round of the 40-round, three-day draft. He was fol- lowed by Self, who was taken 294th overall in the ninth round by the Washington Nationals, and Amlung, who was selected 374th overall in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs. In 2011, Louisville had four players earn All-BIG EAST hon- ors - second baseman Ryan Wright (First Team), pitcher Jus- tin Amlung (First Team), outfielder Stewart Ijames (Second Team) and pitcher Tony Zych (Third Team). Following the season, three Cardinals signed with professional teams after being selected in the 2011 MLB Draft as Zych was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs, Wright was selected in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Reds and catcher J.J. Ethel was taken in the 49th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two other Car- dinals, Amlung and pitcher Derek Self, elect- ed to return to Louisville after being drafted. The 2010 season included the Cardinals earning the program’s first ever national seed (#7) for the NCAA Championships, a sec- ond straight NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium, a second straight BIG EAST regular season title and the new school record in wins. Four Cardinals - pitchers Neil Holland and Thomas Royse, second baseman Ryan Wright and third baseman Phil Wunderlich - earned All-American honors, while Royse was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, the third different Louisville player to win the league honor in four years. Overall, eight Louisville players earned All-BIG EAST accolades as first baseman Andrew Clark, Holland and Wright joined Royse on the first team, while catcher Jeff Arnold, shortstop Adam Duvall, Ijames and Wunderlich earned second-team honors. Following the completion of the 2010 season, Louisville had school-record 10 play- ers selected in the 2010 MLB Draft, while Wright became the second Louisville player in two seasons to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. He was Team USA’s top everyday hitter at .361 overall to go with 18 runs scored, a pair of home runs and 12 RBI. Wright made 17 starts in 19 games overall and was named the top designated hitter at the 2010 World Univer- sity Baseball Championships. The Cardinals, who earned 40 regular-season wins for the first time in school history in 2009, were led that season by All-American third baseman and BIG EAST Player of the Year Chris Dominguez, All-American left-handed pitcher and BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Justin Marks and Wunderlich, an All- American utility player and an All-BIG EAST selection. Join- ing that trio as All-BIG EAST selections in 2009 were Royse (Second Team), Clark (Second Team) and Duvall (Third Team), while Clark also earned the Jack Kaiser Award as the Most Out- standing Player of the BIG EAST Championship. Following the season, Lou- Born: 7/26/70 Port Chester, N.Y. Alma Mater: The Citadel Bachelor of Science Mathematics, 1992 Master’s Degree Business Administration, 1995 Coaching Experience: Louisville Head Coach 2007-present Mississippi Assistant Coach 2001-06 The Citadel Assistant Coach 1993-2000 McDonnell File gocards.com | University of Louisville 51 BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff52 University of Louisville | gocards.com BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff isville had three players from the 2009 team as well as five signees selected in the MLB Draft. Leading the way were Dominguez, who was selected in the third round by the San Francisco Giants, and Marks, a third- round selection by the Oakland A’s. The offseason was also a busy one for McDonnell, who served as an assistant coach for the 2009 USA National Baseball Team, which won the World Baseball Challenge and finished with an impressive 19-5 record overall. The Cards’ head coach was joined on Team USA by Zych, who worked out of the US bullpen throughout the summer, as well as Cards’ catcher Justin Haywood (bullpen catcher for Team USA) and former U of L strength and conditioning coach Eric Ham- mer (strength coach for Team USA). The 2008 season featured the continued rise of Dominguez as one of the nation’s top players as he was named to five All-America teams, earned BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year honors and was named MVP of the BIG EAST Tournament. Joining Dominguez with All-BIG EAST honors in 2008 were catcher Derrick Alfonso (First Team), Marks (First Team), Clark (Second Team), Ijames (Third Team), second baseman Justin McClana- han (Third Team) and B.J. Rosenberg (Third Team). Marks was named Third Team All- America by two publications in 2008. Overall, the Cardinals won 41 games in 2008 to earn back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in school history and earn back-to-back NCAA Championship bids for the first time in the program’s history. Follow- ing the season, the Cards also had five play- ers from the 2008 squad and four signees selected in the MLB Draft. Leading the way was Dominguez, a fifth-round pick by the Colorado Rockies who elected to return to Louisville for his junior season. The first season under McDonnell was more than just the first trip to Omaha in school history as five different players were named to All-America teams. A school-record nine players were named to the All-BIG EAST teams, including three first-team selections and five members of the second team. Senior Zack Pitts was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and Justin Marks was tabbed as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Overall, the Cardinals did not lose three straight games and only lost consecutive games five times in 2007. U of L finished the 2007 season ranked 6th or 7th in all five major college baseball polls. The team set 20 individual career and single-season records as well as U of L team records for at bats, doubles, stolen bases, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. Six players and four signees were tabbed in the 2007 MLB Draft, including Trystan Mag- nuson, who was selected 56th overall - the highest pick in school history. Seven players played pro ball following the `07 season. In the 12 team categories ranked statisti- cally by the NCAA, the Cards were in the top 62 in 11 of them, the top 50 in nine categories and the top 10 in two. Twenty-six individuals ranked in the top 100 nationally and 16 in the top 50. The Cards were second in the nation in steals and senior Boomer Whiting won the NCAA stolen base crown with his BIG EAST-record 73. Winning is nothing new to McDonnell. In McDonnell’s 31 full seasons in NCAA baseball as a player and coach, teams he has been a part of have averaged 41 wins per season and have advanced to an NCAA Regional in 22 of those seasons, including 17 of the last 18. As the top assistant and recruiting coor- dinator for Mike Bianco at the University of Mississippi for six seasons prior to taking over as head coach at Louisville, McDonnell and the Rebels had four top-20 recruiting classes and three groups that ranked in the top 10 nationally. The first full recruiting class for the Rebels under McDonnell’s direction was ranked No. 6 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. In each of his last two seasons with the Rebels, Ole Miss was one win away from advancing to Omaha. His recruiting classes produced three first-team Freshman All-Americans, one second-team Freshman All-American and two honorable mention Freshman All-Amer- icans. Former Rebel outfielder Seth Smith, who played for the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 MLB World Series, was the SEC Fresh- man of the Year in 2002 and first baseman/ left-handed pitcher Stephen Head earned the honor in 2003. Head was also selected as one of four National Freshmen of the Year by Collegiate Baseball in 2003. As the Rebels’ infield coach, McDonnell helped coach Head to All-America honors in 2003, 2004 and 2005 to become the first three-time All-American in school history. Head also earned SEC Co-Player of the Year honors in 2004 and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the most prestigious in college baseball. A pair of Ole Miss infielders signed and coached by McDonnell, Zack Cozart and Justin Henry were tabbed in the 2007 MLB Draft (second and ninth rounds, respec- tively). Four of McDonnell’s signees and players in his final two seasons at Ole Miss competed in the USA Baseball trials, includ- ing Cozart, who was the everyday shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. In the five seasons that preceded McDon- nell’s arrival at Ole Miss, the team averaged just 28 wins per season and finished no higher than fifth in the SEC Western Divi- sion. In his six seasons in Oxford, the team averaged just over 40 wins per season and finished in the top three on four occasions, winning the 2006 SEC Tournament and shar- ing the 2005 regular season title. Infielders Josh Christian, Cooper Osteen, Brian Pettway, Jon Swearingen, Matt Tolbert and Head have all advanced to play pro- fessional baseball following their tutelage under McDonnell. Head and Pettway were both First Team All-America selections in 2005, while Head was joined by Smith on the US National Team that took home the sil- ver medal in the 2003 Pan American Games. In the 2005 MLB Draft, Ole Miss was the only team in the nation with four players selected in the top 100. A total of 21 Mis- sissippi players were drafted during McDon- nell’s final three seasons in Oxford, includ- ing six Rebels in the 2006 Draft. Before his arrival in Oxford, Miss., McDonnell was an assistant and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, The Citadel, for eight seasons. The Bulldogs advanced to four NCAA Regionals and won five Southern Conference titles during that span. He was the top assistant from 1995-2000. Primarily working with the Bulldog infield- ers and hitters, McDonnell also worked with the baserunners, establishing a conference record for steals in a single season in 2000 with 198 in 240 attempts over 59 games. The Citadel was paced by junior outfielder Chris Morris, who led the nation with 84 bags. During his playing days for the Bulldogs, McDonnell earned four letters, helping The Citadel to the 1990 College World Series, marking the first time a military school has made the trip to Omaha. He was a member of the All-Atlantic Regional team in Miami that same season. As a second baseman, he was named first- team All-Southern Conference as a junior. He finished his career as the league’s all-time leader in stolen bases with 99, a total that now places him fourth in school history. He is the school’s all-time leader in walks, pick- ing up 185 bases on balls, and is ninth in runs scored in Bulldog history with 165. McDonnell graduated from The Citadel in 1992 and later completed his master’s degree in business administration in 1995. He is married to the former Julie Anne Underwood of Charlotte, N.C. The couple has two sons, Jake and Justin. Dan McDonnell with wife Julie and sons Jake (right) and Justin (left) following the Cardinals’ super regional victory over East Carolina in 2019.gocards.com | University of Louisville 53 BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff R oger Williams is in his 16th season as pitching coach and eighth season as associ- ate head coach for the University of Louisville baseball team, where his pitchers have been integral in the Cardinals’ five College World Series appearances, 12 NCAA Championship appearances, nine regular-season conference titles and two conference tournament championships. During Williams’ time at Louisville, 41 pitchers have been drafted and signed pro- fessional contracts, including five first round selections and 17 pitchers taken in the first five rounds. Throughout Williams’ tenure as pitching coach, one of the Cardinals’ most consistent strengths has been the team’s work on the mound. That continued despite a shortened season in 2020. The Louisville pitching staff ranked top 10 in the country in strikeouts per nine innings and helped the Cardinals to a 13-4 start. Reid Detmers and Bobby Miller added their names to the long list of Louisville pitchers taken in the MLB draft, with both players being selected in the first round. In 2019, as southpaw Reid Detmers was a near-consensus All-American and cap- tured ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. The Louisville pitching staff led the ACC with a 3.53 team ERA, and ranked top-10 in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4), hits allowed per nine innings (7.04) and WHIP (1.20). The Cardinals had four pitchers taken in the 2019 MLB Draft, led by Michael McAvene’s third-round selection by the Chi- cago Cubs. Nick Bennett (Milwaukee Brewers, sixth round), Bryan Hoeing (Miami Marlins, seventh round) and Shay Smiddy (Tampa Bay Rays, 36th round) were also selected. In 2018, lefthander Adam Wolf was a Second Team All-America hon- oree and was among six pitchers selected in the 2018 MLB Draft. Wolf went in the fifth round to the Detroit Tigers and was followed by Riley Thompson to the Chicago Cubs (11th round); Sam Bordner to the Miami Marlins (16th round); Liam Jenkins to the Cleveland Indians (17th round); Austin Conway to the Chicago White Sox (31st round); and Bryan Hoeing to the San Francisco Giants (36th round). As a unit, the UofL pitchers were fifth in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings, 19th in strikeouts per nine innings and 27th in ERA. In 2017, three Louisville pitchers earned All-America honors highlighted by a pair of national award winners -- consensus National Player of the Year Brendan McKay (11-3, 2.56 ERA, 146 SO) and National Collegiate Base- ball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Lincoln Henzman (3-0, 1.67 ERA, 16 SV). Reliever Sam Bordner (2-0, 0.41 ERA, 2 SV) also received All-America recognition as a third team selection by the NCBWA. McKay led a trio of pitchers selected in the 2017 MLB Draft going No. 4 overall to the Tampa Bay Rays while Henzman went in the fourth round to the Chicago White Sox and Kade McClure went in the sixth round to the White Sox. As a staff, the Louisville pitchers ranked in the top 12 nationally in six different categories in 2017 -- third in ERA, fourth in WHIP, fourth in hits allowed per nine innings, sixth in shutouts, 11th in strikeout- to-walk ratio and 12th in strikeouts per nine innings. McKay anchored the pitching staff closing his career among the most decorated players in college baseball history winning Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy in 2017, earning three straight John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year honors and becoming a three-time First Team All- American after opening his career as the National Freshman of the Year in 2015. McKay capped his three years in Louisville as the program’s career leader in strikeouts (391) and ranking No. 2 in career wins (32). Four Louisville pitchers garnered All- America honors during the 2016 season while the team ranked second in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings, third in shutouts with a school record 11, fifth in ERA, sixth in WHIP, 15th in strikeouts per nine innings and 21st in strikeout-to-walk ratio. The All-America accolades were abundant for Louisville in 2016 as righty Zack Burdi (11 saves, 47 strikeouts in 30.0 IP), lefty Drew Harrington (12-2, 1.95 ERA), McClure (12-0, 2.54 ERA) and McKay (12-4, 2.30 ERA) each earned First Team All-America recognition from various outlets. It marked the second straight season Burdi and McKay earned the national recognition. McKay also became the first repeat winner of the prestigious John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. In his first season in the Cardinals’ week- end pitching rotation, Harrington emerged as one of the nation’s most consistent and dominant hurlers while garnering the 2016 ACC Pitcher of the Year Award. The junior was 8-0 with a 1.33 ERA in his 10 confer- ence starts and became the sixth different Louisville pitcher to earn a conference pitch- er of the year award in Williams’ 10 seasons with the Cardinals. Harrington was joined by Burdi and McKay in receiving All-ACC recognition. The 2016 season culminated with eight players being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including four pitchers -- Burdi (1st Round, 26th overall, Chicago White Sox), Harrington (3rd Round, 80th overall, Atlanta Braves), righthander Kyle Funkhouser (4th Round, 115th overall, Detroit Tigers) and righty Lincoln Henzman (31st Round, Seattle Mariners). The 2015 season was highlighted by a trio of Louisville pitchers earning All-Amer- ica honors while the team ranked in the top 12 nationally in five different pitching categories -- third in hits allowed per nine innings, seventh in ERA, ninth in strikeouts per nine innings, 12th in WHIP and 12th in shutouts. The All-American honors included numerous first team acco- lades for McKay, who was also cho- sen as National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game as well as ACC Fresh- man of the Year by the league’s head coaches. Selected as the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, McKay was 9-3 with a 1.77 ERA, four saves and 117 strikeouts in 96.2 innings on the mound. He finished fourth in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings, 12th in strikeouts, 14th in WHIP and 23rd in ERA. Joining McKay with All-America honors in 2015 were Burdi and righty Kyle Funkhouser, third team selections by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Burdi was 6-1 with nine saves, a 0.92 Roger Williams Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach | 16th Season54 University of Louisville | gocards.com BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff ERA and 30 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched as the Louisville closer, while Funkhouser was 8-5 with a 3.20 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 112.1 innings as the team’s Friday night ace. Additionally, McKay, Henzman and Sean Leland were named Freshman All-Americans following the 2015 season. Henzman was named as a Freshman All-American by Base- ball America, Collegiate Baseball newspaper and D1Baseball, while Leland was named by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. A trio of Louisville pitchers were selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, highlighted by Funkhouser going 35th over- all to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first round. Additionally, lefty Josh Rogers was chosen in the 11th round by the New York Yankees and lefty Robert Strader went in the 12th round to the Baltimore Orioles. In 2014, Louisville’s pitching staff was a key reason for the program’s second straight College World Series appearance and the third visit to Omaha in eight seasons. Over- all, the Cardinals ranked fifth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 8.4, 12th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.4), 19th nation- ally in shutouts with eight and 20th in ERA at 2.80. Following the 2014 season, Williams was promoted to associate head coach by Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell. Individually, the duo of junior righty clos- er Nick Burdi and Funkhouser led the way earning All-American honors for the Cardi- nals in 2014. Chosen as the NCBWA Stop- per of the Year, Burdi was named First Team All-America by Collegiate Baseball newspa- per, Perfect Game, the American Baseball Coaches Association and the NCBWA while setting a school record with 18 saves as a junior. Adding a 3-1 record with a 0.49 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 37.0 innings pitched in 2014, Burdi became the Cardinals’ highest draft pick at the time when the Minnesota Twins selected him 46th overall in the sec- ond round of the 2014 MLB Draft. The hard- throwing righty closed his collegiate career as Louisville’s all-time saves leader with 34 to go along with a school record 1.79 ERA. In his first season as a weekend starter for the Cardinals, Funkhouser emerged as the ace of the staff earning Second Team All-America honors from the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball newspaper and Third Team All-America accolades from Baseball America and Perfect Game. Statistically, he set a school record for single season wins finishing 13-3 overall with a 1.94 ERA and 122 strikeouts (third most at Louisville) in 120.1 innings pitched (second most at Lou- isville) and 18 starts. Following Louisville’s trip to Omaha, Funkhouser pitched for the USA Collegiate National Team finishing with a team-high 36 strikeouts and a 1.27 ERA in six appearances and 28.1 innings. In June, Burdi was one of four Louisville pitchers chosen in the MLB Draft as righty Jared Ruxer was taken in the 12th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, lefty Joe Filomeno went in the 15th round to the Texas Rangers and lefty Kyle McGrath went in the 36th round to the San Diego Padres. It marked the second straight season the Cardinals had four pitchers selected in the MLB Draft. A year earlier, Louisville’s second CWS berth was anchored by a pitching staff that ranked among the nation’s best as the Car- dinals closed the 2013 season at No. 5 in the NCAA in ERA at 2.52, No. 1 overall in strikeouts per nine innings at 9.6, No. 2 in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (6.93), ninth in WHIP (1.15) and 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.82 strikeouts per walk). Louisville also set a school record for shutouts in 2013 with 10 surpassing the pre- vious school record of seven set during the program’s first College World Series appear- ance in 2007. For his work with the Cardinals in 2013, Williams was selected as the ABCA/ Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year. Overall, Louisville finished with a school record 629 strikeouts on the mound while opponents hit just .214 against the Cardinals in 2013. The 2.52 ERA was the lowest for a Louisville team since 1958. During the run to the College World Series, the Cardinals had a 2.47 ERA in seven NCAA Champion- ship games with 60 strikeouts in 62.0 innings pitched. The pitching staff was a key com- ponent to Louisville’s NCAA Super Regional win at No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt as the Cardinals outpitched the Commodores allowing just three earned runs and a .176 batting average (12 hits, one extra-base hit) in the two-game sweep in Nashville. Individually, a pair of Louisville pitch- ers earned All-America honors in 2013 as sophomore righty Nick Burdi (16 saves, 0.76 ERA) was a First Team Perfect Game All-American and a Second Team NCBWA All-American while junior righty Jeff Thomp- son (11-2, 2.19 ERA) was Louisville Slugger Second Team All-America by College Base- ball newspaper, Third Team All-America by Perfect Game and Third Team All-America by NCBWA. Thompson was also selected as BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year marking the fifth time in seven years a Louisville player has earned the conference award. Two more Louisville pitchers - righthanders Kyle Funk- houser (5-1, 2.14 ERA) and Anthony Kidston (5-0, 1.31 ERA) - were named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans in 2013. Following the season, Louisville had four pitchers selected in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft -- righthander Dace Kime was taken 79th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the third round, Thompson was selected 94th overall in the third round by the Detroit Tigers, righty Chad Green was selected in the 11th Round by the Detroit Tigers and lefty Cody Ege was taken in the 15th Round by the Texas Rangers. The momentum for the Cardinals’ high- ly successful 2013 season started with an impressive 2012 season when Louisville won the BIG EAST regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Regional final in Tucson. Leading the way for the pitchers was righty Justin Amlung, a Louisville Slugger All- American and the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, who was 9-4 with a 2.31 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 109 innings. Righty Jared Ruxer became the second Louisville pitcher to be selected as BIG EAST Rookie of the Year as he went 8-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts. Joining Amlung and Ruxer as All-BIG EAST selections was Thompson, who was 9-4 with 73 strikeouts in 78.2 innings, and right-handed reliever Derek Self, who led the Cards with seven saves to go with a 2-2 record and a 3.41 ERA. Following the sea- son, righty Matt Koch led a trio of Louisville pitchers selected in the 2012 MLB Draft when he was taken in the third round (107th overall) by the New York Mets. Self followed by going in the ninth round by the Wash- ington Nationals, while Amlung went to the Cincinnati Reds in the 12th round. Louisville’s trend of success on the mound continued in 2011 when the 3.06 team ERA was the program’s lowest in more than 30 years. The pitching staff was led by Amlung, a First Team All-BIG EAST selection, who fin- ished 10-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 105.0 innings of work. Following Amlung was closer and All-BIG EAST honoree Tony Zych, who had 13 saves and was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals’ 2010 stable of pitchers was led by First Team All-American closer Neil Holland and BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Thomas Royse. Holland finished the season ranked second in the nation with 17 saves to gocards.com | University of Louisville 55 BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff go along with an 8-1 record. In 56.1 innings of relief, the First Team All-BIG EAST selec- tion had a 2.08 ERA and 59 strikeouts while opposing batters hit just .160 against him. Royse finished 9-1 with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 104.1 innings of work. Following the season, Royse was selected 114th overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 2010 MLB Draft, while Holland was an 11th Round selection by the Washington Nationals. As a group, the Louisville pitchers led the BIG EAST and ranked 11th nationally with a 3.69 ERA while also leading the league in opposing batting average (.261) and strikeouts (485). Williams’ 2009 pitching staff was led by Justin Marks, who set a single-season school record with 11 wins to earn Second Team All-America and BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year accolades. Marks also finished his three-year career as the Cards’ all-time leader in wins (29), strikeouts (305), ERA (2.96) and starts (48) before being drafted in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Overall, the Cards’ 2009 pitching staff led the BIG EAST in ERA at 4.32 and ranked 22nd in the nation. Along with Marks, Royse also earned All- BIG EAST honors in 2009, while newcomers Derek Self and Tony Zych earned Freshman All-America recognition. Self was 7-0 on the season with a 3.88 ERA, while Zych was 6-2 overall, including a win in the BIG EAST Tournament title game over UConn to earn All-Tournament honors and a win in the Cards’ NCAA Regional title game triumph over Vanderbilt to earn All-Regional honors. After making an immediate impact on the Cards’ pitching staff in the program’s run to the College World Series in 2007, Williams saw his pitching staff continue its impressive success in 2008 with the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title. The Cards were 4-0 in the tournament, including a pair of wins by Marks, who finished 2008 with a 9-2 record overall and a 2.37 ERA en route to earning First Team All-BIG EAST honors as well as Second Team (Ping!Baseball) and Third Team (ABCA) All-America honors. In his first season in Louisville, Williams’ pitching staff finished the 2007 season with a trip to Omaha and an ERA that closed the season ranked fifth in the nation. Williams dropped the team ERA from 4.87 in 2006 to 3.14 in 2007, despite inheriting a staff that lost six of its top seven arms. The squad set school records in wins (47), innings pitched (636.2) and strikeouts (514), up from 358 in 2006. BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, Zack Pitts, who was 1-1 with a 5.74 ERA in 31.1 innings as a sophomore, tied the school record and led the BIG EAST with 10 wins in his first season under Williams in 2007, tossing a record 121.2 innings pitched while posting a 2.52 ERA. Marks was named Freshman All- American and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year after posting a 9-2 record with a 2.67 ERA in 104.2 IP. Opponents hit a conference-low .189 against Marks. Closer Trystan Magnuson lead the BIG EAST with a school-record 37 appearances and posted nine saves, adding a 1.77 ERA - eighth in Cardinal history and third in the modern era (1975-present). Magnuson was drafted by the Blue Jays with the 56th pick in the draft after going undrafted in 2006, dropping his ERA from 3.69 to 1.77 in one season with Williams. Skylar Meade more than doubled his career win total, going 9-4 for the Cardinals in 2007, and relievers Gavin Logsdon and Kyle Hollander were both named to the All-Columbia Regional team, combining to allow just one earned run and strike out 12 in 15.1 IP. Logsdon was 2-0 with a 1.92 ERA in 51.2 IP his sophomore year after tossing just 6.1 innings with a 10.50 ERA as a fresh- man. Hollander was 4-1 with a pair of saves and a 2.40 ERA and signed a pro contract with the Yankees following the season. Among the elite pitching coaches in col- lege baseball, Williams helped guide Geor- gia to the College World Series in Omaha, in his first season with the Bulldogs and the year before his arrival in The Ville. Prior to his stint in Athens, Williams tutored the pitchers at his alma mater, North Carolina, for 11 seasons. With a pair of pitchers tabbed in the top two rounds in 2007 (Louisville’s Trystan Magnuson and UGA’s Joshua Fields) and three of his former pitchers (UGA’s Brooks Brown and UNC’s Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard) tabbed in the first round of the 2006 draft, he has had nine pupils picked in the first two rounds. Among the Bulldogs he worked with in his only season at UGA, Brown doubled his win total from four in 2005 to eight in 2006 and lowered his opponents’ batting average from .318 to .242 under Williams. Sophomore closer Fields lowered his ERA from 7.00 to a minuscule 1.80, adding a school record-tying 15 saves while earn- ing All-American honors. Weekend starters Rip Warren and Mickey Westfal combined to win four games during the 2005 slate, but under Williams they won a combined 15 games, helping the team go 47-23 and advance to Omaha. Five freshman Bulldog hurlers also saw innings during the 2006 slate, posting a combined 17-6 mark, paced by eight-game winner and freshman All- American Nathan Moreau. In Williams’ final season with the Tar Heels, the team ranked 10th in the nation in ERA (3.17) and advanced to its fourth straight regional. That 2005 staff posted seven shutouts, tying the school mark estab- lished during the 2000 season. The 2006 UNC staff that Williams helped develop dur- ing the three seasons prior was one of the nation’s elite, producing 2006 first-rounders Bard and Miller. Miller earned the Roger Clemens Award, college baseball’s equiva- lent of the Cy Young, was Baseball America National Player of the Year and made All- America honors from every major national outlet. Bard and Miller earned freshman All-America honors in 2004 with Bard being named the ACC Freshman of the Year. In 2005, Miller went 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA while sophomore Robert Woodard led the Tar Heels, going 8-0 with a 2.11 ERA. Sopho- more closer Matt Danford was second in the ACC in ERA at 1.41 and recorded nine saves. A two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer himself as a pitcher in 1984 and 1985, Williams ranked seventh in career wins at UNC with 24, posting a winning percentage of .800 during his three seasons. He enjoyed single-season bests in strikeouts in 1985 with 113 and ERA in 1983, a stunning 1.19. Both are top six in school history. He amassed 254 career strikeouts in Carolina Blue. Wil- liams tied an ACC single-game record with 19 strikeouts against Duke in 1985. Williams was tabbed in the fourth round of the 1985 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs and went on to play six seasons of pro ball, including two seasons at AAA Des Moines. Following his playing career, Williams spent three seasons as the pitching coach at East Carolina, where the Pirates won 41 games in 1993 and advanced to an NCAA Regional. The pitching staff under Williams placed fifth in the nation in team ERA (2.99). Johnny Beck finished his career with the Pirates ranked first in innings (383.1) and second in wins (32) and strikeouts (317) under Williams. Williams is a native of Greenville, N.C., where his father George was the head base- ball coach at ECU from 1974-76. It was there Williams completed his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1992 and earned a master’s degree in education in 1993. Williams is married to the former Stepha- nie Hensley of Asheville, N.C., and the couple has one daughter, Avery.56 University of Louisville | gocards.com BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff E ric Snider is in his eighth season as an assistant coach at the University of Lou- isville, where he serves as recruiting coordinator and hitting coach for the Cardinals. Introduced as an assistant on July 15, 2014, by Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell, Snider is a highly successful recruiter with an aggres- sive offensive philosophy. Prior to joining the Cardinals, Snider served 16 seasons on the coaching staff at Illinois, including the previous six years as associate head coach with the Fighting Illini. “Eric is recognized as one of the top hitting coaches, recruiters and baseball minds in the country. When you talk to people in profes- sional baseball, other college coaches and high school and AAU coaches, there is a consistent theme from everyone on his success - it is hard work and his ability to treat people the right way,” said McDonnell. “His offensive approach of putting pressure on a defense is something we’re not only very comfortable with, but a philosophy we embrace at Louisville. He is one of the most respected and knowledgeable coaches in the nation and we’re excited to have him joining our program.” During Snider’s first seven seasons in Louisville, the Cardinals have two College World Series appearances, four ACC Atlantic Division championships, four NCAA Super Regional berths, 22 All-American selections (including 12 hitters) and 42 players have signed professionally after being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Louisville offense turned in another strong season in 2021, as the Cardinals ranked among the top four in the ACC in batting average, on-base percentage, runs per game, triples and stolen bases. Four Lou- isville position players earned All-Conference honors and seven players were selected in the 2021 MLB Draft. Snider, who works with the UofL catchers, saw Henry Davis become the first Louisville player taken with the No. 1 overall pick in July. Five other Cardinals were selected in the top 10 rounds. In the shortened 2020 season, the Cardi- nals led the country in doubles, ranked third in batting average and fifth in hits. Despite the short season, the Cardinals were once again prominently featured during the 2020 MLB Draft with Reid Detmers going 10th overall to the Los Angeles Angels and Bobby Miller following to the Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 29. Zach Britton was later selected in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays, while Justin Lavey (Seattle Mariners) and Danny Oriente (Arizona Diamondbacks) each signed free agent contracts. Louisville ascended to new heights in 2019, posting a 51-18 overall record and reaching the bracket final at the College World Series, the deepest postseason run in program history. The Cardinals captured the ACC Atlan- tic Division crown for the fourth time in five seasons and earned a national seed for the fifth time in program history. Southpaw Reid Detmers was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year and an All-America, while eight Cardi- nals were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. The Cardinals finished the 2018 season with a 45-19 record overall after advancing to the final round of an NCAA Regional for the seventh straight year. The Cardinals also advanced to the ACC Championship final for the first time since joining the league. Individually, a trio Louisville players earned All-America honors as lefthanded pitcher Adam Wolf was a second team selection and outfielder Josh Stowers and first baseman Logan Wyatt were third team members. Fol- lowing the season, eight UofL players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft. During the 2017 College World Series season, the Cardinals ranked in the Top 25 nationally in eight different offensive catego- ries -- 11th in sacrifice flies, 12th in runs scored, 17th in stolen bases, 19th in hit by pitch, 21st in doubles, 23rd in home runs, 25th in hits and 25th in scoring. Snider worked extensively with National Player of the Year Brendan McKay and All-Americans Drew Ellis and Devin Hairston during their three-year careers, which culminated with all three play- ers being selected in the 2017 MLB Draft. With McKay going fourth overall to the Tampa Bay Rays, Ellis going in the second round to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Hairston going in the sixth round to the Milwaukee Brewers, Colby Fitch (13th Round, Philadelphia Phillies) and Logan Taylor (16th Round, Chicago White Sox) joined that trio as MLB Draft picks for the Cardinals, which set a school record with 53 wins and finished the 2017 season ranked No. 5 in every major national poll. In Snider’s second season in Louisville in 2016, he was instrumental as Hairston, McKay, Corey Ray and Nick Solak garnered All-America accolades from multiple media organizations. Each of those four standouts were also joined by Will Smith and Blake Tiberi in earning All-ACC honors. As a team, the Cardinals won their second straight ACC Atlantic Division title and advanced to their fourth straight NCAA Super Regional while ranking third nationally in hits, third in sac- rifice flies, sixth in batting average, sixth in doubles, sixth in slugging percentage, ninth in runs scored, 12th in stolen bases, 15th in on-base percentage, 19th in home runs, 20th in scoring and 26th in triples in 2016. The season culminated with eight players being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including four position players -- Ray (1st Round, 5th overall, Milwaukee Brewers), Smith (1st Round, 32nd overall, Los Angeles Dodgers), Solak (2nd Round, New York Yan- kees) and Tiberi (3rd Round, New York Mets). During his first season with the Cardinals in 2015, Snider helped Ray’s rise as an All- American outfielder as well as the emer- gence of McKay as a two-way All-American. Ray hit .325 with 11 home runs, 56 RBI and 34 stolen bases while earning Second Team All-America accolades from Baseball Ameri- ca and NCBWA and Third Team honors from D1Baseball. McKay, chosen as the National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game as well as ACC Freshman of the Year by the league’s head coaches, hit .308 with four home runs, 34 RBI and 14 doubles for Louisville, which set an ACC record for conference wins in a single season (25-5) and advanced to its third straight NCAA Super Regional. Snider helped lead Illinois to NCAA Regional appearances in 2011 (advanced to final of Fullerton Regional) and 2013 (Nash- ville Regional) as well as the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles in 2011. As associate head coach, he was instrumental in recruiting for the Fighting Illini while also coordinating the team’s offense and hitting instruction. He also worked with the Illini infielders and outfielders, directed the off- season conditioning program for the entire squad, served as the third-base coach and was responsible for placing the Illini in sum- mer leagues across the country. “I want to thank Coach McDonnell for giv- Eric Snider Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator | 8th Seasongocards.com | University of Louisville 57 BASEBALL 2022 Coaching Staff ing me and my family the opportunity to join this great baseball program. My objective is to do everything I can to build upon the winning tradition that has already been established at the University of Louisville and to work each day to take this program to unseen heights,” Snider said. “It’s truly exciting to have this chance and it’s a credit to all of the hard work we’ve done at the University of Illinois. Hon- estly, it took my breath away when this chance came to me and I can’t wait to get started.” During the 2014 season, Illinois posted its best Big Ten record (17-7) during the con- ference’s 24-game schedule era, finishing in third place and playing in the Big Ten Tour- nament. Six Illini earned All-Big Ten honors, while shortstop Adam Walton was named a Freshman All-American. In 2013, Snider coached All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year Justin Parr, who broke the school-record with a 33-game hit- ting streak and finished the season with a .398 average. Four position players earned All-Big Ten honors, highlighted by Justin Parr, David Kerian and Thomas Lindauer on the First Team and Jordan Parr on the Second Team. Snider has led the Illini offense to batting averages of better than .300 in nine of his 16 seasons, including a .335 mark in 2008. He also has coached the Illinois defense to fielding percentages of better than .960 in 15 of his 16 years and marks over .965 in 10 campaigns, including a school-record .973 in 2011, a .972 mark in 2012 and a .971 percentage in 2013. Under his tutelage, the Illini also led the NCAA in double plays per game in 2012 with 1.3. In addition, the Illini’s 2008 offense broke school records for hits, runs, RBIs, doubles and walks in a Big Ten season, and fell just three stolen bases short of breaking that record in a conference season. Snider has been instrumental in Illinois’ aggressive offensive approach, including a large number of stolen bases. The 2007 squad posted the most steals in a season in 25 years, swiping 109-of-143 bags. The Illini stole 101 bases in 2008, while the 2010 squad was even better stealing 114-of-144 bases. In 2013, the Illini finished 115-of-143 in stolen bases, mark- ing the second-most steals in school history behind only the school-record mark of 150. Snider began his Illini tenure by recruit- ing three Freshman All-Americans in four years in Andy Schutzenhofer (2000), Drew Davidson (2002) and Eric Eymann (2003). Schutzenhofer was a four-time All-Big Ten honoree, finished in the career top-10 in 11 offensive categories, won the 2003 Big Ten Medal of Honor and signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. David- son was the 2005 Big Ten Player of the year, ranks third on the career homers and sixth on the career total bases lists and was drafted by the San Diego Padres. Eymann hit .359 with a team-high 15 doubles and 71 hits en route to Freshman All-America and All-Big Ten second team honors in 2003. Recruiting paydirt came again for Snider at Illinois with Freshman All-Americans in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014. In 2008, Snider brought in Casey McMurray, who hit .331 on the way to becoming a Freshman All-American, and he landed Willie Argo, who became a Freshman All-American in 2009 when he hit .355 with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Second baseman/ pitcher Reid Roper collected Freshman All- America honors in 2012 when he served as Illinois’ closer, going 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA and three saves - including a 0.75 ERA as a reliever - and hitting .293 with nine doubles, one homer, 20 RBIs and 32 runs. Shortstop Adam Walton became the most recent Illini to earn Freshman All-American honors in 2014, leading the Illini with a .329 average and posting an 18-game hitting streak. Another member of the 2003 class who Snider recruited was not as heralded initially, but catcher Chris Robinson, a native of Lon- don, Ontario, Canada, became the highest- drafted position player in Illinois history when he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the third round in 2005. He has since gone on to play for Canada in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and the 2008 Olympics and reached the MLB in 2013 before retiring. Snider struck gold once again with a catch- er from north of the border when he brought in Alberta native Lars Davis to replace Rob- inson behind the dish. Davis exploded in the 2007 season, hitting .400, earning All-Amer- ica honors by three organizations and being selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year. He then followed in Robinson’s footsteps, being drafted in the third round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies. Overall, 27 position players have made the jump to professional baseball since Snid- er joined the Illinois staff. That list includes Jon Anderson, Chris Basak, Dan O’Neill, Craig Marquie and D.J. Svihlik. Patrick Arlis joined that group after being drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 11th round of the 2002 draft. Three Illini position players signed as free agents in 2003, as center fielder Brandon Cashman inked a deal with Texas, Sean Patrick signed with Baltimore and Schutzenhofer joined the Cardinals. In 2005, five position players were either draft- ed (Robinson, Davidson and shortstop Toby Gardenhire) or signed free agent contracts. In 2007, two Fighting Illini position players were drafted and one more Illini signed a pro- fessional deal. Davis and Roof were selected during the two-day draft, while Mike Rohde signed a free agent contract. Hudson made the jump in 2008 as he was drafted in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles. Most recently, shortstop Brandon Wikoff was a fifth-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft, third baseman Dominic Altobelli was taken in the 16th round by Colorado and center fielder Joe Bonadonna was a 43rd-round pick by the Texas Rangers. In the 2011 MLB Draft, catcher Adam Davis was an 11th-round pick by the Bal- timore Orioles and shortstop Josh Parr was taken in the 12th round by the Arizona Dia- mondbacks. Willie Argo was a 22nd-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior in 2012, the third time in his career that he was drafted. Most recently, three Illini posi- tion players were selected in the 2013 MLB Draft, highlighted by Justin Parr being taken in the eighth round by the Phillies. Jordan Parr went in the 15th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Thomas Lindauer was taken by the Astros in the 23rd round. Prior to joining the Illini, Snider was the head coach and general manager of the Waterloo Bucks, a summer collegiate league team that competes in the North- woods League, from 1995-98. He compiled a record of 163-90 (.644) over the four years and was twice named Northwoods League Manager of the Year. Snider was honored in 2004 for his contribution to the NWL by being named to the NWL?All-Decade team. Other coaching stints for Snider included serving as an assistant at Austin Peay from 1992-95, working as the manager of the Champaign County Colts in the Central Illinois Collegiate League in 1992-93 and serving as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 1990-92. A two-year letterwinner at Northern Iowa, Snider finished his playing career with a .411 career batting average and 69 stolen bases in 72 attempts on the way to being a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. Snider transferred to Northern Iowa from Kirkwood Community College where he was a junior college All-American shortstop. In the classroom, Snider earned a bach- elor’s degree in physical education and coaching from Northern Iowa in 1987 and added a master’s degree in health and physi- cal education from Austin Peay in 1993. A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Snider and his wife Holly have two sons, Jacob and Noa, and one daughter, Jenna.Next >