Game Recap | ODU Unfiltered
Regular Season Ends with Split Feelings: Monarchs Drop Finale to JMU, Set Sights on Montgomery
Old Dominion (29-25, 15-15 SBC) wrapped up its 2026 regular-season campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 7-3 loss to James Madison at the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex. While the setback cost the Monarchs a clean sweep and handed the Dukes a 1-point win in this year’s TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge, the macro mission was already accomplished. Thanks to dominant wins on Thursday and Friday, ODU captured the critical series victory, cementing their position in the Sun Belt postseason tournament field.
Game Recap: Early JMU Explosion Holds Up
The regular-season finale quickly turned into an uphill climb for ODU after a quiet opening two frames.
The Disastrous Third After starter Jackson Okonkwo (0-3) navigated the first two innings cleanly, the Dukes (21-32, 11-19 SBC) broke the ice with a massive five-run explosion in the top of the third. JMU led off with a ground-rule double, followed by a sacrifice bunt and a towering two-run home run by Kyle Langley. An ODU fielding error prolonged the frame, allowing the Dukes to chip in three more unearned runs via a Clay Thompson single and a two-out, two-run double by Jack Guerrero to push the deficit to 5-0.
Chipping Away The Monarchs spent the rest of the beautiful 80-degree afternoon trying to find answers for JMU left-hander Tyler Lutz, who put together an impressive 8-inning performance.
ODU finally scratched across their first run in the bottom of the fifth. Maverick Stallings and Tyler Zedalis hit back-to-back singles to set the table. Brody Connors then hit a sharp grounder to shortstop where an errant JMU throw to first base allowed Stallings to round third and score safely.
The Late Long-Ball Fight The Dukes expanded their cushion to 7-1 with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings, capitalizing on a sacrifice fly and aggressive base running.
Refusing to go down without a fight, senior shortstop Will Johnson gave the Monarchs life in the bottom of the eighth, crushing a leadoff solo home run over the left-field wall, his fifth of the season. Later in the inning, Zach Leite singled up the middle, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and was driven home on an RBI single by Stallings to trim the margin to 7-3.
ODU tried to mount one last rally in the bottom of the ninth after both Connors and Johnson were hit by pitches, but a flyout to center field officially brought the regular season to a close.
Top Performers & Game Leaders
| Player | Game Highlights | Key Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Will Johnson | Provided the late-game spark with a solo blast. | 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 1 Run, HBP |
| Maverick Stallings | Consistent bat in the heart of the order all weekend. | 2-for-4, RBI, 1 Run |
| Zach Leite | Reached base twice and scored a late run. | 2-for-4, 1 Run |
| Grayson Sparr | Collected a multi-hit afternoon in the outfield. | 2-for-3 on the day |
Interesting Game Stats
- Hit Column Even: Despite the score variance, both teams finished nearly identical in offensive production, with ODU collecting 10 hits compared to JMU's 11.
- The Error Toll: The third-inning fielding miscue proved to be a turning point, resulting in three unearned runs that set the tone for the reset of the game.
- Base Path Vulnerability: The Monarch defense struggled to hold runners, as the Dukes swiped 5 stolen bases during the contest.
Up Next: Win-or-Go-Home in Montgomery
With the regular season officially in the rearview mirror, move their attention to the Sun Belt Tournament. ODU travels to Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama, for the opening play-in round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
ODU draws the No. 8 seed and will take on No. 9 seed Georgia State, who took 2 out of 3 from the Monarchs in late April. It is a single-elimination scenario, winner moves into the double-elimination tournament bracket, loser heads back home.
- Tuesday, May 19: vs. Georgia State (Montgomery, Ala.) – 7:30 PM EDT
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