Old Dominion (0-0) at Georgia Tech (0-0)
Game Location – Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.)
Game 1 – Friday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m.
Game 2 – Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.
Watch – ACCNX (Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3)
Listen – Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM (Games 1 & 3)
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion baseball opens its 2025 season with three games at Georgia Tech this weekend. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 4 p.m., Saturday will begin at 2 p.m., and Sunday is set for a 1 p.m. start.
Georgia Tech is streaming all three games on ACCNX and live stats will also be available. Josh Caray, the Director of Broadcast Operations for the Rocket City Trash Pandas and the grandson of Harry Caray, will call Friday’s game and Sunday’s game on Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM.
Around the Horn
ODU posted a 31-26 overall record in 2024 and went 15-15 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Monarchs secured the No. 8 seed for the Sun Belt Championship and defeated No. 9 seed South Alabama, 3-2 to advance to the double-elimination bracket. Old Dominion then squared off with regular season champion Louisiana, defeating the top seed in the tournament 7-3, but saw its season come to an end with losses to No. 5 Georgia Southern and No. 4 James Madison. Maverick Stallings and Jacob Gomez represented ODU on the All-Tournament Team, and John Holobetz was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the MLB Draft.
The Sun Belt Preseason Coaches' Poll was released last Wednesday and the Monarchs have been picked to finish seventh in the league. Luke Waters garnered Preseason All-Sun Belt Team honors. The senior outfielder earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second Team last season after leading the Monarchs with a .312 batting average, 68 hits, 113 total bases, and 21 multi-hit games.
ODU’s 2025 roster features 18 returners and 22 newcomers. Some key position players back for the Monarchs include infielders Kyle Edwards and Maverick Stallings, catcher Evan Holman, and outfielders Luke Waters and TJ Aiken. On the mound, ODU brings back 10 pitchers from last season. Ben Moore, Dylan Brown, and Blake Morgan are expected to start this weekend.
With construction at Bud Metheny Ballpark under way, the Monarchs will open up their 2025 campaign with 18 road games to start the season. This will be ODU's third year back in the Sun Belt after previously being a member of the league from 1983-1991. During that time, the Monarchs captured three regular-season titles, reached the Sun Belt Championship twice, and won the conference tournament in 1985. ODU went 328-175-1 overall and 91-64 against Sun Belt opponents in its first stint in the conference.
ODU Head Coach Chris Finwood is entering his 14th season leading the program.
Scouting Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets went 33-25 last year and were 15-15 against ACC opponents. Georgia Tech won five of its last seven ACC series during the regular season and advanced to the finals of the Athens Regional, but fell to Georgia, 8-6 in 10 innings. Cam Jones, Vahn Lackey and Drew Burress were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Burress was also tabbed D1 Baseball’s and Perfect Game’s Freshman of the Year. Tech is looking for its 36th NCAA Regional berth and fourth postseason appearance in the last five years.
Perfect Game listed Tech as having the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation as the Yellow Jackets added 29 newcomers with 10 transfers and 19 freshmen for the 2025 season. The team has now signed Top 5 classes in four out of the last six years. The Yellow Jackets also return 15 players from last season, including five starters from its Regional Final lineup.
Burress has been named a First Team Preseason All-American by D1 Baseball, Perfect Game and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He’s also been tabbed the No. 1 sophomore in college baseball by Perfect Game, the Preseason ACC Player of the Year by D1 Baseball, and is on USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 10th in the ACC in a vote by the league’s 16 head coaches. Danny Hall is entering his 32nd season as Head Coach.
The Series
ODU and Georgia Tech have played four times prior to this weekend, with the Yellow Jackets ahead in the all-time series, 3-1. The Monarchs opened the 2014 season at the Georgia Tech Tournament, falling to the tournament hosts 6-5 and to VCU 6-3 before edging Radford 8-7 in 10 innings. ODU’s lone win over the Yellow Jackets was an 11-10 final in Atlanta during the 1986 season.
Up Next
ODU will be in the Queen City next weekend, Feb. 21-23, for three games at Charlotte. The Monarchs and 49ers will open the series with a 4 p.m. start that Friday, meet again for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, and close out the weekend with a 1 p.m. series finale on Sunday.