Old Dominion (13-11, 2-4 Sun Belt) vs. South Alabama (15-10, 2-4 Sun Belt)
Game Location – Bud Metheny Ballpark (Norfolk, Va.)
Game 1 – Thursday, March 28 at 6 p.m.
Game 2 – Friday, March 29 at 3 p.m.
Game 3 – Saturday, March 30 at 11 a.m.
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3)
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball welcomes South Alabama for three games this Thursday through Saturday at Bud Metheny Ballpark. The two teams open their Sun Belt series at 6 p.m. on Thursday, meet again for Game Two at 3 p.m. on Friday, and wrap up with an 11 a.m. start to Game Three on Saturday.
Fans can watch each game on ESPN+ with Andy Mashaw providing play-by-play. Live stats will also be available.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (13-11, 2-4 Sun Belt) had their first weekend on the road, a trip that saw ODU drop all three games to Louisiana. It marked the first time in five years that the program has been swept in a series. Old Dominion struggled to put together hits and get base runners, but made some big plays on defense and, outside of one big inning by the Ragin' Cajuns on Saturday, pitched really well. The Monarchs posted a 5.73 ERA for the series, but without that one inning, that ERA drops down to a 3.00. Louisiana's batting average for the weekend also drops from a .310 to a .267.
Luke Waters leads the team at the plate with a .311 batting average. Alex Bouche is next with a .282 clip and Kyle Edwards is third at .264. Waters and Kenny Levari (.253) have 39 RBIs between the two of them and Steven Meier (.256) has scored a team-high 22 runs. Waters is 14-for-15 when swiping bags and ranks 18th in the country in stolen bases and 31st in stolen bases per game with 0.58. Meier is a perfect 12-for-12 and Edwards is 8-for-12. As a team, the Monarchs are 48-for-57, placing them 23rd nationally in stolen bases per game (2.00) and 29th in stolen bases. ODU is hitting .233 as a team with a .359 slugging percentage and a .339 on-base percentage.
The series will see Blake Morgan's return to the weekend rotation, and ODU's order will depend on if the weather decides to cooperate. As it stands, Morgan (1-0, 4.50 ERA) would start the series opener, Jay Cassady (0-1, 3.46 ERA) would start Friday and Dylan Brown (1-2, 4.44 ERA) would start Saturday. With inclement weather expected on Thursday, a potential Friday doubleheader would see Cassady starting the first game, Morgan taking the second and Brown still getting the nod on Saturday.
Through games played on March 26, Brown leads the Sun Belt with a 6.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.85 walks allowed per innings. He's also third in the league with 11.47 strikeouts per nine innings. ODU currently ranks seventh in NCAA Division I in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.19), eighth in walks allowed per nine innings (3.07), and 14th in WHIP (1.27). The Monarchs are also second in the conference in ERA (4.26) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.34) and teams are hitting .243 against them.
As of March 26, ODU is listed 74th in the RPI.
Scouting South Alabama
The Jaguars (15-10, 2-4) were swept by Georgia State in their first conference series of the season, but bounced back with a 2-1 series win at Troy over the weekend. USA won the first game 12-8 and the second game 10-8, but dropped the series finale to the Trojans, 4-3. The Jags then hosted Alabama State on Tuesday and rallied for a 10-9 victory with a three-run bottom of the ninth.
Down to its last three outs and trailing 9-7, Joseph Sullivan led off with a solo home run to right field to cut the deficit to one run. After Jacob Haley singled up the middle and Brennan Holt walked, a Micah Morgan sacrifice bunt moved them into scoring position. The Hornets elected to load the bases by intentionally walking JG Bell, but Tyler Borges doubled to right center to complete the comeback.
USA has two starters hitting over .300: Holt leads the team with a .311 average and Ethan Melton is close behind him at .306. Holt, a second baseman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is eighth in the nation in doubles (12) and 21st in doubles per game (0.48). Sullivan (.259) has driven in 21 runs and is the top threat to steal with 12 swiped bags on 13 attempts. Will Turner (.226) has scored a team-high 25 runs and ranks second in the country with 32 walks and fifth with 1.28 walks per game. An outfielder from Auburn, Alabama, he's also 8-for-10 when trying to steal. The Jags are batting .252 as a team with a .412 slugging percentage and a .386 on-base percentage. They've also walked 142 times this season, good for 33rd nationally.
USA's expected rotation will see right hander Leif Moore (2-0, 3.86 ERA) on Thursday, right hander Carson Swilling (3-1, 3.48 ERA) on Friday, and lefty Cam Hill (3-1, 5.64 ERA) on Saturday. Grant Wood (0-0, 4.50 ERA) ranks 22nd in the nation and is tied for the conference lead with four saves. Jags pitchers have combined for a 5.33 ERA with opponents batting .249 against them.
South Alabama was picked to finish eighth in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches' Poll. Head Coach Mark Calvi is in his 13th season with the program and the team comes into the series at No. 59 in the latest RPI rankings.
The Series
ODU and South Alabama have played six games against each other with the all-time series tied at 3-3. The two teams last squared off in the 1990 Sun Belt Tournament in Mobile, Alabama, a game that went to the Monarchs 8-2. Old Dominion reached the conference's title game that year, but fell 16-11 to USF.
Up Next
ODU will return to Charlottesville next Tuesday, April 2 for its second of three meetings with the Virginia Cavaliers this season. First pitch from Davenport Field at Disharoon Park is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Monarchs Continue Sun Belt Play at Home Against South Alabama
