Today, the Old Dominion University Baseball team heads off to Columbia, South Carolina to compete in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
After a 14-year, post- season drought, the Monarchs are fired up to head south down Interstate 95.
Former Gloucester Duke, Josiah Burney says, “I haven’t even thought about it's been 14 years. We’ve just been coming out every day and playing baseball how we know how to. Playing hard nose, scrappy and I mean, I’m not too worried about, and I don’t think anyone else is too worried about. It’s been so long, it’s been a drought. We’re just going to go out and play how we know to.”
Conference USA All-Tournament Team player and freshman, Nick Walker says, “I’m just excited to play at a great venue at South Carolina. My teammates and I are eager to get down there and just have some fun and play a great game of baseball.”
This season ODU played one of the nation’s toughest schedules. They’re treating this weekend’s series no differently.
“I told them, after the show, I said this will be my tenth NCAA Tournament, and for all of them it’s their first so they’ll be excited,” Coach Chris Finwood added. “But when you get down there and get to practice tomorrow and when the guy says play ball, it will be our 61st game of the season, so it won’t be anything new for us.”
“We’ve been preparing for this all fall and winter with our fall workouts and our early mornings and late nights here at the ball park, so I think it has prepared us pretty well and we’re ready,” Walker says.
First up, the Monarchs take on the University of Maryland.
“We are going in as it is another three or four game series. We’re not planning on losing two. We are planning on making a lot of noise, and it’s not too different, it’s just baseball.” The senior first basemen went on to say, “They have the same conditions; they have no clue who we are. We’ve never played Maryland I don’t think since I’ve been here four years. We’re all going in it the same way.”
“I think we’ve played good teams all year. We have a really tough schedule, so we’re prepared for anything. Don’t go get intimidated because they are an ACC school. Just play our game, trust in our hitting, trust in our pitching and our bullpen if I don’t have my stuff and I think we will be good.”
ODU will play the Terps Friday at 1:00pm.
