OMAHA, Neb. — Trailing late in a Men’s College World Series game causes a mix of emotions.
The intensity rises as the window of opportunity closes. The pamphlet of incredible memories built over the past five months starts to flash before one’s eyes. Every pitch, swing and out has a little more ‘kick’ to them. And playing in a pitcher’s ballpark like Charles Schwab Field, it makes it even more difficult to overcome a deficit in a short amount of time — only six home runs have been hit through the first eight games.
No one wants to wake up from the dream they’ve fought long and hard for.
But those worries don't cross Louisville baseball’s mind. The Cardinals have found comfort in the pressure on the biggest stage, and it’s been on display in their first two 2025 Men’s College World Series games.
“It hasn’t been the smoothest year, but success is not always a straight line,” coach Dan McDonnell said.
The Cardinals have recorded eight runs and nine hits total in the last two innings of both games compared to three runs and 12 hits in the other 14 innings — the definition of night and day.
Down to its final three outs against Oregon State, Louisville came back to life. They scored two runs on three hits, and coupled by two errors on the same play, . The Beavers spoiled the comeback, hitting a walk-off double down the left field line.
They completed the comeback a game later, though, . It featured a four-spot on Wildcats closer Tony Pluta, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, who hadn’t given up a run in 15 straight appearances since April 1.
Louisville LEADS 😤 x 🎥 ESPN /
— Ƶ Baseball (@ƵBaseball)
Louisville’s opening game resurrection set the table for the following contest’s result, writing the bones of the story before it happened. It arguably made the Cardinals' comeback less stunning, but in a good way, telling a story that they have been crafting since February.
“It’s been true for us all year,” left fielder Zion Rose told sifoeeprocess.com. “We’re definitely the best team in the last three innings.”
FIGHTING LIKE ALI
Boxing phrases sprayed out of McDonnell’s mouth after the loss to Oregon State.
When asked about his confidence ahead of Louisville’s elimination game against Arizona, the 19-year head coach leaned on them heavily. He expressed that the team’s Louisville roots showcase their toughness and he used boxing terms like “getting knocked down” to emphasize his unwavering faith.
The main reason for the consistent references to the other sport, McDonnell revealed, was that the team shares a hometown with legendary heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
“When you come from Louisville, Kentucky…you talk a lot of boxing,” McDonnell said. “We’ve had our bumps in the road, and we’ve zigged and we’ve zagged, but like Patrick (Forbes) said, we’ve been knocked on the mat a lot this year, but we’ve always gotten up.”
A global icon that transcended the world of sports, ‘The Greatest’ was the epitome of toughness. Of fighting back. Of confronting advertising head on. Of rising to the top and overcoming whatever challenges lie ahead.
So using Ali’s analogies hits deeper than just sharing the same birthplace. The sayings echo McDonnell’s season-long main sentiment that embodies Ali's spirit: always finish.
“It’s great to say it as a coach, but they’re the ones that have to do it. They have to buy in and they have to believe,” McDonnell said.
“Toughness is a muscle, you’re not born with toughness,” McDonnell said. “You might come from a tougher background than others…you might be a little tougher than others, but give me a couple of years and I’d like to think, not me but the program, I can help you become tougher if you’re going to succeed in our program.”
That 'tough love' came out for McDonnell during the Arizona game, calling a team meeting heading into the bottom half of the sixth as the team trailed 3-1. They had left five runners on base across the past three innings and had zero runs to show for it.
Louisville Head Coach Dan McDonnell talking to hitters in the dugout which led to their comeback facing Arizona.
— Prospect Dugout (@prospectdugout)
McDonnell’s passionate motivation speech relayed his frustration with the lack of adjustments he saw from his team at the plate. It was a call-and-response, hoping that his team battled back before the final inning. The conversation not only included players, but staff from all parts of the dugout.
The Cardinals didn’t score in the sixth, but put a chink in the Wildcats' armor in the seventh with a run and broke it completely in the eighth with six runs.
“Move the ball with two strikes and run hard,” second baseman Kamau Neighbors said about the mid-game message. “We’re going to play aggressive, we’re going to be aggressive and the game favored us.”
The heavyweight champion’s spirit isn’t just in his words, it’s found physically throughout the program. The team has worn special edition Muhammad Ali uniforms on several occasions this season, a tribute to the boxer’s unforgettable black-and-white pre-match robe. Each helmet has a butterfly plastered on the back with 'Ali' in the middle of it.
Home opener in Ali.
— Louisville Baseball (@LouisvilleBSB)
Ali’s grandson, Assad Ali, is a multimedia content producer for the team and a former Louisville baseball player. McDonnell mentioned that he had the chance to hug Muhammad Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, before he got on the bus to the stadium for the Arizona game.
It's even more visible in the team's play. It was third baseman Jake Monroe hustling down the line to beat out a wild throw or Neighbors spinning around mid-fist pump in the seventh after beating out a bunt down the first base line. Even Rose blowing past his third base coach’s stop sign to score Louisville’s fifth run of the game in the eighth.
Ali is known to have a treasure trove of quotes that leave lasting impressions on its readers — the Cardinals being one of the best examples. And as their season has continued, those sentiments have gotten stronger and stronger.
“As a coach, you’re just really proud when these kids buy in and take pride with the Muhammed Ali analogies,” McDonnell said. “Finish, finish, finish, and don’t just run out there on the field and be great for an hour and a half, finish in the classroom, finish at the end of the semester, finish the day out.”
GETTING STARTED EARLY
Louisville’s first game, and victory, of the season was won in late-game comeback fashion. Down 2-0 entering the ninth to then-No. 7 Texas on Feb. 14, the Cardinals tied it and won it in extras.
The ‘Cardiac Cards’ mantra has stuck with Louisville, and reappeared all year long. They won three games this year where they trailed entering the seventh inning. The Cardinals entered the Ƶ tournament winners of two of their last 10, including a first-round loss to Pitt in the ACC tournament.
“It’s expected for this team late (in games) — seven, eight, nine,” Neighbors said. “Even in the fall when we were doing intrasquads, whatever team was down in those late innings, it seemed like they’d always come back and win it.
Louisville next faces Oregon State on Tuesday afternoon in Omaha, a rematch of both teams’ opening game of the MCWS on Friday. The team is seeking its second-ever trip to the MCWS semifinals in program history.
They get a chance at redemption against a team that beat them at their own game, stunning the Cardinals on a walk-off double down the left field line by left fielder Gavin Turley.
Even though Louisville has thrived whenever its backs have been against the wall, McDonnell and the team want to get the offense going earlier so that they don’t have to rely on late-game heroics to advance.
“Now it’s just uphill from here,” Rose said after the win against Arizona. “We just got to get it going earlier in the game. We’re going to adjust and make it happen.”
Every team's season is hanging by a thin thread at this point in the year, whether they have two losses to spare or are in survival mode. But for Louisville, the feeling of elimination doesn't faze them, it's been a mindset and identity they've had all year.
“Let’s not put up a facade and act differently because we’re playing in Omaha,” McDonnell said. “We got to be who we are. I don’t know if we can bust through the door now, but we’ve got their attention.”
