ODU’s baseball program embarked on a new era in February under new head coach Jerry Meyers. The 2005 edition of the Monarchs features 12 returning lettermen, including seven position starters led by second-team All-CAA outfielder Stephen Harris.

ODU also returns six pitchers, but lost two of the nation’s top hurlers to the amateur draft, Justin Verlander and Donnie Smith. Verlander, who rewrote the CAA, ODU and state record books in strikeouts, was selected second overall in the first round by the Detroit Tigers.

“We are optimistic about the season,” said Meyers, who previously was an assistant at South Carolina and is widely regarded as one of the top pitching coaches in college baseball. “We have added some depth and I think we have the personnel to have a more balanced attack, and not just rely on one thing.”

This year’s Monarch pitching staff returns seven hurlers, including Dana Arrowood (Woodbridge, Va.), who has the most returning victories. Local returning pitchers include sophomore right-hander Hunter Hall (Virginia Beach) and sophomore southpaw Joseph Johannes (Virginia Beach). Sophomore left-hander Needham Jones (Ports-mouth) returns after a two-year Mormon mission.
In the outfield, junior Stephen Harris (Virginia Beach) is back after hitting .352 with five home runs and 38 runs batted in. Joining Harris in the outfield is junior Keith Hahn (Valley Stream, N.Y.), who hit .312 with 27 runs scored, and senior Evan Chipman (Raleigh, N.C.), who led ODU in stolen bases as a sophomore.

In the infield, the Monarchs lost their stolen-base and run-scoring leader in shortstop Brandon Carter to the draft. Also gone by way of graduation is co-home run leader, third baseman Allen Strick. Sophomore catcher Tyler Belcher (Bristol, Va.), who hit .305 last season, is back this year.

The Monarchs have 11 newcomers in all for the 2005 campaign, including four local players: pitcher Kyle Dubois (Virginia Beach) from Manatee Junior College; infielder Chris Keenan (Chesapeake); catcher Patrick Nichols (Chesapeake), a transfer from Coastal Carolina; and catcher Matt Hudgins (Virginia Beach), a VMI transfer.

The schedule features 35 home games with some of the nation’s premier powers. “We have an attractive home schedule with Clemson, Rutgers, Virginia, Princeton and Richmond coming in, along with conference series against George Mason, JMU, Delaware and UNC-Wilmington,” Meyers noted.

On April 5, the Monarchs will play their annual scholarship game with the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park.