NORFOLK, Va. – (ODU Athletics) Former Old Dominion University baseball standout Kyle Battle has signed as a non-drafted free agent with the New York Yankees. The native of Glen Allen, Virginia capped off a five-year career with the Monarchs with an award-laden campaign in 2021.
Battle received All-American distinctions from four publications this spring and became just the third Monarch to receive All-American honors from four separate outlets. Battle was recognized by D1Baseball, ABCA/Rawlings, Baseball America and the NCBWA.
The Conference USA leader in home runs, Battle ranked 16th nationally with 18 long balls. He hit 14 of his 18 homers against conference opponents, and he led off the ODU first inning with a long ball five times with the Monarchs winning all five of those games. Battle set a school record with 56 walks, the third most in Division I and the most in C-USA. Battle was top-three in the conference and 11th nationally with 68 runs scored and drove in 61 runs, the fifth most in C-USA.
Battle posted a .319 batting average in 2021 with 66 hits, including 15 doubles, in 59 games. He had multiple hits in 19 games and notched three hits in a game on three occasions. He also drove in multiple runs 16 times, including the Conference USA Championship game. In that game, he hit a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to give the Monarchs a 7-5 lead, the eventual winning score, as ODU claimed its first C-USA title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in program history.
