| Old Dominion vs No. 17 Florida Atlantic | |
| Date | Time | Friday, April 1 - Sunday, April 3 | 6PM, 5PM, 1PM |
| Location | Norfolk, Va. | Bud Metheny Baseball Complex |
| ODU Voucher Books | ynottix.com |
| Watch Live | odusports.com |
| Live Stats | odusports.com |
| Game Notes | ODU Notes |
| Friday (6PM) | RHP Sam Sinnen vs LHP Brandon Rhodes |
| Saturday (5PM) | RHP Victor Diaz vs RHP Marc Stewart |
| Sunday (1PM) | RHP Brett Smith vs LHP Sean Labsan |
NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion will look to keep its momentum going after a 5-4 comeback win over the defending national champions Virginia with a three-game weekend series against the No. 17 Florida Atlantic Owls at the Bud Metheny Complex.
Florida Atlantic holds a slight 3-4 advantage in the all-time series that started in 2014. Last season, the Owls defeated the Monarchs 3-of-4 times, including a 6-4 win in the Conference USA tournament.
The Baseball Monarchs are coming off a thrilling victory over No. 20 Virginia, marking the programs fourth-straight win over the defending national champions. ODU scored four runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead from the Cavaliers, which included Seth Woodard’s first career hit, and won it in the top of the ninth off a RBI single from Connor Myers.
The win also marked the second nationally ranked team ODU has defeated this season and the ninth since head coach Chris Finwood took over the program. The Monarchs opened the year with a 5-0 shutout over then No. 10 NC State.
In just five years at the helm of the program, the 2014 ABCA East Region Coach of the Year, Finwood has put the Monarchs back into the national spotlight. He has notched a 131-120 overall record while at ODU and helped lead the program to a NCAA Regional appearance in 2014. Before coming to ODU, Finwood made stops at VMI and WKU and has posted a career coaching record of 373-371.
Florida Atlantic has not seen a field for competition since March 26 against UAB, as its last two games against Florida Gulf Coast and No. 2 Miami were postponed. The Owls swept the Blazers in a three-game series in Boca Raton and sit atop the Conference USA standings with Rice and Southern Miss with a 5-1 record.
C.J. Chatham, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, leads the team with a .374 average, 34 hits and seven doubles. He has also notched 17 RBIs on the year. Esteban Puerta tops the Owls with 24 RBIs and three home runs, as he is hitting .349 so far this season. Marc Stewart (2.18 ERA), Brandon Rhodes (3.89 ERA) and David McKay (4.50 ERA) have been the Owls consistent starters on the mound. McKay leads all pitchers with 26 strikeouts in 15.0 innings pitched, while Rhodes (20) is second and Stewart is third (17).
John McCormack is now in his eighth season as head baseball coach at Florida Atlantic in 2016 after serving 11 years as associate head coach and seven years as an assistant coach. McCormack led the 2015 squad to another NCAA Regional appearance and national recognition as the Owls ranked as high as No. 12 in the polls. FAU's 42-19 mark became the best record under McCormack's direction as the Owls finished second in Conference USA and earned the No. 2 seed in the Gainesville regional.
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