Old Dominion University, seeded eighth, will open the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship against ninth-seeded Georgia State on May 19. The single-elimination game is set for a 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time start at DABOS Park in Montgomery, Alabama, and will be streamed on ESPN+.
The matchup is significant as it marks the first time Old Dominion and Georgia State have met in a conference championship since the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in 2011. Both teams are closely matched historically, with Georgia State holding a slight edge of 20-19 in their all-time series.
Old Dominion enters the tournament after finishing its regular season with a record of 29-25 overall and an even split of 15-15 in conference play. The Monarchs recently won two out of three games against James Madison and have performed well at home this season with notable victories over ranked opponents such as Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina. Efrain Morales leads ODU hitters with a .353 average, while Zach Leite stands out for his run production.
Right-hander Darin Kuskie is scheduled to start for Old Dominion. He leads the team with 62 strikeouts over more than fifty-eight innings pitched this season. Teammate Ben Tanton was named to the All-Conference Freshman Team after posting seven wins without a loss during regular play.
Georgia State arrives at the tournament following a series win over Appalachian State last weekend. Three Panthers players hold batting averages above .300, including John Beverley (.366) and Wills Maginnis (.302), who was selected to the All-Sun Belt First Team. Cole Roberts will start on the mound for Georgia State; he has recorded fifty-four strikeouts across thirteen starts this year.
The winner between Old Dominion and Georgia State will advance to face either Coastal Carolina or Southern Miss in the next round of double-elimination play later this week.
