Welcome to the ODU Unfiltered Throwback Thursday Series!
As we push through the postseason and stare down the long wait of the offseason, we’re keeping the Monarch spirit alive. Every Thursday until football season kicks off, we’re opening the vault.
We’re talking about the gritty upsets, the milestones, and the unbelievable, unforgettable moments that define Old Dominion sports. Whether you were in the stands losing your voice, pacing around your living room, or you’re a newer fan catching up on the history, this series is for you.
The Monarchs smashed home run records and secured the program's first C-USA title in a legendary 10-inning thriller, proving once and for all that ODU could compete on the biggest stage.
If you’re a fan of "small ball," the 2021 ODU Baseball team probably wasn't for you. But if you like watching baseballs disappear into the Norfolk sky, it was the greatest show on earth.
Let’s set the scene: May 2021. Ruston, Louisiana.
Heading into the Conference USA tournament, Chris Finwood had built an absolute monster of a team. The 2021 Monarchs didn't just win games; they demoralized opponents with sheer, blunt-force trauma at the plate. They finished the season with a 44-16 record and were ranked 16th nationally by D1 Baseball. The offense was a juggernaut, blasting 105 home runs on the season to finish second in the country. Every time you looked at the box score, guys like Kyle Battle, Andy Garriola, and Matt Coutney were circling the bases.
The Ruston Slugfest
The conference tournament in Ruston was a true baseball spectacle, culminating in a championship clash against the host team, #2 seed Louisiana Tech. Playing in a hostile environment that felt more like a gladiator pit than a baseball field, the Monarchs found themselves down early.
LA Tech struck first, taking a 2-0 lead in the third inning and extending it to 3-1 by the fifth. But the Monarchs refused to blink.
In the top of the sixth, Andy Garriola singled and Coutney walked, setting the stage for shortstop Tommy Bell. Bell hammered a massive three-run homer over the left-field wall to give ODU a 4-3 lead. Bell was an absolute machine all week, going 8-for-13 with three home runs to claim the Tournament MVP honors.
Then came a legendary moment. In the top of the eighth, Robbie Petracci, who hadn't recorded an at-bat in nearly a month, stepped up as a pinch hitter and clobbered a solo shot onto the train tracks beyond right-center. He did it while playing on a torn ACL.
Despite the heroics, LA Tech fought back, tying the game 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff homer from Parker Bates to force extra innings.
The tension was suffocating. But in the top of the 10th, Kyle Battle stepped into the box and launched his league-leading 18th home run of the season deep to center field, giving ODU the 7-5 advantage. Pitcher Aaron Holiday then slammed the door shut, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief to secure the victory and ODU's first Conference USA tournament crown.
The Columbia Heartbreak
The reward for their historic season was a coveted #1 seed in the NCAA Regionals. But because Bud Metheny Ballpark didn't meet the NCAA's requirements for hosting, our top-seeded Monarchs were hit with a bitter pill: they were shipped off to Columbia, South Carolina, to play their "home" regional on the road.
Despite the snub, the Monarchs rolled into SEC territory with the same swagger that won them the C-USA title. They dispatched Jacksonville and then silenced the hostile crowd by taking down the host, South Carolina, to advance to the Regional Final. They were just one win away from a Super Regional.
Waiting for them was an in-state rival: the Virginia Cavaliers. What followed was a grueling, heart-wrenching finale. Forced to fight what amounted to road games instead of defending their own turf in Norfolk, the Monarchs battled to the bitter end but ultimately dropped two straight to UVA. The final, devastating blow came via a walk-off home run in extra innings of the decisive winner-take-all game. The magical season was over, not with a whimper, but with a sudden, crushing silence in an unfamiliar stadium.
The Catalyst for Change
While the heartbreak in Columbia stung at the time, looking back, it was an most important sequence of events that provided a much needed boost to the program.
Every fan watching knew that if game three against Virginia had been played in front of a packed house in Norfolk, the outcome could have been entirely different.
It was that inability to host in 2021 that cleared the path for the $20+ million Ellmer Family Baseball Complex. Coach Finwood perfectly summarized the legacy of that squad, stating, "We're here because of all that team accomplished. This stadium is being built on their shoulders".
As we watch the new stadium rise and prepare to fully open, we can trace it all back to that group of sluggers who were simply too good for the old "Bud" to hold. They set the blueprint, proved ODU can be a national competitor, and ensured the next generation of Monarchs will play in a facility they truly deserve.
ODU Unfiltered covers Old Dominion University athletics and institutional affairs with the honesty the official channels won't provide.