Good morning. Old Dominion baseball put up a heckuva fight, but their season is finished after a loss in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last night—but not before becoming the first NCAA Division I team in the BBCOR era to hit 100 home runs in three straight seasons. Watch Kyle Edwards launch this 374-foot long ball to cap off this achievement for the Monarchs.

What else are we serving up in today’s Brew?

⚾ Down to the wire
🎾 Tatsiana Sasnouskaya and Sofia Johnson are movin’ on
👑 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP 

🔼 Down To The Wire. Old Dominion's season has come to an end after a close 2-1 loss to James Madison in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The loss ended the season for the Monarchs.

💥 One Shining Highlight:

Kyle Edwards gave ODU a 1-0 lead with a 374-foot home run to left field in the top of the third. It was ODU's 100th home run and marked the third season in a row the Monarchs have hit 100 homers.

⏩ Looking Forward For The Monarchs:

This was ODU's first season in the Sun Belt—one of the nation's power baseball leagues—having lost 27 of 43 lettermen, including three taken in the MLB Draft, from the team that won 41 games last season. ODU also lost four key pitchers and six of its top nine hitters.

🔼 Serve’s Up. After an over three-hour rain delay that saw the doubles match move inside, Tatsiana Sasnouskaya and Sofia Johnson defeated fourth-seeded Ivana and Carmen Corley of Oklahoma (3-6, 6-4, 12-10) in a round of 32 match in the 2023 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.

With the win, the second of the year for the pair of Monarchs over the Oklahoma duo, they advance to face Katherine Duong and Megan Heuser of Illinois today who won 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) over Yinglak Jittakoat and Matilde Magrini of Fresno State.

🔼 Set Sail. Old Dominion University sailing sits in 12th place after Day 1 of the College Sailing Women's Eastern Semifinals. The Division A team of Katherine Barton and Elizabeth Gildea finished the day in 14th with one Top 10 finish out of the six races. The Division B duo of Megan Geith and Cadence Goodnight finished in 11th on the day with two Top 10 finishes in the six races.

Racing begins this morning at 10:00am ET.

🔼 Living In Hope. Old Dominion baseball was as upbeat as they’ve been this season heading into the Sun Belt Tournament, despite a late-season slump. At the center of this newfound optimism? Kyle Edwards—son of a single mom who was a Marine. He began the season on the bench, but now leads ODU in hitting. Read more about the player and this team that traveled 750 miles from Norfolk to Montgomery full of cheer in the latest Max With Minium.

🤔 MONARCH TRIVIA

On strike. Earlier this week, Old Dominion earned two spots on the Sun Belt All-Conference team—Hunter Fitz-Gerald got a First Team nod thanks to top-three conference finishes in home runs (22), total bases (150), and RBIs (70) and Sam Armstrong received a place on the Second Team with a 9-3 record and a 3.47 ERA in 14 starts for the Monarchs this season.

Today’s trivia question goes to the pitcher…

What's Sam Armstrong's season-high for strikeouts in a single game this year?

Think you got it? Click your answer above and scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

👑 ONE BIG THING

Mya Byrd bounded out of the stands at Chartway Arena, and even in formal shoes, ran to hug Tatsiana Sasnouskaya.

Sasnouskaya, who is known as Tanya by her Old Dominion women's tennis teammates, had just been named ODU's Female Athlete of the Year at the Golden Monarch Awards, a yearly gathering in which the University's more than 450 student-athletes dress up in their black tie finest to receive awards and trophies.

When she walked off the stage, Tanya was nearly bowled over by Mya. She quickly recovered and hugged Mya back, and then they shared a smile that communicated so much without saying a word.

A very different scene played out a few weeks earlier at ODU's Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. It was Friday, April 6, a day before the Monarchs were to host James Madison, and they were going through a light practice, the kind of laid-back workout you have the day before what was expected to be a challenging match.

Without warning, Byrd collapsed on the court. No one yet knows why. Her breathing slowed almost to a halt. Her heartbeat was shallow. Her teammates understandably were distraught.

📬 STICK WITH US

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📅 THE DAYS AHEAD

Wednesday 5/24

🚣 Rowing @ College Sailing Women’s Fleet Race Champion National Championship in Kings Point, NY

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships

Thursday 5/25

🚣 Rowing @ College Sailing Women’s Fleet Race Champion National Championship in Kings Point, NY

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 12!

Sam Armstrong struck out a season-high 12 batters on February 26 against Fordham, allowing one unearned run on four hits without issuing a walk in a six-inning start.

Have a great Wednesday, y’all.