Old Dominion (8-18, 4-5 Sun Belt) vs. No. 20 Troy (22-8, 6-3 Sun Belt)
Game Location – Harbor Park
Game 1 – Friday, April 4 at 6 p.m.
Game 2 – Saturday, April 5 at 3 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday, April 6 at 1 p.m.
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3)
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball will host No. 20 Troy for a Sun Belt Conference series at Harbor Park this weekend. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. The teams will return for a 3 p.m. start on Saturday and will play at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Mashaw providing play-by-play coverage. Live stats will also be available.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (8-18, 4-5 Sun Belt) avoided getting swept at App State last weekend by taking the second game of a Saturday doubleheader, 7-6. ODU then made the trip to Charlottesville, Virginia on Tuesday, falling to the Cavaliers 11-2. Zach Leite went 2-for-4 with two runs, one RBI, and a walk and Kainen Jorge finished 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs to lead the team at the plate.
ODU is currently tied for eighth in the conference standings alongside Texas State, Arkansas State and James Madison. The team is also 93rd in the RPI rankings through games played on April 2.
Leite is batting .359 and Scotty Young owns a .321 clip to lead ODU’s bats. Following the duo are Efrain Morales (.282), Kyle Edwards (.276), and Tahraun Hammond (.268). TJ Aiken (.262) has hit four homers, while Leite, Jorge (.259), and Tyler Zedalis (.225) have hit three each. Leite and Luke Waters (.221) both own 18 RBIs, Edwards has scored a team-best 19 runs, and Jorge has drawn 18 walks. Edwards is currently third in the Sun Belt with 14 stolen bases and 0.54 stolen bases per game. ODU is hitting .250 as a team with a .379 slugging percentage and a .352 on-base percentage.
It will be the same weekend rotation for the Monarchs, with Ben Moore (1-3, 7.67 ERA) starting on Friday, Dylan Brown (2-1, 4.30 ERA) on Saturday, and Blake Morgan (2-2, 4.50 ERA) on Sunday. Brown leads the conference and ranks 18th nationally with 54 strikeouts. He’s also 25th in Division I with 12.90 strikeouts per nine innings. Monarch pitching owns a cumulative ERA of 6.85 with opposing teams hitting .278 against them.
Scouting Troy
The Trojans (22-8, 6-3 Sun Belt) are currently ranked 20th in the D1Baseball, Baseball America, and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) polls. They’re also 21st in the USA Today Coaches poll and are listed 20th in the latest RPI rankings. The team is also in a three-way tie for second place in the Sun Belt alongside No. 21 Coastal Carolina and Louisiana.
Troy hosted then-No. 16 Coastal Carolina last weekend, falling 11-3 in the first game before defeating the Chanticleers 9-8 and 9-5 in the next two games. The Trojans then fell 14-3 to Wofford in eight innings on Tuesday before getting back in the win column with a 10-8 victory over Florida A&M on Wednesday.
The team has four starters hitting over .300. Leading the way is former Monarch Steven Meier with a .374 average. Following him are Blake Cavill (.352), Jimmy Janicki (.311), and Sean Darnell (.303). Brooks Bryan (.294) has hit a team-high seven home runs, through Meier and 2023 Sun Belt Player of the Year Shane Lewis (.278) are on his heels with six long balls apiece. Bryan is also the leader in RBIs with 43, good for 12th in the nation. Meier ranks ninth in the country with 43 runs and is 14th with 1.48 runs per game. He’s been hit by pitch 16 times, placing him fifth in Division I. Meier leads the league with 16 stolen bases on 20 attempts. Cavill is currently fifth in the nation with 33 walks and seventh with 1.18 walks per game.
As a team, the Trojans lead the Sun Belt in batting average (.295), on-base percentage (.427), hits (290), runs (249), and scoring (8.3 runs per game). They’re also second in the league and 14th in the country in walks (180) and have a .488 slugging percentage.
ODU will face right handers Garrett Gainous (4-0, 3.90 ERA) on Friday and Noah Edders (2-0, 4.86 ERA) on Saturday. Troy has not named a starting pitcher for Sunday. The Trojans have a team ERA of 5.10 with opponents hitting .255 against them.
The Series
ODU and Troy are meeting for the first time this weekend.
Ticketing
Tickets for single games at Harbor Park can be purchased through ODUSports.com/baseball-tickets and cost $12. Additionally, a six-game Harbor Park pass is also available for purchase for $50. For those fans wishing to bring a group of 10 or more, please contact Director of Ticket Sales Steven Landry at 757-683-3360 or by email at slandry@odu.edu.
Parking
Harbor Park has limited parking available due to construction of the casino next door. Fans are encouraged to use The Tide Light Rail as well as the ferry from North Landing in Portsmouth. Both are offering free rides when fans show their ticket.
The Tide Light Rail offers free parking at three park-and-ride lots: the Newtown Road Station, the Military Highway Station, and the Ballentine/Broad Creek Station.
Additionally, there is free parking available at the MacArthur Center South Garage. Fans will pull a ticket when entering the garage, and the gates will be open upon exit.
For more information, visit Harbor Park’s transportation and parking website.
Up Next
ODU will play a 3 p.m. game at Norfolk State next Tuesday.