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Lifter's Elbow: The Cause & The Cure
Author: Dr. John S. Rusin, PT, DPT, CSCS & T-Nation
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is in the nation.
O'Sullivan also added another top-ranked recruiting class, highlighted by 6-foot-5 freshman pitcher Brady Singer, a second-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in last summer's draft.
The distance between being ranked No. 1 in the preseason and hoisting the championship trophy in Omaha is significant, but if the Gators conquer the quest, don't be surprised.
"The bottom line is, this roster is overflowing with winning players, not just prospects,'' wrote Aaron Fitt of D1Baseball.com. "They should be mentally tough enough to handle the extra scrutiny that comes with a preseason No. 1 ranking."
The Cardinals have
received a preseason
top 10 ranking in
four straight
seasons (2013,
2014, 2015,
2016) and have
earned a preseason
national ranking in
nine straight seasons (2008-2016) overall. The 2016 ranking extends a record-setting run for the Louisville baseball program, which has remained ranked in at least one major national poll every week since the release of the 2012 preseason rankings -- the longest such stretch in school history.
The Cardinals return an experienced, talented and deep roster of players from last year's record-setting club, which won the ACC Atlantic Division title with the most league wins in conference history (25-5 record) and advanced to an NCAA Super Regional for the third straight season. Louisville returns more than 75 percent of its pitching starts from 2015, anchored by the 1-2 All-American punch of senior righty Kyle Funkhouser and sophomore lefty Brendan McKay. The pitching staff also returns 83 percent of its relief innings, including Burdi, talented junior lefty Drew Harrington and Freshman All-Americans Lincoln Henzman and Sean Leland.
Offensively, the Cardinals return seven players who started 30 or more games last season, including the top three hitters in junior outfielder and All-American Corey Ray, Solak and McKay, the reigning John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year. Collectively, Louisville returns 78 percent of its runs driven in, 73 percent of its extra-base hits, 72 percent of its total hits and 70 percent of its runs scored from the 2015 team.
In his nine seasons guiding the Louisville baseball program, head coach Dan McDonnell has placed the Cardinals among the nation's elite with three College World Series berths, five NCAA Super Regional appearances, eight NCAA Regional bids, six conference regular season titles, two conference tournament titles, 22 All-Americans and 406 wins overall (sixth most nationally during that nine-year span).
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#2
LOUISVILLE
By Garett Wall - gocards.com
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