NORFOLK (WAVY) – The Old Dominion baseball team improved its record to 13-8 after yesterday’s 3-2 win over Richmond.
Now the Monarchs get ready for their second conference series of the season when they travel to Lafayette for a three-game set against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
Coach Chris Finwood has a lot new players on the squad as he tries get ODU back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
When the Monarchs take on Louisiana this weekend, Finwood and his staff have decided to take a different approach.
Most college teams have weekend starting pitchers for conference series games. But Finwood’s plan is to use multiple pitchers in a game and not go with a stand out starter. Call it pitching by committee.
“I think sometimes when you have designated starters the traditional way, those guys can get tired as the season wears on,” Finwood said. “Maybe in this format that won’t happen.”
Five weeks into the season, the pitchers on the team that were interviewed seem to be receptive to this approach.
“I like it because it’s giving more opportunities to a lot of people who weren’t seen as a starter at first,” senior pitcher Jacob Gomez said.
Junior pitcher Blake Morgan, who is back on the mound after undergoing his fourth knee surgery, said with the depth the Monarchs have at the pitching position, this approach should be advantageous.
“Anyone can go out there and get outs, which is really helpful for us,” Morgan said.
After playing at Louisiana this weekend, ODU returns home on Thursday March 28 for a three-game series against South Alabama.
