Old Dominion (21-6, 5-4 C-USA) vs. UTSA (19-10, 5-4 C-USA)
Location – Bud Metheny Ballpark (Norfolk, Va.)
Game 1 – Friday, April 8 at 6 p.m.
Game 2 – Saturday, April 9 at 3 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday, April 10 at noon
Follow – Live Stats | CUSA.tv
NORFOLK, Va. – One winning streak is guaranteed to end on Friday night as the Old Dominion baseball team, winner of its last three, welcomes UTSA and its six-game streak to the Bud Metheny Ballpark for the first of three games in a key Conference USA series. Friday's game starts at 6 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. start on Saturday. The series concludes at noon on Sunday. All three games are streaming live on CUSA.tv.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs made it three wins in a row on Wednesday night, rallying from three runs down with four in the top of the ninth in an 8-7 win at East Carolina. Robbie Petracci hit a go-ahead three-run homer, and Noah Dean pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Matt Coutney's bat stayed red-hot against the Pirates, going 4-for-4 with a home run. The Monarch first baseman is 9-for-12 with three home runs in his past three games. On the season, Coutney is hitting a personal-best .337 with 10 home runs, which matches his career high.
Andy Garriola drove in three more runs at ECU and enters the weekend first in the conference and fourth in the nation with 47 RBIs. The outfielder from Sierra Madre, California also leads the conference in home runs (13), doubles (13), slugging (.858) and total bases (97) and is second in Division I in long balls.
The Monarchs sit 1-2-3 atop the conference leaderboard for home runs. Just behind Garriola is Carter Trice with 11, and Coutney is in third.
Trice is second in C-USA and 17th nationally with 37 runs scored and fourth with 34 RBIs. He leads the conference alongside Thomas Wheeler with 12 stolen bases.
Blake Morgan is set to make his weekend rotation debut on Friday. The freshman left-hander is 1-0 with a 1.25 ERA in eight appearances, including five midweek starts. Nick Pantos, who leads ODU with four wins and 45 strikeouts, remains in his usual Saturday spot, and Sam Armstrong (2-0) stays the Sunday starter.
Scouting UTSA
The Roadrunners are the hottest team in Conference USA. Their six-game win streak includes midweek wins over UIW and No. 11 TCU and another sweep of No. 23 Charlotte last weekend.
Sammy Diaz leads the team with a .375 average and is one of five UTSA players hitting better than .300. Ian Bailey has eight homers and 28 RBIs to lead the team.
Friday starter Luke Malone leads the conference with a 1.17 ERA and is 4-0 on the season with 29 strikeouts in 38.1 innings. Jacob Jimenez (2-1, 5.64 ERA) will start on Saturday, and Braden Davis (1-1, 5.19 ERA) will toe the rubber in the finale.
The Series
ODU is 11-12 all-time against UTSA. The two split a four-game series in the Lone Star State last year.
What's Next
The Monarchs head to Virginia for a Tuesday midweek that will feature two of the premier offenses in all of collegiate baseball. As of Friday, the Cavaliers lead the nation with 11.0 runs per game. The Monarchs sit in fourth at 9.9 runs per game.
Commonwealth Classic Alumni Event
The Old Dominion University Alumni Association is hosting an event during the Commonwealth Classic game against Virginia at Harbor Park on April 26. The event will take place in a private space in left field. The price of the event is $30 per person and includes a ticket to the game and a buffet. Additionally, beer and wine will be available for purchase. Click here to reserve your spot.
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.
Baseball Hosts Streaking UTSA for Three Weekend Games
