By Harry Minium
COLUMBIA, S.C.
Other than hitting home runs, in which Old Dominion University's baseball team excels, there's nothing that will get a crowd more juiced up than turning a well-executed, inning-ending double play.
ODU turned a beaut in the seventh inning of Friday's victory over Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAA tournament, when third baseman Kenny Levari, second baseman Carter Trice and first baseman Matt Coutney combined to snuff out a Dolphins' threat.
It juiced up the 500 or so Monarch fans who made the long drive to South Carolina's state capital and erupted into a sustained roar that made the University of South Carolina's Founders Park seem like ODU's home field.
Although Jacksonville brought a solid contingent from the Sunshine State, ODU enjoyed a significant home field advantage as the Monarchs downed the Dolphins, 4-3, in a first-round NCAA Tournament game.
All that will change tonight when the Monarchs take on South Carolina at 7 p.m. (SEC Network, MoneyTalk1310 radio, 100.9 FM). Officials predict the game will draw a capacity crowd of more than 8,500 and most will be wearing USC maroon.
South Carolina drew a crowd of 5,444 Friday at noon on a hot, humid day for its first-round game and the home crowd appeared to rattle Virginia at times in a 4-3 Gamecock victory.
Lacrosse players Kortney Parker, Amber Stieve, Lilly Siskind and Corrinne Stratton
ODU outfielder Kyle Battle, who scored a run and drove in two more, and Levari, who homered, got a sneak preview of what the fans will be like tonight.
"We had a few South Carolina fans yelling at Kenny Levari and at me a little bit," Battle said with a shrug.
"But outside of the crowd, it's just baseball. You have to pitch and throw and catch, with a few thousand people yelling at you.
"We're excited about playing in an atmosphere like this."
ODU Coach Chris Finwood said he and his players, who mingled with fans at game's end, were grateful for the support from Monarch followers, including President John R. Broderick and First Lady Kate Broderick.
"We appreciate our fans so much," Finwood said. "They were loud, they were into the game. It was great to look back and see a lot of blue behind us.
"We'll need them tomorrow, that's for sure."
I mingled with the crowd for a couple of innings and was surprised to find Clemson freshman Geoffrey Gilbert, one of the finest freshman pitchers in the country, among those wearing ODU blue and cheering for the Monarchs. Gilbert had a 2.23 ERA and struck out 52 in 44 1/3 innings this season.
Gilbert played with ODU freshman Chris Dengler in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, and made the trip to Columbia with an entourage of family friends led by Dengler's parents, Don and Stacy, and his sister, Ryley. They all sat in a row directly behind the ODU bench.
Their son was injured early-on this season, but they continued to attend ODU games – Don Dengler was in Ruston, Louisiana last week when the Monarchs won the Conference USA tournament.
"This has been an amazing season, it's been a fairy tale," Stacy Dengler said, as the crowd cheered a strikeout by relief pitcher Jason Hartline.
Stacy Dengler, family and friends came from Charleston, South Carolina
About 20 rows above in the concourse, Jeff Hartline, Jason's Dad, was nervously pacing, as he so often does when his son is pitching. When Jason retired the side in the sixth, Dad took a few minutes to talk to me.
Jason is a junior reliever out of Chesapeake's Greenbrier Christian and his Dad said watching his son play in the NCAA tournament "was a dream come true. Jason has worked so very hard every summer, to really train and get better to have an edge."
His son threw 2 ½ scoreless innings, allowing only one hit.
High atop the stadium I found 20 or so Monarchs followers in a luxury suite that South Carolina Athletic Director Ray Tanner graciously allowed Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's athletic director, to use for the evening.
It was filled with ODU officials, including basketball coach Jeff Jones and Murry Pitts, a former ODU baseball player and a member of the Board of Visitors.
Jones isn't a Johnny-come-lately onto the ODU baseball bandwagon. He and Finwood are close and Jones is a frequent spectator at ODU games.
Remember that fairy tale reference? Jones said that aptly describes this season. The Monarchs have overcome numerous injuries and were forced to form a "bubble" for nearly a year during the pandemic, in which they essentially gave up their social lives.
And then there was the April 1 death of Annette Finwood, Chris Finwood's wife, to pancreatic cancer.
"Any team in any sport that wins a championship, be it the NCAA or conference titles or in the NBA or Major League Baseball, after they win, they talk about going through tough times," Jones said.
"That just tells you how difficult it is to be a champion. I think these guys have faced lots of obstacles and they've just had a great year. And they've done it in great fashion. I mean, they lead the nation in home runs."
President John R. Broderick and First Lady Kate Broderick
Pitts said given the injuries and other obstacles ODU has faced that he was surpised the Monarchs won 43 games.
"Coach Finwood has done amazing things with this team," he said.
I found President Broderick and Kate Broderick cheering for the Monarchs in club seating.
"It's been a wonderful season, a heartwarming season based on what coach Finwood has had to live through," President Broderick said. "I'm very proud of the team. They've had a wonderful year.
"We thought it was important to come, to be with them tonight."
Kate Broderick said they often rode their bikes to games and watched from the outfield at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex.
"It's been so much fun to watch them play," she said.
Back in the stands, I found Kortney Parker, Amber Stieve, Lilly Siskind and Corrinne Stratton, all members of the ODU lacrosse team, just behind the dugout.
Kortney said members of the lacrosse and baseball teams are good friends and that the pandemic was a difficult time.
"We've been so close to them for the last three or four years, but then we all had to just sit in our houses and all we could do was face time with them," she said.
"That was really hard.
Jeff Hartline watching his son pitch
"Going to their games has been one of the highlights of our careers."
After ODU eked out the victory, she said they're all glad they made the trip.
"The game was definitely worth the drive," she said. "They kept us on our toes and it was just a sneak peak to the rest of the weekend.
"But we expected it. That's why we're here. It's going to be a legendary weekend.
"We've been here since the beginning. We might be their good luck charms."
Minium worked 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot, where he was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won 28 state and national writing awards. He writes news stories, features and commentaries for odusports.com and odu.edu Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Hundreds of ODU Fans Turned South Carolina's Founders Park into a Monarch Pep Rally
