Old Dominion baseball made a statement this weekend, taking down No. 8 Coastal Carolina with a commanding 9-2 victory in Sunday's rubber match at Springs Brooks Stadium. The Monarchs clinched the Sun Belt series in style, marking their first series win over a Top 10 opponent since May 2022 when they took two of three from No. 7 Southern Miss.
With the win, Old Dominion improves to 27-24 overall and 13-14 in conference play, while the Chanticleers drop to 34-17 and 20-7 in the Sun Belt. It's a momentum-building result for the Monarchs as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
Starter Jackson Okonkwo set the tone early, delivering four scoreless innings that kept the Coastal Carolina lineup off balance. He worked around a leadoff walk in the first, retired the side in order in the second, stranded two runners in the third, and struck out two batters in the fourth. It was exactly the kind of performance teams need in a series-deciding game.
The Monarchs wasted no time grabbing the lead. On just the second pitch of the game, Will Johnson launched a solo home run—his fourth of the season—to put Old Dominion up 1-0 before many fans had settled into their seats.
The bats kept rolling in the third inning. The Monarchs loaded the bases with one out, and Efrain Morales reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Macaddin Dye to score. Zach Leite and Maverick Stallings followed with back-to-back RBI singles, stretching the lead to 4-0. Johnson added another RBI in the fourth with a two-out single to right-center that scored Dye and pushed the advantage to 5-0.
Coastal Carolina finally got on the board in the sixth inning with an RBI single from Jackson Winer, but the Monarchs turned to reliever Nick Sulpizio, who struck out two straight batters looking to snuff out the threat. It was a pivotal moment that kept the Chanticleers from building any real momentum.
Old Dominion answered right back in the seventh. Morales led off with a single and later scored on a Coastal Carolina error during a fielder's choice play. The Chanticleers cut the deficit to 6-2 in the bottom of the inning after Ty Barrango was hit by a pitch and later scored on a fielder's choice, but the Monarchs weren't done.
In the eighth inning, Old Dominion added insurance runs in a big way. Dye and Nick Felton collected hits, Scotty Young drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Morales added another RBI single to put the game out of reach. The Monarchs tacked on one more run to seal the 9-2 victory and send the home crowd home disappointed.
For Old Dominion, this series win is a huge confidence booster and a reminder that they can compete with—and beat—the best teams in the country. For fans of the Monarchs, it's the kind of performance that makes you proud to wear the blue and silver.