No. 18 Old Dominion (16-2) vs. VMI (8-11)
Game Info – Tuesday, March 22 at 3 p.m.
Game Location – Bud Metheny Ballpark (Norfolk, Va.)
Follow – Live Stats | CUSA.tv
NORFOLK, Va. – The 18th-ranked Old Dominion baseball team returns to Bud Metheny Ballpark to entertain VMI on Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the first of five straight home games. The game is streaming live on CUSA.tv.
Around the Horn
Conference USA named Andy Garriola its Hitter of the Week on Monday. The senior batted 10-for-19 (.526) in four games last week with four home runs and nine RBIs. Garriola has hit safely in 17 straight games and is eighth in NCAA Division I with nine home runs.
The Monarchs opened conference play with a series victory at Middle Tennessee. ODU tied the program single-game record with seven home runs in a 23-7 win in Friday's opener. Matt Coutney and Garriola had two homers apiece in the win, and Coutney set a career high with five hits.
Nick Pantos allowed two runs, one earned, in 6.2 innings, and Thomas Wheeler delivered a two-run home run as part of a four-run top of the sixth in a 6-3 ODU win on Saturday.
Garriola homered again on Sunday, but MTSU avoided the sweep with a 13-5 result, snapping ODU's 13-game win streak in the process.
Chris Dengler (.362) leads the team in batting average and is one of seven qualifying Monarchs with an average over .300. Garriola is tops on the team in hits (27), runs (23), home runs (nine) and RBIs (27) and shares the team lead in doubles (nine) with Robbie Petracci.
Midweek starter Blake Morgan is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings of work. He has allowed seven runs, one earned, on 12 hits with 15 strikeouts and only two walks. Morgan allowed six unearned runs in three innings against East Carolina last Tuesday.
Noah Dean and Jason Hartline have four saves apiece to lead all ODU relievers. Dean has yielded just one hit and has not surrendered a run in 9.2 innings and has 18 strikeouts. Hartline has allowed just one run on seven hits over 14 innings of work and has also fanned 18 batters.
Scouting VMI
The Keydets enter Tuesday on a four-game losing streak following a 5-1 setback at No. 15 North Carolina last Tuesday and a series sweep by Rider this past weekend. Two of VMI's three losses to the Broncs were by two runs or fewer.
Justin Starke leads the Keydets in nearly every offensive category. He is batting .432 with 32 hits, seven doubles, nine home runs, 26 runs scored and 20 driven in. Brett Cook is the team leader in RBIs with 23 and is batting .393 on the year.
Seven different pitchers have started a game on the mound for VMI. Holden Wilkerson is the team leader with a 2.08 ERA and is 1-0 on the year with 16 strikeouts in 13 innings. Tyler Bradt's 29 strikeouts and three wins are the most on the team.
The Series
ODU and VMI are meeting for the 52nd time on Tuesday. The Monarchs are 43-8 all-time, including a 17-2 win in the last meeting on March 3, 2020. Tommy Bell was 3-for-6 with two runs scored and four batted in.
What's Next
The Monarchs welcome Charlotte to the Bud this Friday through Sunday for their home conference opener.
Voucher Books!
The 2021-22 Old Dominion voucher book is available for sale on ynottix.com. Each voucher book contains 25 tickets and is priced at $50, which is a 60 percent savings off the single-game ticket price. Vouchers are good for any regular season home game played at the Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium. Vouchers can be presented at the gate for admission. Single-game tickets can also be purchased for $5.
Click here to purchase the 2021-22 ODU voucher book.
The Extra Finnings Podcast
The Extra Finnings Podcast is back for the 2022 season, which features an in-depth look at the ODU baseball program. Catch the most recent episode of the Extra Finnings Podcast, here.
No. 18 Baseball Tangles with VMI on Tuesday
