Monarchs Headed to Charlottesville for Midweek Game Against No. 14 Virginia

Old Dominion (3-0) at No. 14 Virginia (3-0)
Game Location – Davenport Field at Disharoon Park (Charlottesville, Va.)
Start Time – Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 2:30 p.m.
Watch – ACCNX
Listen – Fox Sports Radio 1310
Live Stats – Click Here

NORFOLK, Va. – After a 3-0 start to the season with a series sweep of George Washington, Old Dominion Baseball has its first road game of the season on Wednesday when the Monarchs travel to Charlottesville for a 2:30 p.m. game against No. 14 Virginia.

Wednesday's game will be streamed on ACCNX and fans can also hear Ted Alexander on Fox Sports Radio 1310. Live stats will also be available.

Around the Horn
The Monarchs started off their 2024 campaign with a 4-1 win over the Revolutionaries last Friday, followed by a 7-4 win on Saturday and an 8-2 final on Sunday. It marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that ODU is off to a 3-0 start to a season.

Kyle Edwards is hitting .444 (4-for-9) after doubling twice, scoring three runs and driving in three more during the series. Taking over at shortstop, the junior from Virginia Beach also walked twice and stole three bases. Luke Waters (.417) capped off the weekend with a 4-for-4 effort on Sunday, driving in four runs and hitting his first home run of the season, a solo blast to left field. Newcomers Steven Meier, Maverick Stallings and Evan Holman are all hitting .400 heading into Wednesday's game.

As a team, the Monarchs are batting .275 with a .385 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage. Once the team got baserunners on, they succeeded in applying pressure to the GW defense: the Monarchs were a perfect 12-for-12 on stolen base attempts. Through games played on Sunday, ODU is ranked fifth in the country in stolen bases, sixth in stolen bases per game (4.00) and seventh in sacrifice flies (4).

On the mound, ODU's arms posted a 1.33 ERA as John Holobetz, Dylan Brown picked up wins and Jacob Gomez and Jay Cassady earned saves. The team's ERA currently ranks fifth in the nation and the Monarchs are also fifth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.67), seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.20) and WHIP (0.81), and 27th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.67).

Gomez is expected to get the start on Wednesday in what will be a staff day for the Monarchs.

Scouting Virginia
The Cavaliers hosted Hofstra this past weekend and are also off to a 3-0 start after defeating the Pride 10-8, 21-3 and 11-9. Virginia is currently ranked 14th by D1 Baseball, 10th by Baseball America and 11th in the NCBWA Poll. The Wahoos also entered the season ranked 11th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Virginia currently has eight starters all hitting .300 or better. Bobby Whalen leads the way with a .556 clip, followed by Henry Ford (.538) and Griff O'Ferrall (.500). Casey Saucke owns a .400 average, Harrison Didawick is batting .385, and Henry Godbout is next at .375. Also hitting over the .300 mark are Anthony Stephan (.364) and Ethan Anderson (.308). As a team, the Cavaliers are batting .371, good for 19th in the country. They're also 11th in slugging percentage (.695) and 25th in on-base percentage (.485). UVA batters have also combined for 13 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBIs and the Cavaliers are the 10th-best scoring offense with 14.0 runs per game.

Virginia will start junior right-hander Cullen McKay, a Norfolk native who went to Maury High School. The Cavaliers have a team ERA of 6.00 after Hofstra hit .307 against them in the opening weekend.

Virginia is coming off a 2023 season that saw them reach the College World Series and finish 50-15 overall with a 19-11 mark in the ACC. It was their sixth CWS appearance since 2009 and their second in the past three seasons. The team brings back 19 players from a year ago, has 19 newcomers and was picked to repeat as ACC Coastal Division Champions.

The Series
Wednesday will mark the 57th meeting in the all-time series, with the Monarchs holding a slight 29-27 advantage over the Wahoos. ODU played at No. 5 Virginia on March 28 last season, falling 8-1 as the Cavaliers limited the Monarchs to just five hits.

Up Next
ODU is back in Norfolk this weekend as the Monarchs host Rutgers for a three-game set at The Bud. Friday's series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday will start at 2 p.m., and Sunday will begin at 1 p.m.