By Russ Brown
NKyTribune correspondent
LOUISVILLE — The University of Louisville’s determined baseball players had waited three years for this moment, so that made it even sweeter.
Easing, if not erasing, the pain and frustration of late-inning upset losses in the last two NCAA Super Regionals, the No. 7-seeded Cardinals (52-10) earned their fourth trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday afternoon by eliminating Kentucky 6-2 to complete a two-game sweep at Jim Patterson Stadium.
So UofL is returning to the CWS next weekend for the third time in five years, but the first since 2014.
In winning, the Cards made a prophet of relief pitcher Lincoln Henzman, who earlier in the week had promised there was “no way” Louisville would lose in a Super Regional at home three straight seasons. The drive to Omaha had its genesis in a team meeting that followed last year’s heartbreaking defeat by Cal Santa Barbara on a walk-off grand slam.
UofL players celebrate Saturday following the Cards’ College World Series clinching win over Kentucky (UofL Athletics Photo)
“These guys sitting next to me went back-to-back years losing in the Super Regional,” UofL coach Dan McDonnell said during the post-game press conference, which fittingly was held in the Omaha Room of the baseball complex. “Less than 24 hours after last year’s loss we met in this room and I challenged these guys to get after it in the summer. No self-pity, no one’s going to feel sorry for us. That’s obviously why we’re here. This group ran toward the roar. That’s been our motto all year and I’m super happy.”
“Being so close to winning in ’15 and last year being up three runs in the ninth and it all comes crashing down on you, this is probably the best moment I’ve ever had,” said wining pitcher Brandan McKay.
But the Cards were quick to point out that their mission isn’t over. It will simply continue in Omaha when they take the field next Saturday or Sunday in the double-elimination affair against the winner of the Texas A&M Super Regional, either the Aggies or Davidson.
“The last two years the games got away from us late in the Supers, so we couldn’t let it happen again,” centerfielder Logan Taylor said. “It’s very refreshing to go back to Omaha. It makes all the work and all the frustration you had building up over the last two years, to finally get over that hump is fun. But now that we’re here, we’ve still got a mission to do. We’ve been cut off in Supers, now we’re finally past that and can keep going.”
For Kentucky, it was a sad end to an historic season that saw the Wildcats advance to a Super Regional for the first time while putting together a surprising 43-23 record under new coach Nick Mingione, who got emotional when he talked about how proud he is of his players.
“I told our guys from day one that everything in life you got to earn and I give Louisville credit. They earned their trip to the College World Series,” Mingione said. “They beat, in my eyes, a really, really amazing baseball team and an amazing group of men. When I got hired here one of the things I challenged our guys to do was create a family atmosphere, and we’ve done that. I asked them to be committed to winning in all phases of their life and we’ve done that. Told them it was our job to develop them in three different areas — as a student, person and player. And we’ve done that.”
McDonnell also complimented the Cats and their coaching staff, saying more success is ahead of them.
“Outstanding team. We saw something special with them this year,” McDonnell said. “They really got it going. You saw how hot they were. They’re one of the best teams we played all year. If you’re a Kentucky fan you should be very happy. You’ve got a phenomenal coaching staff, so I think the future’s really bright. Man, what a springboard that was.”
UofL, which led 17 of the 18 innings against its rival in the two games, got strong performances from starting pitcher McKay and first baseman Drew Ellis in front of another record crowd of 6,237 Saturday.
Although McKay (10-3) didn’t have his best stuff, he turned in what McDonnell called “a gutsy performance” while holding UK to two runs on eight hits through 6.2 innings. He struck out nine in becoming UofL’s career strikeout leader with 385.
It promises to be a huge three days for the junior lefthander, who is expected to be the first or second player taken in the Major League Draft Monday. He said he will watch the draft with his teammates in the clubhouse and McDonnell has scheduled a Draft Party Monday evening. Several other Cardinals, including Ellis, Henzman, shortstop Devin Hairston and pitcher Kade McClure could also be drafted.
McKay said he was full of emotion when he walked off the mound in Jim Patterson Stadium for the last time.
“Too many emotions to think of, really,” he said. “Just about your whole career, everything in that moment, the last time you’re ever going to pitch on that mound again. Was just a great feeling to know you’ve had a lot of success, you’ve been to a lot of great places and a lot of dark places on that field.”
McKay then pointed to large pictures on the wall in the Omaha Room of Louisville’s past trips to the CWS.
“To be going to Omaha with this team means everything,” he said. “I’ve spent three years looking at those pictures of the field in Omaha and you want to put your own picture up there. For three years now, I’ve looked at those a lot. You do whatever it takes. You push your body to its limits every year, pushing toward that goal.”
McKay worked his way out of a jam in the sixth inning when he gave up back-to-back one-out singles. Then he allowed two singles to lead off the seventh before getting two outs and turning the pitching chores over to sophomore Sam Bordner, who finished the game and was credited with his third save.
“Anytime you get guys on base, you either get pitchers to crack or. . .and to his credit he did not crack,” Mingione said of McKay. “He would bend, but he would not break. To his credit, the innings before he did a really good job. I knew going in it would be tough. I didn’t have to play the game, I could have told you that part. He struck us out nine times and that’s not easy.”
Ellis, who entered the Super Regional in a 4-of-30 slump but hit a decisive three-run homer in Friday’s 5-2 victory, smacked two more — both solo shots — Saturday. He also had a single and a walk.
“I wasn’t trying to do too much, just trying to get on base and be patient, put good swings on the ball, and I did that,” Ellis said. “Hit a couple of balls hard. (Sean) Hjelle is an extremely good pitcher. He’s going to be something special down the road. I was trying to stay simple, got a fast ball and a slider and put a pretty good swing on them.
“In the regional I was trying to do way too much. I wanted to get the home runs, the RBIs, be the player of the game, but I came into this weekend just laying it all out there. I’ve got to bring energy and edge and keep the intensity up in the dugout and on the field.”
Ellis gave UofL a 1-0 lead with a home run over the fence in left center in the second inning, then slugged his 20th homer of the season to left on Hjelle’s first pitch of the fifth.
“He’s an elite hitter. I’m not surprised one bit,” Mingione said. “A guy like that doesn’t stay down two long. You don’t have 17 home runs coming into the series because you’re not a good hitter. It was just going to be a matter of time, whether it was here or wherever.”
For the most part, Hjelle kept up his end of the bargain in the expected duel with McKay before exiting after 5.1 innings with UK trailing 3-1.
The game’s standout defensive play was turned in by Taylor, who McDonnell calls the “best college centerfielder in America.” With the Cats trailing by the final score in the ninth, Tyler Marshall drew a leadoff walk and Marcus Carson slammed what looked to be a sure extra-base-hit to deep center. It could have been the start of a serious UK rally, but Taylor tracked it down and made a leaping catch at the wall.
“There’s no way I wasn’t catching that ball,” he said.
A few minutes later it was over and the Cards were Omaha bound.
