MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Old Dominion played its best baseball of the year in the second half of the season, and headed into the play-in round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a head of steam, having won 13 of its final 19 games.
But playing against a Georgia State team that appeared to have their number this season, the Monarchs fell to the Panthers, 17-1, in the tournament’s single-elimination first round and saw their season abruptly come to an end Tuesday night at DABOS Park.
Georgia State (27-28) advances to meet Sun Belt regular-season champion Southern Miss at 5 p.m. Thursday in the double-elimination tournament.
ODU (29-26) heads home after an up-and-down season in which Head Coach Chris Finwood became the Monarchs’ all-time winningest coach, and the Monarchs were, for the second season in a row, forced to put up with some adversity.
ODU won some big games – the Monarchs swept two of three at then No. 8 Coastal Carolina two weeks ago and won four of the last five three-same conference series.
The exception was Georgia State, which swept two of three games from ODU in Atlanta, and delivered a knockout blow Wednesday night.
“You certainly have to give credit where it’s due and Georgia State just kicked our butts tonight,” Finwood said. “They just played great tonight. We started out the season 5-10 and our guys fought so hard the second half of the season. Maybe we just ran out of gas a little bit.”
Georgia State starting pitcher Cole Roberts limited the Monarchs to one hit in the first six innings in what was by far his best game of the season.
By then the issue had been decided as the Panthers led, 15-0.
If there was any consolation for Finwood and his players who return next season, the next time the Monarchs play, it will be in a fully-renovated Ellmer Family Baseball Complex.
ODU was forced to play most of the 2025 season on the road, with the exception of some “home” games at Harbor Park and Hampton’s War Memorial Stadium, as the $24 million renovation got underway.
Unavoidable construction delays delayed full opening of the stadium this season. ODU was able to play at home because President Brian O. Hemphill, PhD., allowed athletics to add bleachers to the outfield this season.
The infield stands, press box and locker rooms remain under construction. The stadium will be fully ready when the Monarchs take the field next February.
“You hate to finish here on this note,” Finwood said. “Having said that, I’m really proud of this group. Two years ago, not having a home game, this year playing in front of no fans basically, with all the construction going on, I thought our guys showed a lot of character and resilience. The last two years have taken a couple of years off my life. But we worked our way through it. Pain is relative and we’re really looking forward to getting this thing done this summer and the new group playing there this fall.”
Things started poorly for the Monarchs, who found themselves down, 2-0, before they even had a chance to bat.
Georgia State’s John Beverly was walked on five pitches and was driven to second on a ground out by Wills Maginnis. ODU starting pitcher Darin Kuskie then struck out Hunter Carlson swinging.
But then Wesley Bass doubled Beverly home. That was followed by an Adam Haber single to left that drove in Bass and made it 2-0.
ODU went down in order in the bottom of the first, and that was followed by an unusual 25-minute delay as umpires and grounds crew worked to fix a problem with first base.
Finwood said the delay appeared to have an unsettling effect on Kuskie as he gave up another walk, two hits and two more runs in the top of the second. Second baseman Carson Hunter drove in Carter and Maginnis with a two-out double he drilled off the right-field fence.
ODU then called upon the ace in its bullpen, freshman Ben Tanton, who was 7-0 with a save and a 1.87 ERA this season.
Tanton gave up a walk and then a single to Habner, who drove in Carlson to make it 5-0. Tanton then struck out Brandon Davis to finally end the inning.
Tanton kept ODU in the game until the top of the fifth, when Haber doubled -- his third hit of the game -- then was driven in by a home run from second baseman Nick Garagozzo, to make it 7-0.
ODU then went to its bullpen in the sixth, and the Panthers blew it open, scoring eight runs on seven hits.
Second baseman Maverick Stallings, a senior who had the only ODU hit in the first six innings, homered in the bottom of the seventh to make it 17-1.
“Maverick wasn’t named to any of the all-conference teams, but he had an all-conference year,” Finwood said. “He led us in home runs and was one of the top second baseman in all of Division I. He’s a guy who came from basically nothing. He walked onto his junior college and ended up having a great career at ODU.
“We certainly want to play better and will play better."
“Once the stadium is done, it’s really going to be a shot in the arm for our program. That’s something we’re all looking forward to.”