Monarch Brew 9/4: Hunt For October

Former Monarchs Looking For Spot in MLB Playoffs

Author

Monarch Brew Crew
September 04, 2024

Good Morning Monarch Nation. October doesn’t just bring leaves changes and pumpkin spice. It’s playoff baseball time.

We’ve got plenty of ODU family members aiming to be a part of the exclusive club this fall as the MLB season is coming down the home stretch.

We’ll recap that and more in today’s Brew! Check it out below!

⚾️ Playoffs?!?
🏈 Home Sweet Home
⚽️ Flyin’ High
​🦁 And much, much more!

🏈 HOME SWEET HOME

It’s been nearly nine months since the Monarchs stepped on the field at Ballard Stadium.

That changes on Saturday when ODU welcomes East Carolina to Norfolk for the 2024 home opener.

🙌 HELPING HANDS

Join the cause!

The annual campus and community-wide Monarchs Give Back campaign kicks off THIS WEEK!

As part of the campaign, ODU Athletics reps will be on hand to collect perishable items as part of the food drive that benefit Norfolk Public Schools children that are experiencing food insecurity.

This annual effort not only highlights the University's commitment to partner with the Hampton Roads community, but also shows the care and compassion of our University and the 757 as we come together to provide support.

This year, our goal is to collect 40,000 non-perishable items/monetary donations to benefit Norfolk Public Schools, ODU’s Monarch Pantry, and the Foodbank of Southeastern VA.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Playoffs? We’re Talking About The Playoffs?!? Five different former ODU standouts have played in an MLB game this season.

All ✋ are currently members of teams that are playoff bound if the season ended today.

Daniel Hudson and Ryan Yarbrough are key parts of the Dodgers bullpen, who currently hold the best record in all of baseball. Jared Koening has been a force out of the pen for the Brewers, who hold a strong lead in the NL Central, while Justin Verlander is back in the rotation for the AL West-leading Astros.

It certainly hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for the former Monarchs as Vinnie Pasquantino, who was on pace to become the first ODU alum with a 100+ RBI season, broke his thumb and will most likely miss the rest of the regular season for the Kansas City Royals.

🔼 Flyin’ High. A thunderstorm. A 16-hour delay. Anything else wanna be wrapped into this one?

That’s what the ODU men’s soccer team had to battle in their home opener, but in the end the Monarchs fought their way to a 1-0 thriller over in-state rival, Radford.

On Sunday, Lewis Redding started a possession by flicking a pass to Timothy Ennin, who fed William Arnesen for a goal in the 28th minute. At halftime, the skies opened up, which forced the two teams to finish the game on Monday morning.

When play resume, the ODU defense took over and preserved the shutout victory.

🔼 Winning in Williamsburg. Prior to last season, the young ODU volleyball program had never started a season winning three of their first four matches.

Now, they’ve done it in back-to-back seasons.

The Monarchs went up the road and fought their way to a thrilling 3-2 victory at William & Mary, marking the second straight season that ODU has beaten the local rival.

Senior sensation Myah Conway unleashed a team-high 18 kills, while Hailee Blankenship added 16 and Bryanna Jones 13 to round out the Monarchs offensive attack. Blankenship and Jones each registered a double-doubles as both ODU standouts tallied 12 digs on the night.

SNEAK PEEK

It may still be a few months until the Monarchs hit the court, but ODU fans
can get a sneak peek into a brand new era of Monarch hoops
on September 14th at Chartway Arena.

From 1 pm - 2 pm, Coach Jones and the squad will work out in front of all fans to give a little peek in what to expect this upcoming season.

PATH TO THE PROS

As the Monarchs prepare for their home opener this weekend, some former family members are getting ready for season openers of their own.

Eight former ODU standouts secured spots on 53-man NFL rosters.

Quarterback Taylor Heinicke (Chargers - traded by Atlanta last week), long snapper Rick Lovato (Eagles), wide receiver Zach Pascal (Cardinals), linebacker Oshane Ximines (Patriots), tight end Stone Smartt (Chargers), cornerback Tre Hawkins (Giants), offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri (Saints) and running back Blake Watson (Broncos) made their respective rosters.

🏈 WHAT’S IN STORE

We’ve got the full promotional breakdown of all 6️⃣ home games for the Monarchs!

🦁 MONARCH TRIVIA

Through the first four matches of the 2024 season, newcomer Hailee Blankenship is making her presence felt for the ODU volleyball team with 39 kills.

Where did the grad student spend the previous four seasons playing?

Got a guess?

Scroll to the bottom for the answer!

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📅 COMING SOON

Thursday, Sept. 5
⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. George Mason @ 6 pm

Friday, Sept. 6
🏑 Field Hockey at Queens @ 12 pm
🏐 Volleyball vs. Princeton @ 4:30 pm (Villanova, Pa.)
⚽️ Men’s Soccer vs. UMBC @ 7 pm

Saturday, Sept. 7
🏈 Football vs. East Carolina @ 6 pm
🏐 Volleyball vs. Loyola (Md.) @ 4:30 pm (Villanova, Pa.)

Sunday, Sept. 8
🏑 Field Hockey at William & Mary @ 1 pm
🏐 Volleyball at Villanova @ 2 pm
⛳️ Men’s Golf at Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate
⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. Longwood @ 6 pm

🦁 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: King University (Tenn.)

The Goode, Va. native returned to her home state for her final collegiate season after back-to-back All-Conference seasons at King University.

🦁 Enjoy your day!