THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 1/9/2020

Cards head into 2020 at No. 1

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Alex Binelas, Justin Lavey (Louisville Athletics)

Preseason College Top 25 | Preseason College All-America Teams

The 2019 college baseball season was certainly a memorable one for the Louisville Cardinals, who utilized a young but deep and talented roster to win their way to a spot in the semifinal round at the College World Series in Omaha.

Based on the season the Cardinals had enjoyed to that point, the elite top-4 finish couldn’t be called unexpected. And based on a variety of factors tied into that finish, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the expectations for this year’s team are through the roof with the start of the 2020 regular season less than a month away.

Those expectations, in fact, couldn’t be any higher. When Perfect Game released its 2020 Preseason College Top 25 National Rankings on Wednesday, head coach Dan McDonnell’s 14th Cardinals squad found itself sitting in the cat-bird’s seat, grabbing the No. 1 ranking.

Like all top prospects at every other elite-level program in the country, the players who decide to hitch their wagons to McDonnell’s at Louisville arrive with the-sky’s-the-limit goals and the biggest one, obviously, is winning an NCAA Division I College World Series National Championship.

Louisville has received lofty preseason rankings from various outlets throughout McDonnell’s tenure and has finished as high as No. 3 in the rankings at season’s end. So, to be sure, this No. 1 preseason ranking bestowed by Perfect Game isn’t something the Cardinals’ players, coaches, administration and the enthusiastic fan base is going to look upon as burdensome.

“I’ve always said that preseason rankings are two things,” McDonnell told PG during a 25-minute telephone conversation early this week. “First, obviously, they’re about the talent you have in the program and what these guys have accomplished to this point and, second, it’s also the reputation of your program. There’s a lot of history involved when you’re given a high preseason ranking.

“I want our alumni to be proud. I want the former players to be proud. I want the fans to get excited, the season ticket holders. We have to monitor it a certain way for our players but we don’t downplay it.”

The Cardinals lost six key contributors from that squad to the MLB Draft, a number that included junior first baseman Logan Wyatt (2nd Rnd, Giants), junior right-handed closer Michael McAvene (3rd Rnd, Cubs), junior infielder Tyler Fitzgerald (4th Rnd, Giants), junior left-handed starter Nick Bennett (6th Rnd, Braves) and junior outfielder Drew Campbell (23rd Rnd, Giants).

But when looking at the 2020 Louisville Cardinals roster the sheer depth of the returning talent both on the mound and in the field is almost overwhelming. And McDonnell acknowledged that for a team to be ranked No. 1 nationally in any preseason poll, the people assembling those rankings most certainly started by looking at said team’s pitching staff.

And that’s where the Cardinals’ depth jumps off the page. Three of their top-four starting pitchers from last year’s CWS team – junior left-hander Reid Detmers, junior right-hander Bobby Miller and senior righty Luke Smith – are back.

Several top bullpen arms also return, including junior left-handed closer Michael Kirian, senior lefty Adam Elliott, sophomore southpaw Garrett Schmeltz and sophomore righty/infielder Jared Poland.

The indomitable Detmers, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefty with a low-90s fastball and a devastating curveball that he’s not afraid to go to early and often, is at the front-and-center.

Detmers, a 2020 PG first team Preseason All-American who was also PG’s Midseason Pitcher of the Year in 2019, went 13-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 18 starts and 113 1/3 innings last season. His 167 strikeouts ranked second nationally only to the 168 posted by Mississippi State junior left-hander Ethan Small, a first round pick of the Brewers last June.

“It starts on the mound and it starts with Reid Detmers,” McDonnell said. “You’ve got a Friday night guy who was the conference pitcher of the year as a sophomore. He’s very efficient with his pitch-count, a high strikeout guy – the perfect tone-setter for the weekend if you call it that. … The value of that No. 1 (starter) is one of the keys to the whole pitching staff.”

On the offensive side of the coin, McDonnell noted that despite losing leading hitters Tyler Fitzgerald, Logan Wyatt and Jake Snider from a year ago, the lineup he’ll send out there this spring is relatively seasoned with five of the top seven hitters back in the fold.

The seniors Danny Oriente, an outfielder/designated hitter, and Justin Lavey, an infielder, will be counted on to provide some veteran leadership and McDonnell knows they’re up to the task. Oriente hit a team-high .332 in 63 games last season, with a home run, 17 doubles, 49 RBI and 29 runs scored; Lavey hit .286 in 69 games with three home runs, nine doubles, 33 RBI and 34 runs.

“These guys have played a lot,” the head coach said. “They’ve been to Omaha two out of their three years in our program.”

And then there are the juniors, led by infielder/outfielder Lucas Dunn and outfielder/catcher Zach Britton who combined for 78 starts in 2019, and hit .309 and .288, respectively, as sophomores.

And speaking of sophomores, there aren’t many in the country better than Cardinal infielder Alex Binelas, an alumnus of the 2017 PG National Showcase who was a PG Freshman All-American in 2019.

All he did during that rookie campaign was hit .291 with team-highs of 14 home runs and five triples (also 14 doubles) with 59 RBI and 54 runs scored. Catcher Henry Davis, who was also at the 2017 PG National, is another sophomore looking to play a key role in the team’s success.

“When you can say the youngest guys in your lineup are Alex Binelas and Henry Davis, those are two freshmen that were everyday guys on a team that finished third in the country,” McDonnell said. “When they’re still the youngest guys in your lineup, that’s what makes you feel good as a coach.”

McDonnell also brought in a couple of junior college transfers in sophomore outfielder Levi Usher (Kirkwood CC, Iowa) and junior outfielder Luke Brown (John A. Logan Coll., Illinois) who could be asked to contribute immediately.

Usher, who is from Fairfax, Iowa, a suburb of Cedar Rapids where PG National Headquarters is located, is an intriguing prospect. He is an alumnus of both the 2017 PG National Showcase and the PG All-American Classic who suffered a broken leg while playing football during the fall of his senior year in high school, a setback he ultimately was able to overcome.

Kirkwood, which is in Cedar Rapids, proved to be the perfect place for Usher to spend his freshman year, hitting .409 with three home runs, 35 RBI, 65 runs scored and 36 stolen bases in 53 games for the Eagles. An outstanding defensive outfielder, he can throw in the upper 90s (mph) from the outfield and he ran a 6.50-second 60 at the 2018 PG National Pre-Draft Showcase.

A couple of highly touted freshmen, left-hander Michael Prosecky and catcher Dalton Rushing, could also be in the hunt for playing time this spring.

Louisville is coming off a 2019 season that didn’t come to a close until after the Cardinals had made their second trip to the CWS in three years. Even then, they came agonizingly close to reaching the three-game championship series, with eventual national champion Vanderbilt rallying for two runs in the top of the ninth and holding on for a 3-2 victory in the semifinals; the Cards went 2-2 in Omaha, with both losses to Commodores.

“As you learn, when you lose the last game – even in Omaha – it hurts,” McDonnell said. “Last year we were as close as we’ve ever been, finishing in (the semifinals) with a lead going into the ninth and you’re that close … to advancing to the championship series.”

The Omaha results left Louisville with an impressive 51-18 overall record, especially when considering the Cardinals lost three of their first eight non-league games to kick off the season. But they won 16 of 17 games mostly against ACC competition from April 7-May 5 and went on to win the ACC Atlantic Division championship with a 21-9 mark.

The success during the regular-season earned Louisville the right to host both NCAA Regional and Super Regional tournaments. The Cards went 4-1 at the Regional (2-1 vs. Illinois State) and beat East Carolina twice by a combined 26-1 scoring margin to win the Super Regional and move on to Omaha for the fifth time since 2007 and the fourth time since 2013 with McDonnell at the helm.

But even with that heart-breaking loss in the semis, McDonnell said the players were more determined than ever to take that final step in 2020. Right after they had climbed on the team bus, someone near the back hollered-out, “Coach Mac, is this the best team that’s ever played here?” Every Louisville team’s goal, after all, is to be remembered as the best in program history.

“I think the exciting thing for this group is there’s unfinished business, knowing that they can go farther,” McDonnell said. “Our staple phrase this year is ‘Somewhat Higher.’ That’s how we challenge our kids.”

And that goes beyond the baseball field and straight into the classroom. McDonnell told PG that the players compiled a cumulative 3.5 grade-point average during the just completed fall semester, the highest semester GPA in program history.

The Cardinals will get right after it to start the 2020 season, opening up with three games against No. 18-ranked Ole Miss down in Oxford, Miss, Feb. 14-16. It’s a good old ACC-SEC clash of titans right out of the gate and, in Louisville’s case, maybe a bit of a clash of cultures, as well.

That’s because the Cardinals’ roster features a lot of players not only from Kentucky but from the Midwest, which isn’t the case at most SEC schools. Top prospects from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin have made themselves right at home in Louisville and are contributing at a high level.

“We take a lot of pride in representing good, Midwest, tough baseball; those kids fit in well with our program,” McDonnell said. “We obviously like our talent, we like our depth, and I also think there’s a real toughness to this group.”

McDonnell told his players at one of their first meetings after the semester break that it’s important for them to realize that as a group if they play into late June as planned, they’ll be spending the next six months together.

It’s also important, he told them, to not allow themselves to get caught up in all the outside noise but instead get caught up in the things they can control. He and his staff constantly remind them that they know who they are and what they can accomplish on and off the field, so they should just go out there and be the best version of themselves.

“The preseason rankings and all these other things, they’re a part of it,” McDonnell concluded. “We want people to follow college baseball and get excited and we want people to respect our program. … We’ve done a pretty good job as a program of handling expectations and goals … but they know as we get close to the season, we’ve put all that in the closet; now it’s about being where your feet are and living in the moment.”
Give us your feedback
College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College
Craig Cozart
Article Image
The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/29/2025

PG Expands Presence in Pacific Rim

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME EXPANDS PRESENCE IN PACIFIC RIM, STRENGTHENING YOUTH BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT    Sanford, Florida (Monday, December 29, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a significant expansion of its presence across the Asia-Pacific Zone, with a strategic focus on the 10-15 year-old age group. The initiative will be led in partnership with longtime Japanese youth baseball executive and coach Takaharu Nasu, as Perfect Game continues to grow its global footprint and strengthen pathways for elite youth...
Read More
Showcase | Story | 12/27/2025

Main Event Invades Fort Myers

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME CLOSES OUT 2025 WITH MAIN EVENT SHOWCASE  AT JETBLUE PARK IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA    Nearly 1,000 players expected at largest showcase of the year  that has produced over 1,000 MLB Draft picks    Ft. Myers, Florida (Saturday, December 27, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, will host its 2025 Main Event Showcase from December 28–31 at JetBlue Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, in the Fort Myers area.    The Main Event is the largest showcase Perfect Game holds annually,...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 12/26/2025

2026 MLB Draft Board Update

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The calendar is just days away from being flipped over to 2026, and while the players may be on break, it’s clear that they are just itching to get back on the field and compete once again, with another season of college baseball right around the corner. For prep players (especially in warm-weather states), the season’s right around the corner, and players will be back on the ball fields sooner than later. With that said, the PG Draft Team came together and got to work on a 2026 MLB Draft Board update. A little pre-season shake-up and expansion as we took our board from the Top 150 names to the Top 300 names, in preparation for the 2026 college and prep seasons to begin. The 2025 MLB Draft Lottery occurred earlier in December and shed some light on what the draft order will look like in 2026, with the Chicago White Sox taking home the first overall pick, followed by the Tampa...
Read More
PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 12/26/2025

2025 Year in Review: PGAAC, ASG, Festivals

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
All-Star Game Continues To Thrive We’re only a couple of years into having the PG All-Star Game around, an underclass event attached to the All-American weekend, this year played in Petco two days before the Classic. The talent that is a part of it continues to grow to significant levels, and this year was a mix of young guys and some newer names that left lasting impressions. The two hardest throwing guys in the game were the only 2028s in attendance, Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr who both were upper-90s as guys who just started their sophomore year, while the loudest moment of the day came when Kinon Bastian obliterated a pitch into the top deck of the famous Western Supply building in left field, something that we’ll remember for a long time. Extra Swings In The All-American Derby One of the best events every All-American weekend is getting to see these guys with...
Read More
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Read More
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Read More
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.