Senior first baseman Andrew Clark and junior outfielder Josh Richmond of the No. 8 ranked Louisville baseball team will each be sidelined for 3-5 weeks with separate injuries.
Clark has a stress fracture in his left rib cage, while Richmond suffered a broken bone in his left (non-throwing) hand during the Cardinals’ 13-6 win over Evansville on Wednesday. Both injuries will be rediagnosed after two weeks to evaluate the progress for both players.
Clark, who has started 131 games at first base over the last three seasons, is third on the team with a .364 average this season to go along with two home runs, 12 RBI and 10 walks. The injury for the New Palestine, Ind., native was initially diagnosed on Wednesday and confirmed with additional tests on Thursday.
In 2009, Clark earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors while hitting .350 overall with nine home runs, 55 RBI and a team-leading 55 walks. He was also earned the Jack Kaiser Award as the MVP of the 2009 BIG EAST Championship and was named to the All-Regional Team. Clark elected to return to Louisville for his senior season after being drafted in the 31st round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs.
Richmond, the Cards’ everyday right fielder and leadoff hitter in every game in 2010, is hitting .333 on the season with nine runs scored and two RBI. The Cincinnati native suffered the injury after crashing into the right field wall while diving for a fly ball off the bat of Evansville’s Cody Fick during the first inning yesterday’s game. After lying on the field for several minutes, Richmond finished the first inning before being replaced prior to the second inning.
Last season, Richmond hit .307 with seven home runs with 31 RBI and earned All-NCAA Regional honors after earning at least one hit in each of the Cardinals’ four Regional games, including a 3-for-4 day with a home run in the semifinal win over Middle Tennessee.
The 8-0 Cardinals return to action on Friday at 3 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium in the opening game of a three-game series against Le Moyne College, which enters the weekend at 3-4 overall following a series win at then-No. 21 Southern Miss last weekend in Hattiesburg. Game two between the Cardinals and Dolphins is set for Saturday at noon, while Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. Admission is free for all three games.
