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- Monarch Brew 5/15: We'll Take A Dozen
Monarch Brew 5/15: We'll Take A Dozen
Kuskie, Matela Combine For 12 Strikeouts In Series Opening Win Over JMU
Monarch Brew Crew
May 15, 2026
Good Morning, ODU Fam. What better way to start your Friday than recapping a rivalry win?
What all do we have stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below!
⚾️ We’ll Take A Dozen
⛳️ Top-40 Hits
🏈 Leading The Way
🦁 And much more!
🎥 HOMETOWN HEROES
On this special Hometown Heroes episode of Behind the Reign, Zion Frink,
Leon Haughton Jr., and Koa Naotala share stories from growing up in Virginia, finding
their way to ODU, and building their own legacies as Monarchs.
The trio talks football, family, NIL opportunities, team culture, and what
fans can expect from ODU this season.
📈 STOCK UP
🔼 We’ll Take A Dozen. Some early offense and 12 combined strikeouts between Darin Kuskie and Bailey Matela helped the ODU Baseball squad take game one in this week’s TowneBank Royal Rivalry series versus JMU.
Kuskie held the Dukes to just one run on two hits and two walks. The junior right hander out of Damascus, Maryland struck out six of the 19 batters faced in a five-inning start. Matela picked up his second save of the season after tossing 3.1 shutout innings in relief. The Norfolk native did not allow a hit, walked one, and struck out six, a new career high for the left-hander.
Will Johnson, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, hit 2-for-3 with one run scored, one RBI, and one hit by pitch. Macaddin Dye had ODU’s other multi-hit effort, finishing 2-for-4 with a run.
🔼 Top-40 Hits. ODU women’s golf standout Barbara Car turned in a final round of four-over par 76 to earn a top-40 finish, tied for 38th, at the NCAA Louisville Regional.
Car, this year’s Sun Belt Championship individual medalist, wrapped up stroke play with a 54-hole total of 221 (+5). She carded a one-over 73 in Monday’s opening round and followed with an even 72 on Tuesday.
🔼 Leading The Way. Coming off the first 10-win season for ODU since 2016, the Monarchs Head Football Coach Ricky Rahne was honored this week as he was named the recipient of the J. Roy Rodman Memorial Award for Virginia’s Outstanding Collegiate Coach, as given by the Norfolk Sports Club.
Rahne led the Monarchs to a 10-3 record in 2025, finishing the season on a six-game winning streak and defeating South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl, 24-10.
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🔼 Smarty ‘Cats. The success wasn’t limited to the courts this year for the ODU tennis programs.
This week, six Monarch standouts earned spots on the 2026 Academic All-District Men’s Tennis College Sports Communicators (CSC) Teams.
On the men’s side, Aryan Saleh and Piet Steveker earned recognition, while women’s standouts Lidiia Rasskouskaia, Kira Matushkina, Victoria Matasova and Marina Marikina were all honored.
To earn the award, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.50 without rounding and must have either started in 66% of matches or competed in 90% of all matches.
🏀 DANCIN’ WITH DREW
Few college basketball players or coaches ever get to participate in a Final Four. After all, only four of the 316 Division I teams make it each season.
Former ODU guard Drew Williamson has now been there twice on the sidelines – in 2023 as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic and then again earlier this spring, when Michigan got to the national championship game in Indianapolis.
🦁 MONARCH TRIVIA
After Thursday’s 12-strikeout performance from the ODU pitching staff, how many times has the Monarchs racked up double-digit Ks this season?
Got a guess?
Scroll to the bottom to find the answer!
* All Times are Eastern
Friday, May 15th
⚾️ Baseball vs. JMU @ 3pm
🚣 Rowing at Big XII Championships (Sarasota, Fla.)
Saturday, May 16th
⚾️ Baseball vs. JMU @ 1pm
🚣 Rowing at Big XII Championships (Sarasota, Fla.)
Sunday, May 17th
🚣 Rowing at Big XII Championships (Sarasota, Fla.)
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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER
Answer: 13 times
🦁 Have a great weekend, y’all!