Brendan McKay is really good at baseball. Everything we expect Luken Baker to become, McKay already is, and has remained injury free to boot - allowing him to be one of the Cardinal’s best pitchers as well as the most feared hitter in their lineup. But it’s not just one man that makes this Louisville team tick, in fact, the people that know things in Vegas, has them as the betting favorite (2.6-1 odds) despite their status as the lowest National Seed left in the bracket (though that doesn’t account for the unseeded teams, of course).
Much like TCU, Louisville has seen a resurgence under a singular coach, as Dan McConnell came in 2007 and led the Cards to their only three College World Series appearances - in 2007, 2013, and 2014.