In mid April, Old Dominion Head Baseball Coach Chris Finwood decided to make a change. The Monarchs had lost four-straight Conference USA series and were in danger of not making the C-USA Tournament. Finwood inserted sophomore’s Sam Sinnen and Adam Bainbridge into the starting rotation and used Jake Josephs out of the bullpen and moved Nick Hartmann into the closer role. The Monarchs responded winning two of their final three conference series and earned the No. 7 seed in the C-USA Tournament starting today. Sinnen has led that turnaround going 3-0 in four starts, pitching at least seven innings in three of those starts.
“Once we made the decision to go with them they’ve really just taken off,” Finwood said. “I think every start he’s had has been what we consider a quality start (get to the 6th inning with a lead). He just goes out there and competes. He’s a pitcher, he doesn’t just throw it.”
Sinnen has been solid for the entire season for ODU, leading the team with six wins, a 2.39 earned run average and tied for the team lead with 51 strikeouts. Sam, however, is not the only Sinnen in the ODU dugout, as he is joined on the team by his twin brother, Kurt. Also a sophomore, Kurt has played in 20 games on the year, notching five hits and five walks along with an RBI, while the catcher was 1-for-3 throwing out potential base stealers.
When deciding on where to go to college, it wasn’t a particularly hard decision for the Sinnen’s.
“I was the last one to commit. It kind of worked out great, I got a great opportunity from Coach Finwood to come to ODU and I really couldn’t turn it down with Sam and Turner (Bishop) coming to Old Dominion,” Kurt said.
Last season, starting catcher Mike Perez missed part of the season with an injury, Kurt filled in and started 11 times, batting .304 and drove in seven runs.
“Kurt is a baseball guy through and through. He has a very good mind for the game and he’ll be a heck of a coach some day if he wants to be,” Finwood said. “He’s one of those guys that always has great energy to be around on the field.”
Sam made the decision to attend Old Dominion first, taking into account both sides of the spectrum.
“It was a great opportunity academically as well as athletically,” Sam said. “I knew with the move to Conference USA the caliber of baseball was going to be a good challenge and a good opportunity.”
Sam has been one of the keys to ODU’s resurgence on the mound, which was proved when he earned Second-Team All-Conference USA accolades on Tuesday.
“He just has to locate. He’s a pitcher, not a thrower. He moves the ball around, he’s got a good breaking ball and a developing changeup,” Finwood said. “When he’s on, he’s throwing it where he wants to throw it, and its not like he’s throwing it 82, he gets it up there between 86-88, and that’s good enough if you’re locating it.”
And of course there is the added dynamic of having twins on the team, something that is not new to Finwood.
“They’re very opposite,” Finwood said, who also coached a set of twins in Marlin and Merlin Ickenberry when he was the head coach at VMI. “Sam is a little quieter, while Kurt is a little more outgoing. They are very different personalities, but they certainly complement each other.”
Sam echoed Finwood’s comments, but has enjoyed his time playing baseball with his brother.
“It’s nothing new but going out everyday on the field with him is a real blessing,” Sam said. “We’re two different people. He’s the more social one. There is only one of him in the world. I’m the quiet one, but we both get our work done.”
Kurt, Sam and the Monarchs take on Florida Atlantic today in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament at 5 p.m. EST at Southern Miss.