Old Dominion (17-26, 12-12 Sun Belt) at VCU (14-33, 7-17 Atlantic 10)
Game Location – The Diamond (Richmond, Va.)
Start Time – Wednesday, May 7 at 6 p.m.
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM
Live Stats – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball resumes its home-and-home series with VCU this Wednesday as the Monarchs travel to Richmond for a 6 p.m. meeting with the Rams.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can also tune into Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM to hear Ted Alexander cover the action. Live stats will also be available.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (17-26, 12-12 Sun Belt) have won four of their last five games and are coming off a 2-1 series win over Marshall this past weekend. After The Herd took the series opener 11-4 last Friday, ODU evened the series with a 5-4 victory on Saturday. Blake Morgan then pitched a complete game on Sunday, notching seven strikeouts, as Old Dominion won the rubber match, 8-2. Through games played on May 5, ODU ranks 119th in the RPI.
Zach Leite is batting .343 and Efrain Morales owns a .306 average to lead ODU at the plate. Kainen Jorge (.291) and Maverick Stallings (.286) share the team lead with five home runs each. Jorge and Kyle Edwards (.278) both own 29 RBIs, and Edwards is also second in the Sun Belt with 22 stolen bases and third in the league with 0.51 stolen bases per game. Edwards and Jorge have scored 34 and 32 runs, respectively. As a team, the Monarchs are batting .258 with a .384 slugging percentage and a .365 on-base percentage.
Connor Schumann will make his first career start on Wednesday. The redshirt junior lefthander does not have a decision and owns a 7.04 ERA in 10 appearances this season. He’s allowed nine runs, six of them earned, on 11 hits and three walks and has recorded six strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .324 against him.
Scouting VCU
The Rams (14-33, 7-17 Atlantic 10) have dropped five of their last six games and are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. They were on the road at St. Bonaventure over the weekend and were swept by the Bonnies 10-9, 17-16 and 11-10. VCU is listed 252nd in the latest RPI rankings.
Adrian Jimenez leads VCU’s starters with a .300 clip. Following him are Nick Flores (.298), Casey Kleinman (.281), and Jacob Lee (.276). Lee leads the Rams with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Seth Werchan (.257) and Trent Adelman (.254) are the top two threats to steal. Werchan has swiped 16 bags on 19 attempts while Adelman is 12-for-16. VCU is batting .256 as a team with a .388 slugging percentage and a .367 on-base percentage.
The Rams have not named a starter for Wednesday. VCU leads the A10 with three shutouts this season and is one of five Division I teams to have turned a triple play. VCU is also third in their conference with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The Rams own a team ERA of 7.07 and opponents are batting .291 against them.
The Series
ODU hosted VCU on April 15 at War Memorial Stadium, a game that went to the visitors, 16-13. An early ODU fielding error followed by a grand slam allowed the Rams to jump out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first. The Monarchs went up 9-7 and led through four innings, but the guests put together a six-run sixth inning and ODU couldn’t catch them from there.
The Monarchs still lead the all-time series, 93-61.
Up Next
ODU will be in Harrisonburg, Virginia this weekend for a TowneBank Royal Rivalry series against James Madison. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park. The Monarchs and Dukes will then play again at 4 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday.