LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When it came to his possible inclusion in the University of Louisville's Athletics Hall of Fame, there was no doubt surrounding Chris Dominguez, much like the legendary homers he used to launch for the Cardinal baseball team.

Dominguez, who is now the head baseball coach at Bellarmine University, will be inducted into Louisville's Hall of Fame on Nov. 4 after an extraordinary playing career with the Cardinals that concluded in 2009. He's in select company: According to Louisville's website, there are only 18 baseball players in its Athletics Hall of Fame.

"Anytime you can have some recognition for your hard work is a good feeling," said Dominguez, who's entering his first year as Bellarmine's head coach after being an assistant in 2020 and 2022. "But what I remember most is having great teammates, a great coaching staff and an amazing support system in my family."

Despite just three full seasons on the diamond — he broke his forearm only three games into his freshman season and took a medical redshirt — Dominguez became a prominent presence in Louisville's program record book, and he remains there to this day. The former third baseman still tops the list for career RBI (218) while ranking second in both home runs (61) and runs scored (196) and tying for ninth in hits (252).

Dominguez's 25 home runs in 2009 are tied for the single-season program record. The 21 he swatted in 2008 are tied for ninth. The Miami native also ranks sixth (82, 2009) and ninth (75, 2008) on the single-season RBI list.

Dominguez was showered with awards throughout his college career. He was a two-time All-American, a Freshman All-American and a two-time Big East Player of the Year. The infielder was a driving force in Louisville earning its first-ever berth in the College World Series after batting .421 while claiming MVP honors at the 2007 Columbia Regional. He followed by smashing three homers in the CWS.

"Many people were impressed with his talent and skill set, especially me, but I got even more joy by watching his love for the game," Louisville Coach Dan McDonnell said of Dominguez in a team social media post. "He had a passion and work ethic to be great, while also being a great teammate. I hope his teammates, coaches and fans remember most his desire to win."

Dominguez was drafted three times — once out of high school and then again following both his redshirt sophomore and redshirt junior seasons with the Cardinals, the latter in the third round by the San Francisco Giants. He went on to enjoy an 11-year professional career, playing in over 1,000 minor league games, including with the Louisville Bats, and landing major league stints with the Giants and Cincinnati Reds.

"The city of Louisville and its people have been so good to me," Dominguez said. "Now with coaching, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to give back to it."

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