Notes from Louisville at Virginia Tech

Louisville at Virginia Tech
4/13: UL 3, VT 2
4/14: UL 3, VT 1
4/14: UL 16, VT 1

I wasn't able to make it to much of this series, attending the first two innings of Game One, the entirety of Game Two, and none of Game Three. English Field premiered its new scoreboard which included a radar gun, but I was told that the stadium gun was inconsistently about 2-5 miles per hour cold so when I write about velocity, much of it is an estimate. Because I only saw about eleven innings of baseball, this report will be shorter than the NC State one.

General Notes

Virginia Tech
With the sweep, the Hokies fell to 15-20, and their ACC record fell to 6-12 despite a down year for most of the league and a lack of ranked opponents outside of NC State. Virginia Tech played poorly during the series, struggling to produce runs throughout the series and, when I was watching during Game Two, looking lost against sophomore lefty Nick Bennett. From a national or even an ACC perspective, the Hokies are not yet deserving of much attention, and while they possess the ability to take a game off a good team (see NC State, Virginia), they're unlikely to pose much of a threat to any power five team. From what I hear, new head coach John Szefc has the team trending in the right direction, at least internally, but the results have yet to translate onto the field.

Louisville
The sweep puts the Cardinals at 24-11, and it has definitely been an interesting season in Louisville. The Cardinals actually began the season with fourteen straight wins, including two over UNC, but they promptly lost eleven of their next seventeen games before beating Northern Kentucky then sweeping Virginia Tech. The loss of Brendan McKay certainly leaves a huge hole in the roster, and with guys like Drew Ellis, Kade McClure, Devin Hairston, Lincoln Henzman, Logan Taylor, Colby Fitch, and more all lost to pro ball from last year's team, this year's rendition of the Cardinals is very young. This led to a middle-heavy lineup powered by 3-4-5 hitters Devin Mann, Logan Wyatt, and Josh Stowers, one which lacked much punch outside of those three. On the mound, the team had a surprisingly deep arsenal of arms despite all of the turnover, and the pitching held the Hokies to four runs over the three games, even with starting a true freshman in Game Three, which I unfortunately missed. I don't see Louisville making a deep NCAA Tournament run this year given its youth, but they're well positioned for next year, especially on the mound, and if Tyler Fitzgerald can take the next step as a hitter, they won't be a fun team to play against on either side of the ball.

Individual Notes

Nick Bennett (Louisville Sophomore LHP)
4-0, 1.45 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 35/10 K/BB in 31 IP
Bennett looked excellent in Game Two, allowing one unearned run across eight innings on three hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. It has all been part of a dominant sophomore season in which he is carrying a 1.45 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and a 35/10 strikeout to walk ratio over 31 innings in seven games (four starts). Standing 6'4", he's a big guy, and as a lefty he has a very imposing presence on the mound. Bennett mixed four pitches effectively, tossing a fastball in the 86-90 MPH range while topping out at 91, a cutter/slider in the mid to upper 70's, a slow curveball in the low to mid 70's, and a changeup in the low 80's. He commanded all of these pitches very well, hitting both sides of the plate and leaving Virginia Tech hitters off balance the entire time. He moved back and forth between his two seam and four seem fastball, with the four seamer sitting around 90 and the two seamer sitting more around 85-87 with some serious run. At times, despite its lack of velocity, it looked like that two seamer might have been his toughest pitch to hit, at least for the Hokies. His curve was the better of his two breaking balls, showing serious downer action that just seemed to keep going and going. The lack of velocity might make it a bit easier to hit at higher levels, but he was able to keep it down in the zone the Hokie hitters just couldn't square it up. The cutter/slider was perhaps his most hittable pitch, as it got slurvy at times in the upper 70's and didn't have the sharpest break. Still, it gave hitters a different look and he was able to command it. He also threw a changeup around 81, one which had some dip as it crossed the plate. He used it mostly against right handed hitters, but I can see it developing into an above average pitch in time as he is clearly already comfortable with it. If Bennett can add some velocity next season without sacrificing command, he could be a top 50 pick in the 2019 draft.

Adam Wolf (Louisville Junior LHP)
4-2, 2.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 63/17 K/BB in 53.1 IP
I only caught the first two innings, but Wolf pitched well against the Hokies, allowing two runs on nine hits and no walks over six innings and striking out out eight. He is a 6'6" lefty, and his approach to pitching is fairly similar to Bennett's. He throw just a hair faster, sitting in the 88-91 range and touching 92 a couple of times, but doesn't switch between the four seamer and the two seamer like Bennett (or at least didn't while I was watching early on). He adds a curveball and a changeup, and he commands the whole package very well. The curve had softer break than you would want, but the shape is good and it gets good downer action as it approaches the plate. The changeup also had some drop and was probably a step ahead of Bennett's. He is a back-end type starter who could crack the top five rounds due to his command. Aside from one rough start against Florida State, he actually has a 1.59 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP, so outside of that start, he has been a consistent force as one of the ACC's top pitchers in 2018 in his first year starting.

Devin Mann (Louisville Junior 2B)
2 HR, .271/.436/.415, 5 SB, 25/34 K/BB
Mann is a big guy, standing 6'3" with long arms and an athletic build. He went hitless in ten at bats during the series but did walk three times in Game Three, showcasing the patient approach and very good eye he has exhibited all season long. Given his build, you would expect more power, but his swing lacks the kind of whip and bat speed to produce it. Unfortunately, I did not get a good look at him on defense. A team that believes they can help Mann tap his power should take him in the top five rounds.

Others
Josh Stowers (Louisville): Speedy, toolsy outfielder now slashing .276/.435/.440 with excellent 22/31 strikeout to walk ratio, possibly due to lack of protection behind him in lineup. Plus speed helps on both sides of the ball, could grow into 15 HR power as he fills out wiry frame.
Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville): Sophomore shortstop with respectable .276/.347/.386 slash line, was highly touted in high school but needs to get just a bit more consistent with the bat. Has kept strikeouts down but doesn't walk much either. Erratic at shortstop but tools are there.