Old Dominion (4-3) vs. No. 11 East Carolina (5-2)
Game Location – Bud Metheny Ballpark (Norfolk, Va.)
Start Time – Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m.
Live Stats – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball has its first of two meetings with No. 11 East Carolina this Tuesday when the Monarchs welcome the Pirates for a 3 p.m. midweek game at Bud Metheny Ballpark.
Those unable attend Tuesday's game can follow along with live stats.
The two teams will meet again later this season when ECU hosts ODU for a 6 p.m. game in Greenville on April 10.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (4-3) dropped two of three games to Rutgers this past weekend, but capped off the series with a 9-5 win on Sunday. Luke Waters (2-for-3) belted a two-run homer to get the offense going and finished with four RBIs, two runs, and two walks. Steven Meier finished 1-for-1, was hit by pitch three times, scored three times and also swiped three bags. Trent Buchanan (1-0) got his first win of the season and Jacob Gomez earned his second save.
Meier leads the Monarchs at the plate with a .350 average, followed by Alex Bouche who is hitting at a .304 clip. Waters is next, batting .286, and Maverick Stallings heads into Tuesday's game hitting .273. Kyle Edwards (.261) ranks second in the country with three sacrifice flies while Meier is currently ninth in stolen bases (6-for-6) and 15th in stolen bases per game (0.86). As a team, the Monarchs are batting .216 with a .294 slugging percentage and a .347 on-base percentage. ODU ranks 10th in the country in stolen bases (19-for-19) and stolen bases per game (2.71) and is 13th in hit batters (19).
ODU will go with left-hander Blake Morgan on Tuesday in what will be a staff day for the Monarchs. It will also be Morgan's first appearance of the season. Through games played on Feb. 25, ODU ranks sixth nationally in walks allowed per nine innings (2.18) and seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.20). The team owns a collective ERA of 4.21 and opposing teams are hitting .267 against ODU.
Scouting East Carolina
The Pirates (5-2) took two of three games against No.15 North Carolina over the weekend. After losing to the Tar Heels 1-2 on Friday in Chapel Hill, ECU evened the series with a 7-4 win on Saturday at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville. The two teams then played a tight rubber match on Sunday in Greenville, with the Pirates coming out on top, 10-9.
East Carolina has six players hitting over .300. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart owns a team-best .483 average, Carter Cunningham is right behind him at .467, and Bristol Carter is third with an average of .364. Following them are Cam Clonch (.333), Jacob Starling (.321), and Ryley Johnson (.320). Jenkins-Cowart, Cunningham and Starling have each gone yard twice this season and Jenkins-Cowart has a team-best 10 RBIs so far. Jenkins-Cowart also leads the American Athletic Conference and ranks 17th nationally with five doubles, and Johnson is ninth in the country in stolen bases (6) and 15th in stolen bases per game (0.86). The team is hitting a combined .329 with a .479 slugging percentage and a .426 on-base percentage.
The Pirates are expected to start left-hander Ethan Norby (0-0, 9.00 ERA). The Pirates' arms have a combined 2.95 ERA and are holding their opponents to a .173 average. The team is ranked fourth in the nation in shutouts (2), sixth in WHIP (1.00), seventh in hits allowed per nine innings (5.46), 15th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.1), and 20th in ERA.
East Carolina was picked as the unanimous preseason favorite in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, which was voted on by the conference's head coaches. They were also ranked 11th in the D1 Baseball Preseason Top-25. Senior Pitcher Carter Spivey was selected as the AAC's Preseason Pitcher of the Year while Jenkins-Cowart joined Spivey on the Preseason All-Conference Team. Head coach Cliff Godwin is in his 10th season leading the program.
The Series
Old Dominion is ahead in the all-time series 35-32, though ECU claimed both games last season. The Monarchs traveled to Greenville on April 11, falling to the then-No. 9 Pirates 7-3. ODU was then supposed to host ECU at Harbor Park for the Commonwealth Classic on May 9, but the game was moved to The Bud due to inclement weather that Tuesday in addition to travel conflicts. That meeting went 13 innings, with the No. 14 Pirates taking the game 4-1.
Up Next
ODU will host former Conference USA foe Charlotte for three games this weekend. The series will feature 2 p.m. starts on Friday and Saturday, then conclude with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.
Voucher Books!
The 2024 Old Dominion Baseball voucher book is available for sale online at odusports.com/tickets. For just $50, fans get 25 tickets that can be used for any regular season home game played at the Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium. Single-game tickets can also be purchased for $5.
Click here to purchase the 2024 ODU Baseball voucher book.
Commonwealth Classic
The Monarchs will host Virginia in the Commonwealth Classic, scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 at Harbor Park beginning at 6 p.m. General admission tickets are on sale now at $10 each and can be purchased here.
Baseball Hosts No. 11 East Carolina on Tuesday
