Meeting with Monarchs: Rutgers baseball set to take on Old Dominion in 2nd week of 2024 season
The Rutgers baseball team will look to ride off its hot start to the season after leaving Rock Hill, South Carolina, with a sweep of Winthrop.
The Scarlet Knights (3-0, 0-0) now head to Norfolk, Virginia, to take on Old Dominion after defeating the Eagles (0-3, 0-0) 14-5, 3-1 and 7-6 last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Redshirt sophomore infielder Tony Santa Maria was the star for Rutgers with three home runs, seven total hits, five runs and eight runs batted in (RBI).
Graduate student infielder Johnny Volpe also excelled in his first week with the Knights. The Rider transfer had a weekend full of fours. Last weekend, he hit for a .444 batting average with four hits and four RBI while stealing five bases.
Senior infielder Cameron Love impressed in his three starts, hitting a home run along with a 1.167 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Christian Coppola and senior left-handed pitcher Justin Sinibaldi are expected to start on the mound against the Monarchs (3-0, 0-0). Both pitchers posted at least five innings while allowing just one earned run in their starts.
Old Dominion is coming off a sweep of its own against George Washington, outscoring it 19-7 in all three games combined.
The Monarchs had four batters hit for a .400 average at the plate, with Kyle Edwards and Luke Waters leading the way. Edwards totaled a .444 batting average with four hits, two doubles and three RBI, while Waters hit one of Old Dominion's home runs last weekend with four RBI.
Dylan Brown is a Monarch pitcher to keep an eye on after he punched out eight batters in five innings in his start. Old Dominion's bullpen will be riding high heading into its matchup against Rutgers after the majority of them gave up no runs in their appearances.
Before facing the Knights, the Monarchs will face a challenge when they take on No. 14 Virginia on Wednesday.
Rutgers and Old Dominion will begin the series on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by Saturday and Sunday matchups at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. The games will be held at Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia, and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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