Old Dominion (18-17, 7-8 Sun Belt) vs. No. 10 Virginia (28-8, 11-7 ACC)
Game Location – Harbor Park (Norfolk, Va.)
Start Time – Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m.
Listen – Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1
Live Stats – Click Here
Tickets – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion Baseball hosts No. 10 Virginia in the Commonwealth Classic this Tuesday night at Harbor Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. with gates open to the public at 5 p.m.
Fans can tune into Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1 to hear Ted Alexander and Eric Bohannon calling the game. Live stats will also be available.
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (18-17, 7-8 Sun Belt) won their TowneBank Royal Rivalry series against James Madison over the weekend two games to one. After ODU captured the opener 7-1 on Friday, the Dukes evened the series with a 7-5 final on Saturday. In Sunday's rubber match, Trent Buchanan, Kellen Davis and Jacob Gomez proved effective out of the pen while Luke Waters and Maverick Stallings paced the offense with a couple of two-run home runs as ODU captured a 6-3 victory.
Waters continues to lead the Monarchs in batting average (.384), slugging percentage (.591), OPS (1.004), hits (46), home runs (8), RBIs (30) and total bases (78). He's also second on the team in steals with 16 on 17 attempts. Alex Bouche follows Waters with a .274 average, Steven Meier is hitting .264, and Kenny Levari is close behind him at .262. Meier has scored a team-high 32 runs and currently ranks 25th nationally in stolen bases (19) and 35th in stolen bases per game (0.54). As a team, ODU is hitting .244 with a .384 slugging percentage and a .342 on-base percentage.
Brandon Pond (0-2, 7.94 ERA) will get the start on Tuesday. The senior right hander from Chesterfield, Virginia has allowed 15 runs on 19 hits and six walks. He has tallied 19 strikeouts through 17 innings and 10 appearances with opponents hitting .271 against him. Through games played on April 14, the Monarchs rank 10th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.83), 17th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.46), 19th in WHIP (1.31), and 24th in ERA (4.33).
Old Dominion is listed 58th in the latest RPI rankings. The Sun Belt is ranked fourth in the conference RPI rankings with 10 of the league's 14 teams ranked in the Top 100.
Scouting Virginia
The Cavaliers (28-8, 11-7 ACC) played at No. 11 Louisville this past weekend and came away with a 2-1 series win. Through the three games, Virginia outscored the Cardinals 47-24 to tie a program record for the most runs in a three-game ACC series. The Hoos won the first game 21-3 and the third game 16-7 while Louisville claimed the second, 14-10.
All but one starter is hitting over .300 for Virginia, with Jacob Ference leading the team and ranking 23rd in the country with a .412 clip. Henry Godbout is second with a .389 average, Henry Ford is batting .372, and Casey Saucke comes into Tuesday's contest at .359. Harrison Didawick (.308) is currently sixth in all of Division I with 52 runs scored and is also 10th in runs per game (1.44), 11th in home runs (15) and RBIs (50), and 24th in RBIs per game (1.39). Godbout's 0.46 doubles per game rank 15th nationally while Luke Hanson (.310) has the fourth-most sacrifice bunts with nine.
The Cavaliers are the national leaders in hits (461), doubles (98), and runs (375). They're also second in batting average (.346) and runs per game (10.4), third in doubles per game (2.72), fifth in on-base percentage (.438) and seventh in slugging percentage (.579).
Joe Savino (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the start and make just his second appearance for the Cavaliers this season. He also started the previous meeting in Charlottesville on April 2, allowing one hit while striking out a pair in one inning of work. UVA has a team ERA of 5.71 with opponents hitting .277 against them.
Virginia enters the Commonwealth Classic ranked ninth in the RPI. The ACC is the second-best conference RPI with 13 of the 15 programs in the Top 100, to include five in the Top 10.
The Series
This will be the third meeting between the two programs this season. The then-No. 14 Cavaliers won the first game 8-0 back on Feb. 21. The Monarchs returned to Charlottesville on April 2, falling to the then-No. 15 Cavaliers 4-0.
The all-time series is now tied at 29-29.
COMMONWEALTH CLASSIC HISTORY
2023: #14 East Carolina 4, Old Dominion 1 (13 Innings)*
2022: Canceled due to weather
2020: Canceled due to COVID
2019: Old Dominion 3, Virginia Tech 2
2018: Canceled due to weather
2017: Virginia Tech 8, #25 Old Dominion 4
2016: #20 Virginia 8, Old Dominion 4
2015: Old Dominion 3, #23 Virginia 1
2014: Old Dominion 8, #1 Virginia 1
*played at Bud Metheny Ballpark
Fan and Ticket Information
General admission tickets for the Commonwealth Classic cost $10 and can be purchased online here. ODU students who present a valid student ID will be admitted for free. No voucher books will be accepted.
Harbor Park has a clear bag policy in place for all events and no entry will be permitted unless you meet the requirements. The policy permits bags no larger than 12" x 12" x 6" in size. Exceptions include diaper bags, medical bags and small handheld clutches and purses sized no larger than 7" x 5". If you arrive at the gate and your belongings do not meet the requirements, you will be asked to place your belongings back in your vehicle.
Get Your Gear!
Need some ODU gear to rep the Monarchs on Tuesday night? The ODU Bookstore will be on site and has you covered. Now in stock are the on-field hats the Monarchs wear during games.
Up Next
ODU is back on the road this weekend as the Monarchs travel to Huntington, West Virginia to continue Sun Belt play at Marshall. Friday's series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m., Saturday will start at 7 p.m., and Sunday will begin at 1 p.m.
ODU Baseball Set to Host No. 10 Virginia in the Commonwealth Classic
