NORFOLK, Va. -- After going 3-0 at the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Myrtle Beach, the Baseball Monarchs will host local opponent Norfolk State for their first home game of the season at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
HOW TO TUNE IN
The game will be streamed live on Monarch Media through odusports.com. Fans can purchase a one-month package for $9.95 or select one of the other packages available for a select price. Live stats will also be available once the contest begins.
WHO’S UP
Norfolk State enters the matchup with a 0-3 record after dropping two games on opening day to Lehigh and falling again to the Mountain Hawks, 7-6, on Monday morning. Lehigh scored seven runs in the final two frames in the first game, then used a four-run third inning to pull away in game two to defeat Norfolk State, 10-3 and 7-2 on Sunday at Marty L. Miller Field. In Monday’s contest, Lehigh trailed the Spartans 6-5 entering the ninth inning, but scored two runs while going 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to complete the series sweep of Norfolk State.
Last season, the Spartans won their first-ever MEAC Northern Division regular-season title. The team also set the single-season Division I-era school record with 27 overall victories, 19 MEAC wins and a 13-game winning streak. Among the top returnees are the MEAC's top hitter in 2015, the 2015 MEAC Pitcher of the Year and an All-MEAC infielder.
Matt Outman returns for his redshirt senior year to anchor the pitching staff. Outman was named the league's top pitcher last season after leading the conference in wins (8-2) and strikeouts (85) while allowing just 61 hits in 75 innings of work. Outman is 16-4 in his two seasons at NSU and was tabbed the preseason MEAC Pitcher of the Year for 2016.
Four Spartans with starting experience in the outfield return. They are led by junior Denathan Dukes, who paced the MEAC with a .357 batting average and made the all-conference first team. Dukes also stole a team-high 11 bases despite playing in just 33 games. Junior Roger Hall returns as the top infielder for the Spartans. Last season, he led NSU and ranked second in the MEAC with 41 runs batted in last season, earning All-MEAC second-team honors.
ABOUT ODU
The Baseball Monarchs enter the game with a 3-0 record after sweeping its competition at the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C.ODU opened the tournament by shutting out No. 10 NC State in its season opener on Friday. The Monarchs then followed with its second-straight shutout with a 2-0 victory over Kent State.The last time ODU recorded back-to-back shutouts was in 1995 when they defeated Towson 7-0 and then Liberty, 5-0. The last time the Monarchs began the season with consecutive shutouts was in 1992, when they beat Coppin State 12-0 and 10-0.
The Monarchs closed the tournament with a 12-3 win over Appalachian State to finish 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2010.
For his efforts against the No. 10 team in the nation, junior right-hander Sam Sinnen was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career. He earned the weekly honor after holding NC State to no runs and just two hits in five innings of work on opening day at the Caravelle Resort Tournament. He highlighted the day by ending the biggest NC State threat in the fourth inning by striking out the batter with two runners left on base. Sinnen pitched a solid game before giving way in the sixth inning, finishing the game with three strikeouts and two walks.
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