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Louisville OF Lucas Moore (Photo by Eddie Kelly/ ProLook Photos)
The 2026 college baseball season is almost here. As such, we’re breaking down every preseason Top 25 team in greater detail. Check out Louisville’s 2026 season preview below.
Quick Hits
Last Season: 42-24 (15-15 ACC); Reached College World Series
Final 2025 Ranking: No. 4
Coach (Record at school): Dan McDonnell (784-353-1, 20th season)
College Baseball Top 25 Skinny
Louisville continues to live in rare air under Dan McDonnell. The Cardinals reached the College World Series for the sixth time in his tenure in 2025, doing so in just 18 tournament appearances, a rate few programs can match. The missing piece remains a national title, an absence that stands out because of the program’s consistency at the sport’s highest level. The 2026 roster reflects continuity rather than overhaul. Louisville returned much of its core and avoided a heavy reliance on the transfer portal, placing it in a shrinking group of programs capable of sustaining relevance without annual reconstruction.
Louisville Baseball Strengths
Louisville’s identity begins with movement. Speed, athleticism and opportunistic power are distributed throughout the lineup, creating pressure that compounds quickly once runners reach base. Few teams manufacture stress as consistently. Outfielder Lucas Moore is central to that approach. A top-50 prospect in the 2026 draft, Moore hit .339/.430/.454 with five home runs, 10 doubles and three triples, but his impact extends far beyond contact. He stole 53 bases on 54 attempts last season, pushing his career total to 70 of 75, and routinely turns singles into scoring chances. His presence in center field also shrinks space defensively.
Zion Rose adds a similar profile with more pop at the dish. He hit 13 home runs with 16 doubles while stealing 31 of 34 bases in 2025. Rose enters the season inside the top 100 prospects for the 2026 draft and deepens a lineup built on pace. Louisville’s limited portal work was targeted and productive. Former Ohio outfielder Ben Slanker arrives after hitting 21 home runs, offering immediate power. Infielder AJ Martin comes from Charleston Southern after a 12-homer, 13-steal season, a skill set that aligns cleanly with how Louisville plays. The additions complement rather than redefine the roster.
Louisville Baseball Weaknesses
Ace Patrick Forbes, third baseman Jake Munroe, catcher Matt Klein, pitchers Tucker Biven and Justin West and outfielder Eddie King Jr. all departed via the draft, stripping the roster of its most experienced rotation leader and several stabilizing offensive pieces. There is enough returning talent to soften that blow, and the portal additions help balance the lineup, but replacing both innings and reliability is rarely seamless. In a conference that continues to deepen, Louisville will need new voices to carry weight quickly.
Louisville Baseball Player To Know
Moore’s ability to impact games with his legs on the bases and in center field gives Louisville a table-setter who influences every inning. The Cardinals led all high-major programs in stolen bases last season with 162 while being caught just 22 times, an elite margin built on timing and trust. Moore is the standard-bearer for that aggression, and how closely the roster mirrors his pace will set the tempo for Louisville’s offensive rhythm.
Louisville Baseball 2026 Projected Lineup, Rotation
PosPlayerYearAVGOBPSLGABHRRBINote/previous schoolCGeorge BakerJr..111.231.22245151BTague DavisSo..283.390.57121918522BAJ MartinSr..316.414.5572121253Charleston Southern3BBayram HotSr..326.382.45792322SSAlex AliceaJr..307.444.401202125OFLucas MooreJr..339.430.454271549OFZion RoseJr..310.396.5522521367OFBen SlankerJr..302.422.7201822169OhioDHKaden SchoenlyFr.HS—Mechanicsburg, Pa.PosGSIPERAWHIPSO%BB%SPJacob BeanJr.1575.04.201.2522.06.7Kent StateSPEthan EberleSo.1062.04.651.4021.69.2SPPeter MichaelSr.1350.14.831.5122.716.2RPJake SchweitzerSo.042.12.341.1812.810.6RPWyatt DanilowiczSr.033.12.701.3235.917.2RPTJ SchlageterJr.630.15.041.3813.012.2