NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion first baseman Matt Coutney added another All-America honor and also led four Monarchs on the All-Virginia Sports Information Director's (VaSID) Team that was announced on Tuesday.
Coutney was named a second-team All-American by D1Baseball over the weekend and earned first-team All-VaSID honors. He was joined on the All-VaSID first-team by pitcher Blake Morgan. Catcher Brock Gagliardi and outfielder Andy Garriola were named to the second team.
Coutney earned his fourth All-American honor of the postseason with the D1Baseball recognition, tying the most All-American accolades by a Monarch baseball player in one season. Kyle Battle (2021), Anthony Shawler (2007) and Tim Hummel (2000) all earned four All-American honors.
Coutney hit .376 on the season with a single-season school record 27 homers, which ranked third in the country. He added 18 doubles, scored 66 runs and drove in 70 on the year. He finished the year third in the country with 185 total bases and his .808 slugging percentage was fifth in the nation.
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Coutney led the Monarchs with 30 multi-hit games, including seven games with three or more hits. He also registered 19 multi-RBI games. He tied an ODU record when he homered in five-consecutive games in the middle of the season against Virginia, all three games against UAB and William & Mary. He hit seven homers in those five games. With his power binge this season Coutney finished his ODU career with 39 homers, second most in program history behind teammate Andy Garriola.
Morgan went 8-0 on the hill with a 1.69 ERA that ranked sixth in the country and led Conference USA. In 69.1 innings, he struck out 66 and walked eight, while opponents hit just .216 off the lefty.
He ranked eighth in the country with an 8.25 strikeout to walk ratio, ninth in the country with 1.04 walks allowed per nine innings and finished 11th in WHIP (Walks and hits per inning pitched) at .94.
Garriola hit .322 on the year with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs, along with 18 doubles. He ranked seventh in the country in RBIs and ninth in home runs. A native of Sierra Madre, California, Garriola finished second on the Monarchs with 24 multi-hit games, including a team-high 10, three-hit games. He led the team with 21 multi-RBI games. He delivered three games with five or more RBIs, including driving in eight in a 14-7 win at FIU. That day, Garriola went 3-for-5 with a pair of homers and a double.
A first-team All-Conference USA selection, Gagliardi hit .310 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs. He played in 47 games and started 45 games behind the plate. He hit a home run in his final at-bat at Bud Metheny Stadium when he hit a walk-off blast against Marshall, and he also hit a homer in the final at-bat of his career, giving the Monarchs the lead against Louisiana Tech in the C-USA Tournament semifinals.
Stay tuned to ODUsports.com in the coming days for a recap of honors, national rankings and an update on former Monarchs playing professional baseball.
Coutney Adds Another All-American Honor, Four Monarchs Named VaSID All-State
