ODU (15-5) loaded up on home games to begin the season as this is just their 2nd time away from home (17 of 20 games were home, 3 game series at Kansas St). Last weekend they lost at home to Charlotte 11-8 and 8-7 before salvaging game 3 in a 10-0 7 inning run rule Sunday game. They won both midweek home games (Tuesday 3-1 and Wednesday 15-1) over Princeton

Will add some more later today:

http://www.odusports.com/ViewArticle.dbm...=211796566

This will be ODU's second road series of the season. The Monarchs won 2-of-3 at Kansas State two weekends ago.

Last weekend, in the opening week of C-USA play, ODU dropped a home series to Charlotte and Southern Miss swept LA Tech on the road.

Looking inside the numbers, ODU is hitting .296 as a team, while the Golden Eagles are hitting .247. The Monarchs have a staff ERA of 2.78 and Southern Miss owns a 3.26 ERA.

On the mound, ODU will go with Nick Pantos (3-0, 1.44 ERA) on Friday, reigning C-USA Pitcher of the Week Ryne Moore (4-0, 2.10 ERA) on Saturday and Morgan Maguire (0-1, 6.26 ERA) on Sunday.

Offensively, Bryce Windham (.375, 9 RBI, 6-8 SB) and freshman Ryan Teschko (.350, 4 RBI) lead the team in hitting. Kyle Battle (.342, 2 HR, 18 RBI) and freshman Andy Garriola (.324, 3 HR, 20 RBI) have been the top run producers.

The last time ODU played in Hattiesburg, in 2017, the Monarchs rallied for a series wins with victories on Saturday and Sunday.

And from USM website:

https://southernmiss.com/news/2019/3/21/...ekend.aspx

Probable Rotation (Southern Miss vs. Old Dominion):
Friday - RH Walker Powell, Jr. (1-0, 3.05) vs. RH Nick Pantos, R-So. (3-0, 1.44), 6 p.m.
Saturday – RH Mason Strickland, Sr. (2-0, 7.27) vs. RH Ryne Moore, So. (4-0, 2.10), 2 p.m. -- (Moore threw the 10-0 Sunday 7 inning run rule shutout vs Charlotte)
Sunday, RH Gabe Shepard, Fr. (0-0, 5.40) vs. vs. RH Morgan Maguire, Sr. (0-1, 6.26), 11 a.m.

Mason Strickland? Kid has the worst ERA on the team and 2nd worst WHIP. Two SOs all year with 4 BBs in about 9 innings. I dont get it. Rather see Cody Carroll or Hunter Stanley get a chance...or Tweedy or Adam Jackson.

(03-22-2019 08:47 AM)Reggie Favre Wrote:  Mason Strickland? Kid has the worst ERA on the team and 2nd worst WHIP. Two SOs all year with 4 BBs in about 9 innings. I dont get it. Rather see Cody Carroll or Hunter Stanley get a chance...or Tweedy or Adam Jackson.

Strickland is a strange choice. I like Gabe Sheppard on Sunday though.

Powers must be hurt. He couldn’t throw a strike in that 6th inning at LaTech. Hope it’s not too serious.

Really like Shepard on Sunday. His profile is more of that of a reliever, but we’re desperate for some high upside guys on the weekend so maybe he can step up for us. But he’s coming off TJ so I doubt he goes deep.

(03-22-2019 12:46 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  Powers must be hurt. He couldn’t throw a strike in that 6th inning at LaTech. Hope it’s not too serious.

Really like Shepard on Sunday. His profile is more of that of a reliever, but we’re desperate for some high upside guys on the weekend so maybe he can step up for us. But he’s coming off TJ so I doubt he goes deep.

Agreed on Shepard. Considering he had 2 appearances for 1.1 innings coming into the week and then he pitched 2 innings Tuesday, I don't see him going much more than 3 innings unless he has quick innings or long innings in which case it could be 2-

No collusion, witch hunt! I mean, we need a sweep this weekend. Hope Shep comes up big.

As long as Cooper doesn't play, I am happy as a pig in mud.

(03-22-2019 05:09 PM)Reggie Favre Wrote:  No collusion, witch hunt! I mean, we need a sweep this weekend. Hope Shep comes up big.

Hey, who wants to trash a dead man? Come on, let’s see how tough we can be.

Good god, ODU imploding this inning.

Runner on first with Wallner at the plate. That runner comes around to score before his at-bat is done.

Two errors, two walks, a wild pitch, and a passed ball.

And we only scored 3.

This is C-USA baseball.

C-USA games are just brutal. At least this is moving quickly.

Heck of a game from Powell

Friday results

USM beat ODU
UTSA beat Rice
Marshall beat Charlotte
La Tech beat MTSU
FIU beat WKU
FAU beat UAB

Standings: ties are ranked alphabetical
FAU 4-0
USM 4-0
Marshall 3-1
WKU 3-1
Charlotte 2-2
FIU 2-2
MTSU 2-2
UTSA 2-2
La Tech 1-3
ODU 1-3
Rice 0-4
UAB 0-4

From Baseball America under Ace Watch. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/...des-again/

Walker Powell, RHP, Southern Mississippi: in an 11-0 victory against Old Dominion, Powell threw a three-hit shutout. He struck out six batters, walked none and threw just 97 pitches for the first complete game of his career. Southern Miss (13-6, 4-0 CUSA) has won nine of its last 10 games and Powell improved to 2-0, 2.12.

(03-22-2019 07:50 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  C-USA games are just brutal. At least this is moving quickly.

What proportion of our "improvement" over the last couple of weeks is our team actually getting better vs. competition.

I want to think we are getting significantly better, and I think that we are to an extent. To me, Berry finally has the nine that should have been playing all along.

It also helps that opposing pitchers have been unable to control where the ball is going (36 walks or HBP in 35 innings in C-USA play!). You can't ignore the fact that our lineup was awful until it played in Ruston. And then, literally, the first inning of conference play, they are able to score runs again.

In the field, we are still making a boatload of errors but McGillis has been a huge upgrade over defensive wizard Storme Cooper and Lynch has settled in. Guidry still a big concern. And our outfield is good for multiple misplays a game but that's a norm that we've been working around for years.

It kind of sucks going through conference play and not being sure what the hell any of this says about the team.

(03-23-2019 12:03 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  

(03-22-2019 07:50 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  C-USA games are just brutal. At least this is moving quickly.

What proportion of our "improvement" over the last couple of weeks is our team actually getting better vs. competition.

I want to think we are getting significantly better, and I think that we are to an extent. To me, Berry finally has the nine that should have been playing all along.

It also helps that opposing pitchers have been unable to control where the ball is going (36 walks or HBP in 35 innings in C-USA play!). You can't ignore the fact that our lineup was awful until it played in Ruston. And then, literally, the first inning of conference play, they are able to score runs again.

In the field, we are still making a boatload of errors but McGillis has been a huge upgrade over defensive wizard Storme Cooper and Lynch has settled in. Guidry still a big concern. And our outfield is good for multiple misplays a game but that's a norm that we've been working around for years.

It kind of sucks going through conference play and not being sure what the hell any of this says about the team.

It’ll be a very small sample size, but going up against Allen and Canterino should give us some indication if this offense is really improved or not. Those guys are pretty much the only legit starters we’ll face the rest of the regular season.

Montenegro FINALLY able to pick up a runner in scoring position.

I'll bet he was at least 0-for-10 for the season. All of his RBI's have come on homers or extra base hits with men on first.

Eagz up 5-1, top o' 4th

ODU pitchers throw 12 balls in 13 pitches to walk the bases loaded. Blaylock gets beaned on a 1-1 to bring in a run.

Wallner fouls out but brings in a run.

Now Donaldson gets hit.

Bowen Ks.

Lynch with a two run single.

4 runs on 1 hit this inning.