NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University baseball pitcher Bailey Matela has signed with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League.
He joins former teammate Kyle Edwards, who is in his second season with the Wild Things after signing with the club last summer.
A lefthander from Norfolk, Virginia, Matela owned a 6.03 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP after making two starts in 21 appearances this past season. He went 2-1 and earned two saves while recording 34 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched and held opposing hitters to a .221 average. He picked up his first win on March 4 at VCU after tossing two shutout innings in relief, striking out two without allowing anyone to reach base. His other victory came on April 18 against Georgia Southern as the Monarchs secured the Sun Belt series win over the Eagles on a Nick Felton walkoff RBI single in the 10th inning. Matela threw 1.1 innings out of the bullpen and held the visitors to one run with two walks and a strikeout.
Matela’s first save in 2026 came on March 25 at Richmond as he threw two scoreless frames while holding the Spiders to one hit and one walk. He capped off the ODU win with a strikeout looking. He earned his second save in the TowneBank Royal Rivalry series opener versus James Madison on May 14. The senior did not allow a hit, issued one free pass, and recorded a new career best with six strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
In his four seasons at ODU, Matela posted a 7-4 record with eight saves and a 6.06 ERA through 77 appearances and two starts. He also recorded 105 career strikeouts.