Feb. 25, 2010
NORFOLK, VA. - - The ODU Baseball Monarchs take on Bucknell in a four-game series starting Friday at 3 p.m. at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. The Monarchs enter the series with a 3-1 record; including a three-game sweep over Fordham and a one-game loss to #13 East Carolina.
The two teams have only met once before, in 1989 with the Monarchs winning thatcontest.
Bucknell is a member of the Patriot League and is coached by Gene Depew. They enter the series with a 0-3 record, dropping a series at Virginia Military Institute.
Senior shortstop Chris Buss (Rosemount, Mn.) leads the Monarchs with .357 batting average. Junior catcher/DH Joe Velleggia (Monkton, Md.) had two homers in the series against Fordham driving in four RBI's, while junior outfielder Nathan Hartman (Orlando, Fl.) leads the team with 10 RBI's.
ODU starting pitchers, Kyle Hald (Springfield, Va.) and Ben Tomchick both have wins thus far this season. Hald has a 3.18 earned run average with eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. Tomchick has a 3.00 ERA in six innings of work.
Bucknell is led by senior catcher B.J. LaRosa (Jacksonville, Fl.) with a .500 batting average. Matt Lamore (Mountaintop, Pa.) hit a two run homerun versus VMI in the first game of a doubleheader last weekend. Bucknell's bullpen logged 8.2 innings and yielded just four earned runs (4.15 ERA).
The two teams will play a double-header Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. and finishthe series on Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m.