Old Dominion (25-21, 12-12 Sun Belt) at VCU (28-19, 10-7 Atlantic 10)
Game Location – The Diamond (Richmond, Va.)
Start Time – Tuesday, May 7 at 6 p.m.
Watch – ESPN+
Live Stats – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball and VCU resume their home-and-home series this Tuesday when the Monarchs travel to Richmond for a 6 p.m. midweek game at The Diamond.
VCU will be streaming the game on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (25-21, 12-12 Sun Belt) traveled to San Marcos, Texas this past weekend for a Sun Belt series at Texas State. ODU dropped the first game 18-4 in seven innings on Friday, and the teams played a doubleheader on Saturday to avoid inclement weather expected on Sunday. The Bobcats edged the Monarchs 8-6 in the first game of the twin bill, but ODU avoided getting swept with a 7-4 victory in the second game.
The team is 75th in the latest RPI rankings and is seventh in the Sun Belt standings with two conference series remaining in the regular season. Luke Waters continues to lead ODU’s starters with a .298 batting average, though TJ Aiken is on his heels with a .296 clip. Kenny Levari is next at .287 and Kyle Edwards is hitting .283. Levari has driven in a team-high 38 runs while Edwards and Steven Meier (.239) have scored 34 runs each. On the basepaths, Meier is 22-for-23 when attempting to steal, Waters is 18-for-21 and Edwards is 12-for-17. The Monarchs come into Tuesday’s game hitting .245 with a .389 slugging percentage and a .343 on-base percentage.
Dylan Brown (1-3, 5.35 ERA) will get the start in what will be a staff day for ODU. The sophomore left hander from Lansdale, Pennsylvania has made 11 starts this season and given up 22 runs (20 earned) on 34 hits and 14 walks. Brown is also tied for second in strikeouts with 43 through 33.2 innings pitched and opponents are batting .252 against him. Through games played on May 5, the Monarchs ranked ninth in the country in WHIP (1.28), 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.83), 15th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.38), 21st in ERA (4.35) and 25th in hits allowed per nine innings (8.18).
Scouting VCU
The Rams (28-19, 10-7 Atlantic 10) find themselves ranked 96th in the RPI and currently sit fourth in the A10 standings. The team hosted George Washington over the weekend and won the first game of a Friday doubleheader 6-2, but fell 12-8 to the Revolutionaries in the second game and 11-6 on Saturday. VCU was scheduled to play at No. 10 East Carolina on Wednesday night, but that game has been canceled.
Brandon Eike owns a .349 batting average and is the national leader in doubles with 24 and ranks second in the country with 0.51 doubles per game. The senior infielder is also second in the A10 in hits (66) and total bases (116) and owns the team highs in home runs (8), RBIs (44) and runs scored (40). Aden Hill follows Eike with a .289 average, Eli Weisner is hitting .280, and Chris McHugh is next at .273. Weisner has swiped nine bags on 14 attempts and Ethan Iannuzzi (.228) is 8-for-11 when attempting to steal. As a team, the Rams are batting .264 with a .395 slugging percentage and a .382 on-base percentage.
Tuesday will also be a staff day for VCU with Zachary Peters (2-4, 5.90 ERA) starting. The sophomore right hander has made 12 starts in 13 appearances and has allowed 32 runs (19 earned) on 41 hits and 25 walks. He’s recorded 25 strikeouts through 29 innings and has a .323 batting average against him. On defense, the Rams are second in their conference in double plays (33), double plays per game (0.70), fielding percentage (.972), ERA (4.76) and shutouts (2). Opposing teams are hitting .272 against them.
The Series
ODU holds a 92-60 lead in the all-time series and defeated VCU, 7-1 on April 23 at Bud Metheny Ballpark. The Monarchs were up 2-1 through six innings before pulling away with a five-run bottom of the seventh. A three-RBI double by Levari highlighted the late push, Nick Sulpizio earned his first career win, and six relievers combined for 12 strikeouts. ODU’s arms also limited the Rams to just two hits and a .069 batting average on the night.
ODU vs. In-State Teams
The Monarchs have played nine games against in-state schools so far this season and are currently third in winning percentage behind Virginia and Virginia Tech. Following Tuesday’s game at VCU, ODU will play at Richmond on May 14.
|
School |
Record |
Winning % |
|
Virginia |
9-1 |
.900 |
|
Virginia Tech |
4-1 |
.800 |
|
Old Dominion |
6-3 |
.667 |
|
James Madison |
5-3 |
.625 |
|
VMI |
6-4 |
.600 |
|
Longwood |
5-4 |
.556 |
|
William & Mary |
5-4 |
.556 |
|
VCU |
6-6 |
.500 |
|
Richmond |
4-7 |
.364 |
|
George Mason |
3-7 |
.300 |
|
Norfolk State |
2-7 |
.222 |
|
Liberty |
0-4 |
.000 |
|
Radford |
0-4 |
.000 |
*Through games played on May 5, 2024
Get Your Gear!
Need some ODU gear to rep the Monarchs? The ODU Bookstore has you covered as the on-field hats the Monarchs wear during games are now in stock.
Up Next
This weekend’s Sun Belt series against App State will mark ODU’s final three home games at Bud Metheny Ballpark before stadium renovations begin on the new Elmer Family Baseball Complex. The team will hold a graduation ceremony before Saturday’s first pitch and Sunday will mark Senior Day for the Monarchs.