Ranking Dan McDonnell's best teams as Louisville prepares for the College World Series

Dominique Yates
Courier Journal

The 2019 Louisville baseball team has set several goals this season. The team checked off another one on the list by becoming the fifth team in program history to get to the College World Series.

They start the tournament Sunday against Vanderbilt with the obvious goal being to win the national championship. That would separate this U of L team from other great one coach Dan McDonnell has led. 

This is McDonnell's 13th Louisville team and there have been some that were simply dominant.

Let's rank the five best teams he has taken to Omaha, Nebraska.

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1. 2017 team (53-12 record)

When you have Brendan McKay, it's pretty hard to not be the best. 

In McKay's last year with Louisville, the Cardinals won 53 games, a school record, and beat rival Kentucky in the Super Regional to advance to the CWS. They won their opening-round game against Texas A&M before dropping back-to-back games against Florida and TCU, respectively.

The Cards had eight players, including McKay, who were selected in the MLB draft that year.

2. 2019 team (49-16 record, as of June 13)

This may not be McDonnell's most talented team, but it is the deepest one.

It has gone through growing pains but now is playing as well as anyone in college baseball.

The Cards have pitching depth and have their closer, Michael McAvene, back. Add to that an explosive offense and this team has high confidence heading into the weekend against Vanderbilt.

See also:With suspension over, Michael McAvene focused on College World Series

3. 2013 team (51-14 record)

This team was loaded. With the likes of Chad Green, Cole Sturgeon and others, the Cardinals won the Big East Conference regular season championship and in a showdown with the No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt, U of L won back-to-back games to get to Omaha.

The team didn't post a win in the CWS.

4. 2014 team (50-17 record)

Despite losing a lot of key players from that 2013 team, the Cards followed it up by reaching the 50-win plateau and a second straight trip to Omaha. 

They came up winless in the CWS.

Kyle Funkhouser, Nick Burdi and Jeff Gardner earned All-American honors.

Read this:Why might this College World Series be different for Louisville baseball?

5. 2007 (47-24 record)

Thirty-five-year-old McDonnell was hired as the coach of the Cardinals after six seasons as an assistant coach at Ole Miss.

U of L had never been to the CWS and only had one NCAA Tournament appearance before his arrival.

In his first season, he led the Cards to their first trip to Omaha and went 1-2 in the tournament.

The 2019 team also has set its sights on winning a national championship, and if the Cards find a way to do that, it could definitely change the discussion of McDonnell's best team.

More Cards:5 things to know about Louisville before the College World Series