Old Dominion (6-4) at VCU (4-7)
Game Location – The Diamond (Richmond, Va.)
When – Wednesday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m.
Watch – ESPN+
Live Stats – Click Here
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NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball has a midweek game at VCU this Wednesday as the Monarchs meet the Rams at 1:30 p.m. at The Diamond.
Fans will be able to watch the game on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.
The game marks the first of two meetings with the Rams this season. ODU will host VCU on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m.
The Series
ODU and VCU split their two games last season, with the Rams taking the first meeting 16-13 on April 15 at War Memorial Stadium. After falling behind 5-0, Old Dominion jumped ahead 9-7 through four innings, but the visitors used a six-run sixth inning to regain the lead. The Monarchs then made the trip to Richmond on May 7 and defeated the Rams 8-2 in seven innings after the game was halted due to light failure. A Maverick Stallings three-run home run helped build a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning and the Rams could never recover. The Monarchs lead the all-time series, 94-61.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (6-4) dropped both of their games against Charlotte over the weekend. After falling 13-0 in seven innings on Saturday, ODU fell just short to the 49ers, 7-6 on Sunday. The Monarchs had the tying run on third base after Nick Felton pinch ran for Efrain Morales, stole second, and took third when Tyler Zedalis reached on a Charlotte fielding error. Felton was left stranded though as Jack Slater went down swinging to end the game. The series was originally scheduled for three games, but Friday was canceled due to field conditions following inclement weather on Thursday night.
Zach Leite leads the team with a .421 batting average and is currently second in the nation with 22 RBIs and 2.2 RBIs per game. The senior first baseman also leads ODU with three home runs and has scored 13 runs. Zedalis follows with a .407 clip, TJ Aiken and Stallings are both hitting .400, Macaddin Dye enters the week batting .357, and Scotty Young owns a .316 average. Aiken has scored a team-high 15 runs, leads the Monarchs with eight walks, and is 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts, while Stallings has driven in 12 runs. As a team, the Monarchs are hitting .314, good for 33rd in Division I, with a .449 slugging percentage and a .415 on-base percentage. They also lead the Sun Belt and rank 28th nationally with 2.40 doubles per game.
Ryan Sheehy will make his second start in as many weeks on Wednesday. The sophomore right-hander started last Wednesday’s game at Norfolk State and earned his first win as a Monarch after tossing two shutout innings against the Spartans. He held NSU to just two hits with one walk and two strikeouts while picking off a runner at first. Monarch pitching has combined for a 5.29 ERA with opposing teams hitting .303.
ODU is 268th in the latest RPI rankings.
Scouting VCU
The Rams (4-7) are looking to snap a five-game losing streak and dropped all three games against Virginia over the weekend. The first two games of the series were played in Charlottesville, with VCU falling 5-3 on Friday and 7-6 in 11 innings on Saturday. VCU then hosted Virginia on Sunday and dropped another 5-3 decision to the Cavaliers. Wednesday’s game will mark the second of two midweek games for the Rams as they host William & Mary on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
Nate Kirkpatrick leads VCU at the plate with a .344 average, Alec Warden is hitting .357 through four starts and six appearances, and Cade Tousa is batting .308 in two starts and six appearances. Kirkpatrick owns a team-high 12 RBIs while Michael Petite (.179) and Quinn Maher (.257) have scored 11 and nine runs, respectively. Trent Adelman (.194) ranks fifth in the country with four sacrifice bunts and is 11th with 0.36 sac bunts per game. The Rams have proven aggressive on the basepaths, with 20 swiped bags on 23 attempts. Nick Flores (.289) is 5-for-5 when attempting to steal, Jacob Lee (.211) is 4-for-4, and Petite is 3-for-3.
The Rams enter the week hitting .232 with a .353 slugging percentage and a .354 on-base percentage. They are 14th in the country with 10 sac bunts and 29th in hit by pitch, with Rams batters plunked 26 times this season.
On the mound, Rams pitchers have combined for a 6.26 ERA with opponents hitting .210 against them. VCU is 24th in Division I with 6.95 hits allowed per nine innings and the team is second in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
VCU was picked to finish eighth in the A10’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll with Jacob Lee voted the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. The Rams are led by second-year head coach Sean Thompson and are 123rd in the latest RPI rankings. The team brought in 20 transfers and four freshmen during the offseason.
Up Next
ODU will be back at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex this weekend to host Connecticut. The series will open with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Friday. The Monarchs and Huskies will play again at 2 p.m. on Saturday, then cap off the weekend with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.