Top Sports Teams in Louisville, KY

Sports fans have a lot to love about Louisville, Kentucky. This city is home to some of the most dynamic college, minor league, and semi-professional teams in the nation, and it provides audiences with plenty of sports action throughout the year. Whether you want to watch baseball, basketball, soccer, or softball, Louisville is the place to be to witness achievements in athleticism on the court or the field.

Louisville College Sports Teams

Many colleges and universities based in Louisville support a variety of college sports programs. Learn more about some of this community’s most outstanding teams.

Louisville Cardinals Men’s Baseball

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Over the last 13 years, the University of Louisville Cardinals men’s baseball team has advanced to 12 NCAA Regionals. The team has played in the championship round in 11 of the NCAA Regionals, winning eight regional titles. From 2013 to 2017, the University of Louisville advanced to five consecutive NCAA Super Regionals.

Under head coach Dan McDonnell, the team won 10 conference championships in 13 seasons, with four ACC Atlantic Division Championships in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019. Several Major League Baseball professionals, such as Nick Solak, Brendan McKay, and Josh Rogers, played for the Cardinals during their college baseball career.

Louisville Cardinals Men’s Basketball

The University of Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I and went 24-7 during their 2019-2020 season. The Cardinals reached their 39th NCAA Tournament in the previous season, falling to Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. Overall, the Cardinals won two NCAA titles in 1980 and 1986 and have made it to eight Final Fours.

Louisville Cardinals Women’s Basketball

As a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I, the University of Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball team is a dynamic women’s college sports powerhouse of talent. The team has made it to the NCAA Tournament 22 times over the last four decades, with three Final Four and nine Sweet Sixteen appearances.

In addition to these achievements, the team has also competed in six conferences: the Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference, the Metro Conference, Conference USA, the Big East Conference, the American Athletic Conference, and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Louisville Cardinals Women’s Softball

With 14 NCAA appearances to its credit, the University of Louisville Cardinals women’s softball team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division 1. In 2014, the team secured the American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, and they were Big East Tournament Champions in 2007 and 2012. The Cardinals were 10-13 in their 2020 season, which was abbreviated due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Louisville Minor League and Semi-Professional Sports Teams

While you won’t find an NFL or NBA team based in Louisville to cheer on, you will find a number of minor league sports teams representing baseball and soccer.

Louisville City FC

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Since being founded in 2014, Louisville City FC (Football Club), Kentucky’s only fully professional soccer club, has established itself as a winning force on the field. Affectionately referred to as LouCity by fans, the Louisville City Football Club is a member of the USL Championship, an officially sanctioned division of the United States Soccer Federation (also called U.S. Soccer) and one of the world’s most successful professional soccer leagues.

Since 2015, LouCity has advanced to the USL’s Eastern Conference Final every season. In 2017, LouCity won both the Eastern Conference regular-season title and the USL Final Cup for the first time. In the following year, Louisville City FC won 10 straight games that season and became the first USL team in history to win back-to-back championships.

Louisville Bats

Once known as the Louisville Redbirds, the Louisville Bats Minor League Baseball team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Throughout its history, the Bats have had a strong fan following, as evidenced by its first season of play at Louisville Slugger Field — close to 685,000 fans watched the Bats in action throughout the season. In 2011, the Bats set a record as the second most-watched team in Minor League Baseball with an average attendance of approximately 8,700 fans per game.

The Bats won three consecutive division titles from 2008 to 2010. According to the (Louisville) Courier Journal, 57 active Major League Baseball players were on the Bats roster at some point during their careers. This number includes 15 players that were part of the Cincinnati Reds’ roster in 2019.

Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville FC (Football Club) is a newcomer to the Louisville sports team scene. Set to make its debut in 2021, this new franchise team of the National Women’s Soccer League will call the brand-new Lynn Family Stadium home.

In July 2020, the organization announced the team’s name and colors, which are lavender, deep violet, and mint green. The team’s logo bears a signature fleur-de-lis design, a symbol of Louisville. The word “Racing” in the team’s name is a moniker used around the world by soccer clubs that are close to auto, horse, and cycling tracks, and it underscores Louisville’s connection to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.

In August 2020, Christy Holly was named the first head coach of Racing Louisville FC. Holly brings prior NWSL coaching experience to his role. He most recently helped the United States team win the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as an opposition analyst for U.S. Soccer. Before working with U.S. Soccer, Holly served as the head coach for Sky Blue FC, the NWSL team in Harrison, New Jersey.

Whether you’re a Louisville native or a visitor to the city, you can experience plenty of sports action from top-tier athletes. We at Oxmoor Ford are proud of the accomplishments of our university, minor league, and semi-professional teams. You don’t want to miss a minute of the action, and you won’t have to when you’re driving a new vehicle from Oxmoor Ford. Visit us today to explore our dealership’s extensive vehicle inventory at 100 Oxmoor Lane.