Louisville's Anthony Kidston has better view of this CWS

Ask Anthony Kidston about the University of Louisville's run to the 2013 College World Series, and the sophomore pitcher will look into the stands.

"Right up there, Section 210, is where I watched the regionals," he said, glancing toward the seats at Jim Patterson Stadium on the south end of U of L's campus.

Kidston, who was injured during last year's postseason, sat 40 rows behind the third-base dugout at the CWS two weeks later at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.

This year he should have a better view. The Ohio native with a Midwestern drawl is penciled in to start the Cardinals' second game at the CWS, fully healthy after surgery on his throwing shoulder one spring ago.

Once the team settles in at TD Ameritrade Park this weekend, Kidston said he'll look up to find his seat from last year's CWS. He likes what it represents.

"I promise you I will mark it out when we get there," he said. "I'll look at it and just be grateful."

The right-hander isn't U of L ace Kyle Funkhouser or star closer Nick Burdi, and he's quick to acknowledge that. Funkhouser hits the middle to high 90s on the radar gun, and Burdi's fastball can tip triple digits.

That's not Kidston's style. He throws junk and pitches to contact, and assistant coach Chris Lemons loves to poke fun at him.

"He always says, 'You really want to be the guy known for having a great changeup?' " Kidston said, laughing as he spoke. "That's fine. Look, I'm not going to blow people away with a 97 mph pitch."

But Kidston has something to his credit that neither Funkhouser nor Burdi has — nor anyone else on the Cards' pitching staff, for that matter.

He hasn't lost a game yet.

In 19 starts and 26 appearances in a U of L uniform, he has posted a 14-0 record. He's 9-0 this season, and his steady Game 2 performance in the super regional against Kennesaw State sent U of L to its third CWS in eight seasons.

"I used to try to strike out everyone, and I'd just end up throwing a ton of pitches and boring the defense behind me," Kidston said. "Now I just know that our guys have my back and I can just throw strikes and get outs."

Then he cracks a joke.

"I guess it helps when they score eight or nine runs a game for me," he said, flashing an ear-to-ear grin.

That's the self-deprecating, quick-to-laugh Kidston that his teammates love. They needle him when he's interviewed by reporters, and they worry about his perhaps overwhelming obsession with Chipotle.

But they don't have any concerns when their newly minted No. 2 starter takes the mound.

Once the NCAA Tournament began, Kidston moved up in the rotation as the follow-up guy to Funkhouser. Former No. 2 Jared Ruxer left a May 10 game at Temple and never returned, ultimately needing Tommy John surgery to repair an injured elbow.

Freshman Josh Rogers first stepped into Ruxer's role, but only because the schedule dictated that move. When the Cards got some more breaks in the schedule, Kidston moved into Ruxer's spot and Rogers became the No. 3 man.

Kidston has won both starts since that move, beating Kansas in the second game of the regional and following that with the victory over Kennesaw State.

He grins again when thinking about a 10th win and what it would mean. If it comes on Monday, when the Cards will play their second game at the CWS, it would either send them to the semifinals or to the losers-bracket title game.

Either way it would be a big one, and that wouldn't be lost on Kidston, who'll grab the ball for that game and look up into the stands to remember where he was a year ago.

"And then I'll just keep doing what I've been doing," he said.

Reach Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter @jeffgreer_CJ.