By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – As he approached the end of his second season with the Old Dominion baseball program, Kellen Davis received a frank and honest challenge from the ODU coaching staff.
Recruited to ODU without a scholarship, Davis was a bit of a project who coaches knew would take time to develop. The 6-foot, 223-pound right-hander from Media, Pennsylvania didn’t have overpowering speed and was searching for an effective breaking ball.
He redshirted as a freshman and appeared just three times in 2023. He gave up four earned runs in 2.2 innings, which gave him a 13.50 ERA for the season.
ODU Pitching Coach Mike Marron told him that he was going to have to fight hard to earn a spot on ODU’s roster in 2024.
Davis responded to Marron’s challenge and returned in 2024 with a devastating slider. He was 5-0 in 30 appearances in 2024, with a 2.84 ERA and he struck out 25 of 74 batters he faced.
He’s since become one of ODU’s most stalwart arms in the bullpen, and perhaps more importantly, in the locker room.
“That slider he began throwing, hitters are still struggling to generate good contact against that pitch,” Marron said. “Just as importantly, he also learned how to manage himself on the mound.”
ODU begins play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament play-in round Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m., when the Monarchs take on Georgia State in Montgomery, Alabama.
A victory sends the Monarchs into the eight-team double-elimination tournament, with a bid to the NCAA Tournament going to the winner.
ODU (29-25) is the tournament’s No. 8 seed, but few Sun Belt teams have been hotter than the Monarchs in recent weeks. ODU won 13 of its last 19 games, including two of three games at then eighth-ranked Coastal Carolina.
A victory over Georgia State would send the Monarchs to Wednesday’s first round against either Coastal or Sun Belt regular-season champion Southern Miss.
“I think we all feel good going into the tournament,” Davis said. “I mean, even though we get the play-in round, I think we can win that and then see where it takes us from there.
“We’ve got a lot of guys playing really good right now. And I think we got the depth to try to make a run at this.”
Davis ended up at ODU in part because of relationships the Monarchs have in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. Kellen’s father, Brett, is best friends with Brian Flumara, a Monarch baseball standout who played from 1993-96. He also trained at the same New Jersey facility as former ODU standout Kenny Levari.
“I heard from everyone great things about the coaching staff,” he said. “I knew ODU was near the beach. But the coaching staff is why I came here.”
It proved to be a good choice for the right season. He returned in 2024 not only with a slider but with several other pitches. Marron and Nick Murray, then an ODU assistant who now works for the Boston Red Sox helping pitchers going through rehabilitation, convinced him to stick with the slider.
“I came back throwing a change up that was awful,” Davis said. “Coach Marron told me that I’m never going to throw that pitch, that I’m going to throw nothing but sliders, and he was right. Coach Marron helped me a ton. I’m not sure I ever would have pitched here had it not been for Coach Marron.”
Marron said he had to disabuse Davis of the notion that he needed a full complement of pitches.
“I told him, no, all you need is one, and you’ve got a slider that can be truly an elite pitch,” Marron said. “You already have your super power, your elite tool. Let’s tell out to that and see where it gets us.
“He put it all together. He was able to take it and run with it. He just needed to identify it, perfect it and go out and use it. Our job was to help pitchers leave what makes them good and then make sure they have the discipline to go out and use it.”
Although Davis tends to be a shy guy, Marron said he’s also played a big role in the ODU locker room.
“His parents are teachers and he has a Master’s in physical education and has that service mindset,” Marron said. “He cares about his teammates, and leadership is not a role that has come easy to him.
“He’s not the biggest rah, rah guy. He leads by example. His leadership comes from his consistency and his care for other people.
“He’s been a tremendous anchor point for this team the last couple of years. His legacy will come from his stats, but also his attitude and competitive fire has been handed down to the younger guys and that will continue after he’s gone.”
Davis, who eventually earned a scholarship, plans to return to his suburban Philadelphia home where he will teach and perhaps coach.
Regardless, he says he would not change a thing about his five years at ODU.
“I'm definitely glad I came here,” he said. “I’ve heard things from some of my friends who've gone to other schools and going here seems like the best choice I could have made.
“Guys who transfer in from other schools, they just talk about how the program is run much better here, like in terms of communication, from the players to the coaches, and at other schools I don't think that's the same as it is here.”
Davis and ODU’s other seniors will never get the chance to play in a fully renovated Ellmer Family Baseball Complex. The Monarchs played on the road all of 2024 – with the exception of “home” games at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton and Norfolk’s Harbor Park – after stadium construction began.
Because of unavoidable construction delays, they have been able to play at home, but not use locker facilities or enjoy fans in the infield, this season.
“We’ve really enjoyed playing at home this season,” he said. “It wasn’t that big of a deal to anybody that we couldn’t use the locker rooms. It would have been nice, but playing at home is so much better than last year.
“Last year, we got on a bus for all of our home games.
“We appreciate everything the University did to make it possible to play at home this year.”
Marron said Davis is a reflection of the values ODU baseball treasures.
“In high school, we just liked his beliefs and the competitor he was,” Marron said. “I remember being on a Zoom meeting with his parents and realized just what phenomenal people they are.
“We weren’t sure about what his ceiling would be. But we knew he had traits on and off the field we really valued and one of those traits is that he had a ton of appreciation for this program.
“He’s more than lived up to our expectations.”
Minium is ODU's Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
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