Old Dominion (7-4) vs. William & Mary (8-3)
Game Location – Bud Metheny Ballpark (Norfolk, Va.) | Plumeri Park (Williamsburg, Va.)
Game 1 – Tuesday, March 5 at 3 p.m.
Game 2 – Wednesday, March 6 at 3 p.m.
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball and William & Mary have a home-and-home series this week, beginning with a 3 p.m. game at Bud Metheny Ballpark on Tuesday. The Monarchs will then head to Williamsburg for a 3 p.m. game at Plumeri Park on Wednesday.
Fans unable to attend either game can follow along with live stats.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (7-4) have won four of their last five games and went 3-1 last week against the two teams picked to finish first and second in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll. ODU walked off No. 11 East Carolina last Tuesday, then claimed two of three games for a series win over Charlotte this past weekend.
Steven Meier had the big hit against the Pirates and batted .308 with an .846 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage for the week. The Kennewick, Washington native continues to lead the team in batting average with a .333 clip and is a perfect 8-for-8 when attempting to steal, tying him for 13th in the country. Luke Waters is next with a .302 batting average and Kyle Edwards and Alex Bouche are both hitting .289. Meier has scored 12 runs while Waters and Edwards lead the team with 10 RBIs apiece.
Blake Morgan (0-0, 13.50 ERA) will start on Tuesday in what will be a bullpen game for the Monarchs. A starter for Wednesday is still to be determined. ODU has a team ERA of 3.58 with opponents batting .235 against. The Monarchs are the national leaders in walks allowed per nine innings (2.30) and are currently third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.40),13th in WHIP (1.15), and 25th in ERA.
Scouting William & Mary
The Tribe (8-3) defeated Norfolk State 13-2 last Tuesday and then hosted the Central Virginia Classic over the weekend. W&M started off its tournament with an 8-3 win over Central Connecticut State on Friday, but fell 9-7 to Boston College on Saturday and 6-5 to Sacred Heart on Sunday.
W&M has six players batting over .300, starting with Joe Delossantos with a .435 average. Jerry Barnes III follows with a .345 clip, Anthony Greco and Henry Jackson are both hitting .333, Luca Trigiani is at .324 and Ben Parker is batting .304. Delossantos has hit four homers with three doubles, 14 runs, 15 RBIs and 10 walks while stealing five bases in as many attempts. Greco has also driven in 15 runs while Trigiani and Parker own 13 RBIs each.
Right-hander Alex Markus (0-0, 1.93 ERA) is expected to get the nod on Tuesday, and a starter for Wednesday has yet to be named. It will be the fourth appearance for Markus, who has allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits and five walks. The Richmond, Virginia native has tallied 15 strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched and is holding opposing batters to a .133 average against him. The Tribe owns a team ERA of 3.27 and ranks eighth nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (6.18), 18th in ERA, 19th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.5), and 20th in WHIP (1.20).
The Tribe was picked to finish seventh in the Coastal Athletic Association's Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Pitchers Nate Knowles and Carter Lovasz were named to the Preseason All-CAA Team. Head Coach Mike McRae is in his third year with the program.
The Series
The Monarchs lead the all-time series, 88-55, and have won six of their last seven meetings with the Tribe. On Feb. 22 last season, ODU won 4-3 at W&M in extra innings. Camden Grimes hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-3 and Bouche added a solo blast in the 10th for the decisive run.
ODU then hosted W&M on March 1 in Norfolk, defeating the Tribe again 6-5. The Monarchs built a 6-2 lead through four innings as Hunter Fitz-Gerald batted 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs. John Holobetz then picked up the save as he struck out five Tribe batters in 1.2 innings pitched.
Up Next
ODU will host Northeastern for three games this weekend. The series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, Game Two is set for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, and Sunday's finale will begin at 1 p.m.
Monarchs and Tribe to Play a Pair of Midweek Games
