The Old Dominion Monarchs baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with ...
in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, United States.
The team is a member of the
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...
, which is part of
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
. Old Dominion's first baseball team was fielded in 1931 as the William and Mary College – Norfolk Division Braves. ODU joined Division I in 1977. The team plays its home games at
Bud Metheny Baseball Complex
The Bud Metheny Baseball Complex is a stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Old Dominion Monarchs baseball team. The Monarchs ...
in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
where it has played since 1982. ODU has won 6 conference tournament titles and have been to the
NCAA Tournament nine times. The Monarchs are coached by
Chris Finwood
Chris Finwood (born January 20, 1966) is an American baseball coach and former shortstop, who is the current head baseball coach of the Old Dominion Monarchs. He played college baseball at the Virginia Military Institute for coaches Donny White ...
, a native of
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
who is in his eleventh year at the helm. The Monarchs have had eleven players reach the Major Leagues and two,
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
and
Daniel Hudson
Daniel Claiborne Hudson (born March 9, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made h ...
, have played in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
.
History
Division II: pre-Metheny era
Old Dominion University was founded in 1930 as the College of William and Mary Norfolk Division. The then named Braves played their first season of baseball in 1931 under head coach
Tommy Scott. Scott coached the Braves for nine seasons before retiring in 1939 after compiling an overall record of 50-62-2. After Scott the Braves were coached by several coaches who mostly only coached for one season, the most successful of which coached for three seasons and won a total of 5 games.
Bud Metheny era
Old Dominion baseball team of 1947
In 1948 former
New York Yankee
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
outfielder Arthur "Bud" Metheny became the head coach of the Braves. In 1962 the school became Old Dominion College before attaining university status in 1969 when they changed the name to the Monarchs. Their first post season appearance and title came in 1963 in the Mason Dixon conference playoffs where they defeated Loyola two games to one. While playing in the NCAA's Division II Old Dominion won 6 titles; two Tidewater Scholastic championships in 1932 & 1934, four Little Eight championships in 1958 & 1961-63, and four
Mason-Dixon Conference championships in 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1968. In 1963 & 1964 the Monarchs won the NCAA College Division Eastern Championship before losing in the championship in 1965. During the 1969–1970 season the Monarchs were coached by Jim Bradly and went on to a 12-14 record, after which Metheny returned to the team for the next 10 years. In 1971 & 1972 ODU finished as NCAA Division II South Atlantic finalists. He also led the transition for the Baseball Monarchs to NCAA Division I in 1977. Metheny left coaching the Monarchs in 1980 after winning his last title, the Virginia Intercollegiate State Championship over
UVA
UVA most often refers to:
* Ultraviolet A, a type of ultraviolet radiation
* University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Uva or UVA may also refer to:
Places
* Uva, Missouri, an unincorpora ...
. Metheny is ODU's all-time career wins leader with 423 wins in 31 years.
Mark Newman era
Mark Newman
Mark Newman is an English-American physicist and Anatol Rapoport Distinguished University Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan, as well as an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute. He is known for his fundamental contri ...
took over after Metheny in 1981 when the team left the Mason Dixon Conference for the ECAC South, which would later become the
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...
in 1985. In Newman's second season the Monarchs earned a bid to the
1982 NCAA Tournament where they won their first game against the ECAC South champion
ECU Pirates. In 1983 the Monarchs left the ECAC for the Sun Belt Conference. During the 1985 season the Monarchs set several school recording including overall wins with a record of 50-11, the schools only 50 win season, and a Sun Belt Championship. The 1985 Monarchs earned a berth in the
1985 NCAA Tournament and during the season achieved their highest ranking in school history, appearing at 7th in the polls. Newman coached the Monarchs from 1981–1989 when he left to become
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
coordinator of minor league instruction.
The CAA years
In 1990 the Monarchs were taken over by
Pat McMahon who in his first year led the team to the
1990 NCAA Tournament. The Monarchs then transitioned to the
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...
in 1992. McMahon again led the Monarchs to the NCAA tournament in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
after winning the CAA tournament. Both times McMahon led the Monarchs to the NCAA tournament he had 40 win seasons. McMahon left ODU after the 1994 season to become the Associate Head Coach at
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
. Tony Guzzo was hired from
VCU in 1995 after McMahon left ODU and led the Monarchs to back-to-back CAA titles and NCAA Tournaments in his first two seasons at the helm. Between Coach McMahon and Coach Guzzo the Monarchs had the 21st best winning percentage (.660) in the NCAA during the 1990s tied with
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and ahead of teams like
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
and
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
. In 2000 Guzzo again led his team to the post season earning an at-large bid to the
2000 NCAA Tournament. Guzzo coached the Monarchs until 2005 when
Jerry Meyers
Jerry Meyers (born March 8, 1965) is an American college baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the current head coach for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Meyers attended the Iowa State University from 1984-1987 before starting his coachin ...
took over. Meyers coached the Monarchs from 2005–2010 when he returned to
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. Meyers' career at ODU was highlighted by a victory over #2
UNC, the school's lone victory over a top 5 team until 2014. The 2011 ODU Monarchs were coached by interim head coach Nate Goulet who was named CAA Coach of the Year and led the team to an appearance in the CAA Championship game.
Chris Finwood era
In 2012 Old Dominion hired Chris Finwood as their head coach. Finwood came to ODU from
Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state.
;Always included
* The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...
where he led the Hilltoppers to two conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances. His first season resulted in 19 wins and last place in the CAA. Finwood led the Monarchs from the CAA to Conference USA in 2014 and made them instantly competitive in their new league. The 2013 team was ineligible for the CAA tournament because of this planned move and went on to win 30 games and finished in 3rd place in the conference. Finwood's third team at ODU continued to improve on the previous year by winning six more games than the 2013 team. On April 29, 2014 the Monarchs defeated the #1 ranked team and eventual
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
Runner-Up
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
by a score of 8-1 at
Harbor Park
Harbor Park is a stadium, used primarily for baseball, on the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River, in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Once rated the best minor league stadium by ''Baseball America'', it is home to the Norfolk Tides Minor Lea ...
in Norfolk, Virginia. The victory was ODU and Finwood's first ever victory over the #1 team in the country. The season concluded after a deep run in the conference tournament earned them a bid to the
2014 NCAA Tournament where they went 0-2. In just three years Finwood led the Monarchs from last place in the CAA to back-to-back 30-win seasons, and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a three seed in the Columbia, South Carolina Regional. In 6 seasons he has won 30+ games at the helm of ODU's program.
In 2015 ODU swept nationally ranked UVA making it three straight over the Cavaliers, two of those wins when UVA was ranked #1. Finwood has currently led his team to 27+ wins in three of his four seasons at ODU after a 19 win campaign in his first season and two straight C-USA Conference Tournament berths. Despite a 30 win season and 15-12 in conference, ODU was ineligible for 2013 CAA Conference Tournament but would have been the third seed.
Coaching records
*Records are through the beginning of the 2018 season
*Records taken from the Old Dominion baseball media guide.
*No team played baseball for ODU during the 1939–1940 and 1944–1945 seasons.
''Pre-Division I''
''Division I''
Year by year results
*Since joining Division I – 1977
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, CW = Conference Wins, CL = Conference Losses
Monarchs in the NCAA tournament
''NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Results''
''NCAA All Tournament Team''
*1994 East Regional
:Kevin Gibbs OF
*1995 Atlantic I Regional
:Ray Russin DH
:Maika Symmonds OF
*2000 Clemson Regional
:
Tim Hummel SS
*2014 Columbia Regional
:Tyler Urps SS
Rivalries
Records through of 2015 season
''East Carolina University''
ODU and
ECU were longtime opponents in the
CAA
CAA may refer to:
Law
* Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 of India
** Citizenship Amendment Act protests, Protests regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act
* Copyright transfer agreement, Copyright assignment agreement, to transfer copyright to ...
before ECU's move to the C-USA. When ODU announced it was moving to the C-USA in 2014 it was expected to add to the already heated rivalry but they were only together in the C-USA for one year due to ECU's move to the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
. ECU and ODU are yearly opponents regardless of conference affiliation and ECU leads the all-time series 44-34.
''University of Virginia''
ODU and
UVA
UVA most often refers to:
* Ultraviolet A, a type of ultraviolet radiation
* University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Uva or UVA may also refer to:
Places
* Uva, Missouri, an unincorpora ...
have played very competitively over the course of their history. With the hiring of head coach Brian O'Connor and the resurgence of Cavalier baseball during his tenure the Cavaliers have won most of the games in the past decade. UVA and ODU have scheduled home-and-home series at
Davenport Field
Davenport Field at Disharoon Park is a baseball stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is the home field of the University of Virginia Cavaliers college baseball team. The stadium has a capacity of 5,074 and opened in 2002. The field is na ...
in Charlottesville and
Harbor Park
Harbor Park is a stadium, used primarily for baseball, on the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River, in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Once rated the best minor league stadium by ''Baseball America'', it is home to the Norfolk Tides Minor Lea ...
in Norfolk. ODU upset then #1 UVA at Harbor Park in 2014 and #1 UVA in Charlottesville in 2015 for the programs only wins over a top ranked team in school history. ODU leads the all-time series 33-24-2 and is currently on a three-game winning streak.
''Virginia Commonwealth University''
VCU was one of Old Dominion's largest rivalries from its time in the CAA. ODU & VCU games are among the highest attended games on their schedule and they play at least one game against each other every season. Former Monarch Paul Keyes was the head coach at VCU from 1995 until his death in 2012. In honor of Coach Keyes the two teams began a charity game in his name where they raise money for cancer research during a game played at
War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium may refer to:
* Ada War Memorial Stadium, in Ada, Ohio, also known as ''War Memorial Stadium''
* War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas), Little Rock, Arkansas
* War Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) (former official name 1924–1947), ...
in Hampton, Virginia. The Paul A Keyes Hitting Facility at the
Bud Metheny Baseball Complex
The Bud Metheny Baseball Complex is a stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Old Dominion Monarchs baseball team. The Monarchs ...
which opened in Fall 2014 was also named in Coach Keyes' honor. ODU leads the all-time series 87-61.
All-Time Record vs C-USA
*UTEP, and North Texas do not field baseball teams.
*Records include games prior to ODU joining C-USA in 2014.
*Records are current until the end of 2016 season.
ODU vs Top 10 Teams
Old Dominion is 7-5 all-time in match-ups against Top 10 ranked teams.
*#1
:2014 at
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
– L 1-7
:2014 Virginia – W 8-1(at
Harbor Park
Harbor Park is a stadium, used primarily for baseball, on the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River, in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Once rated the best minor league stadium by ''Baseball America'', it is home to the Norfolk Tides Minor Lea ...
)
:2015 at Virginia – W 14-5
*#2
:2008 at
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
– W 8-6
*#5
:2009 at North Carolina – L 6-7
*#8
:1998
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
W 15-10
:2003
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
L 1-3
:2015
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
W/W/L 12-4, 9-8, 4-5
*#10
:2001 South Carolina – L 3-16
:2016 NC State W 5-0
Award winners
Conference awards
*All awards come from the ODU sports baseball record book.
*Awards are first team unless otherwise noted.
*The Monarchs have had 152 All-Conference Selections, 133 since joining Division I. By conference there have been 19 All Mason Dixon(D-II), 6 All-ECAC South, 41 All-Sun Belt, 72 All-CAA, and 14 All-Conference USA selections.
*The ODU record for most All-Conference selections is 8 in 1985, ODU's only 50 win season and Sun Belt Tournament championship season.
''Conference Player of the Year''
*Sun Belt
:1986 Todd Azar
*CAA
:1994 Kevin Gibbs
:1997 Ron Walker
:2000
Tim Hummel
:2011 Kyle Hald
''Conference Tournament MVP''
*Sun Belt
:1986 Todd Azar
*CAA
:1994
Matt Quatraro
Matthew John Quatraro (born November 14, 1973) is an American professional baseball former minor league player and minor league manager, and the current manager of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the bench ...
:1995 Maika Symmonds
:1996 Ron Walker
''Conference Freshman of the Year''
*Sun Belt
:1990 Stephen Lyons
:1991 T.J. O’Donnell
*CAA
:1994 Brett Wheeler
:1995 Ron Walker
:1998 Tim Hummel
:2002 Justin Verlander
:2009 Brett Harris
''Conference Newcomer of the Year''
*C-USA
:2017 Jared Young
''Conference Defensive Player of the Year''
*C-USA
:2017 Zach Rutherford
''Conference Coach of the Year''
*Sun Belt
:1985
Mark Newman
Mark Newman is an English-American physicist and Anatol Rapoport Distinguished University Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan, as well as an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute. He is known for his fundamental contri ...
:1987 Mark Newman
:1990
Pat McMahon
*CAA
:1994 Pat McMahon
:1996 Tony Guzzo
:2006
Jerry Meyers
Jerry Meyers (born March 8, 1965) is an American college baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the current head coach for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Meyers attended the Iowa State University from 1984-1987 before starting his coachin ...
:2011 Nate Goulet
National honors
Old Dominion has had six players selected as D-I First Team All-Americans and two selected as D-II First Team All-Americans with one selected twice. Nine Monarchs have been named First Team Freshman All-Americans. Thirty-nine Monarch players have been named to the ABCA All-Region Team.
''All Americans''
:1963 Bob Walton – 1st Team Div II
:1963 Jim Zadell – 2nd Team Div II
:1964 Fred Kovner – 1st Team Div II
:1964 Bob Walton – 2nd Team Div II
:1965 Fred Kovner – 1st Team Div II
:1982 Mark Wasinger – 1st Team C & SN
:1983 Terry Bell – 1st Team SN
:1985 Kevin Bearse – 3rd Team BA
:1985 Todd Azar – 3rd Team C
:1986 Todd Azar – 1st Team BA
:1990 George Sells – 1st Team CB
:1991 Jeff Ware – 3rd Team C
:1994 Kevin Gibbs – 3rd Team CB & BA
:1995 Kevin Gibbs – 3rd Team CB
:1996
Matt Quatraro
Matthew John Quatraro (born November 14, 1973) is an American professional baseball former minor league player and minor league manager, and the current manager of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the bench ...
– 2nd Team C, 3rd Team CB
:2000
Tim Hummel – 1st Team CB & BA, 2nd Team BW
:2007 Anthony Shawler – 1st Team CB, 2nd Team C, 3rd Team BA
:2013 Ben Verlander – 3rd Team BW
:2017 Jared Young - 3rd Team CB, 3rd Team C, Honorable Mention PG
:2017 Zach Rutherford - 3rd Team C
''Freshman All Americans''
:1985 Wiley Lee – 1st Team CB
:1990 Stephen Lyons – 2nd Team CB
:1991
Wayne Gomes
Wayne Maurice Gomes (born January 15, 1973) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 through 2002 for the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and
Boston Red Sox. Li ...
– 1st Team CB
:1993 Kevin Gibbs – 1st Team CB & BA
:1994 Brett Wheeler – 1st Team CB
:1995 Ron Walker – Hon Mention CB
:1997 Shawn Pearson – Hon Mention CB
:1998 Tim Hummel – 1st Team CB & BA
:2000 Brent Sollenberger – Hon Mention CB
:2001 Matt Moye – Hon Mention CB
:2002 Justin Verlander – 1st Team CB & BA
:2006 Dan Hudson – Hon Mention CB
:2009 Brett Harris – 1st Team CB
:2011 Joey Burney – 1st Team CB
:2014 Nick Walker – 1st Team CB
:2015 Zach Rutherford – 1st Team CB, 2nd Team BA
:2017 Kyle Battle - CB
:2017 John Wilson - CB
:2017 Vinnie Pasquantino - CB
C – Coaches, CB – Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger, BA – Baseball America, BW – Baseball Writers, SN – Sporting News, PG - Perfect Game/Rawlings
''ABCA All Region''
:1981 John Micheltree
:1981 Mark Wasinger
:1982 Mark Wasinger
:1982 Tony Morris
:1983 Terry Bell
:1985 Todd Azar
:1985 Tommy West
:1985 Kevin Bearse
:1987 Todd Azar
:1991 Jeff Ware
:1994 Kevin Gibbs
:1996 John O’Reilly
:1996 Matt Quatraro
:1996 Brian Fiumara
:1996 Ron Walker
:1997 Jesse James
:1997 Tony Gsell
:1997 Ron Walker
:1998 Shawn Pearson
:1999 Tony Gsell
:1999 Tim Hummel
:1999 Andy Lee
:2000 Jared Musolf
:2000
Tim Hummel
:2002
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
:2004 Justin Verlander
:2006 Jason Godin
:2006 Dana Arrowood
:2006 Patrick Nichols
:2006 Jimmy Miles
:2007 Anthony Shawler
:2007 Mike Zahm
:2007 David Burns
:2009 Jake McAloose
:2011 Kyle Hald
:2013 Ben Verlander
:2014 Brad Gero
:2017 Jared Young
:2017 Zach Rutherford
''Regional Coach of the Year''
:1963
Bud Metheny
Arthur Beauregard “Bud” Metheny (June 1, 1915 – January 2, 2003) was an American baseball player and coach. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees (1943–46) and served Old Dominion University for 32 years as head baseba ...
:2014
Chris Finwood
Chris Finwood (born January 20, 1966) is an American baseball coach and former shortstop, who is the current head baseball coach of the Old Dominion Monarchs. He played college baseball at the Virginia Military Institute for coaches Donny White ...
MLB Monarch Award winners
*
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
:
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
– 2011
AL
*
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...
:Justin Verlander – 2011 AL
*Rookie of the Year
:Justin Verlander – 2006 AL
*
Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball.
These voters cons ...
:
Daniel Hudson
Daniel Claiborne Hudson (born March 9, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made h ...
– 2011
NL
Notable players
''Major Leaguers''
*
Kevin Bearse
Kevin Gerard Bearse (born November 7, 1965) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB) for three games during the 1990 season.
Amateur career
Bearse attended Old Dom ...
(1990)
*
Terry Bell (1986–87)
*
Wayne Gomes
Wayne Maurice Gomes (born January 15, 1973) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 through 2002 for the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and
Boston Red Sox. Li ...
(1997–2002)
*
Daniel Hudson
Daniel Claiborne Hudson (born March 9, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hudson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made h ...
(2009–present)
*
Tim Hummel (2003–04)
*
Paul Mitchell (1975–80)
*
John Montague (1973–80)
*
Dennis Riddleberger (1960–72)
*
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
(2005–present)
*
Jeff Ware (1995–96)
*
Mark Wasinger (1986–88)
*
Ryan Yarbrough (2018–present)
''On Team USA''
* Justin Verlander 2003
* Kevin Gibbs 1994
* Jeff Ware 1991
* Wiley Lee 1986
* Todd Azar 1986
* Paul Mitchell 1971
Old Dominion has produced five first round draft picks in the MLB Draft with the highest selection being
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
at number 2 overall by
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
in 2004. ODU baseball players have been selected 73 times in the MLB Draft.
Retired numbers
The ODU Baseball Monarchs have retired two jerseys in their history. The jersey number 3 was retired former
New York Yankee
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
outfielder and ODU Baseball Head Coach
Bud Metheny
Arthur Beauregard “Bud” Metheny (June 1, 1915 – January 2, 2003) was an American baseball player and coach. He played professional baseball for the New York Yankees (1943–46) and served Old Dominion University for 32 years as head baseba ...
who compiled an overall record of 423–363–6 during his 31 years at ODU and was induced into the American Association of College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984 and the ODU Hall of Fame in 1982. While playing for the Yankees Metheny won the
1943 World Series
The 1943 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1943 season. The 40th edition of the World Series, it matched the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees, in a rematch of the 1942 ...
. Coach Metheny was named the East Region National Coach of the Year in 1963 and the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex where ODU currently plays was named for him.
The second jersey is number 35 for current
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
pitcher
Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...
. Verlander was the second overall pick in the
2004 MLB draft. He was induced into the ODU Hall of Fame in 2012 and holds the ODU, Virginia, and Colonial Athletic Association all-time record for career strikeouts and earning Freshman All-American honors. As of 2014 Justin Verlander is the only former Monarch to have played in the World Series pitching in two for Detroit in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
. In 2006 as a rookie Verlander pitched in games 1 and 5 against the
Cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
going 0–2. In the 2012 series Verlander pitched game 1 taking the loss as the
Giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
swept the Tigers in four games for the championship. Verlander won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006 when he went to his first World Series and has also won the 2011 AL MVP and
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...
. He has also pitched two no hitters in his career, once on June 12, 2007 against Milwaukee and again on May 7, 2011 against Toronto.
Bud Metheny Baseball Complex
The Monarchs have played at the
Bud Metheny Baseball Complex
The Bud Metheny Baseball Complex is a stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Old Dominion Monarchs baseball team. The Monarchs ...
since it opened in 1983. The complex has a total capacity of 2,500 people with the stadium record being 2,125 on the day of its dedication. The facilities contain coaches offices beneath the first base bleachers and the player locker room beneath the third base bleachers. In 2009 the field obtained a new video board and in 2011 a batter's eye was erected. The facility also has a beer garden in the first baseline foul area, an all turf halo behind home plate, a turf stretching/bunting area, and the Paul Keyes Indoor Hitting Facility.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I baseball programs
The following is a list of schools that participate in NCAA Division I baseball. In the 2022 season, 301 Division I schools competed. These teams compete to go to the 64-team Division I baseball tournament and then to Omaha, Nebraska, and Charles ...
*
Old Dominion Monarchs
The Old Dominion Monarchs are composed of 18 intercollegiate athletic teams representing Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, sailing, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Wo ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Dominion Monarchs Baseball
Baseball teams established in 1931
1931 establishments in Virginia