Old Dominion University Men's Baseball

Finwood celebrated his 100th win at ODU with a 15-1 win over Charlotte on April 5th at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex and is currently just 14 wins away from his 400th career head coaching victory. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In just five years at ODU Chris Finwood, the 2014 ABCA East Region Coach of the Year, has put the Monarch program back into the national spotlight. One of the nation's best, Finwood celebrated his 100th win at ODU with a 15-1 win over Charlotte on April 5th at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex and is currently just 14 wins away from his 400th career head coaching victory. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ YEAR-BY-YEAR AT OLD DOMINION _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2016 || Finwood and the Monarchs started the 2016 season off with a bang after posting two consecutive shutouts, one over then No. 10 NC State (5-0) and the other over Kent State (2-0). The two shutouts marked the first time since 1995 ODU had two straight and the first time since 1992 the Monarchs opened the season with two shutouts. Finwood's Monarchs also enjoyed their fourth straight win over the 2015 National Champions Virginia with a 5-4 comeback effort at Davenport Field.  Old Dominion entered the Conference USA tournament as the No. 5 seed and with two all-conference players. Senior centerfielder Connor Myers and junior pitcher Sam Sinnen both earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors, while Sinnen was named to the C-USA All-Tournament team for his efforts against FIU. Finwood also mentored two players that were selected in the 2016 MLB Draft, as Nick Hartman was chosen in the ninth round by the Toronto Blue Jays and Myers was selected in the 27th round by the Chicago Cubs.  2015 || Finwood joined ODU's 100 win club and his Baseball Monarchs (27-29) enjoyed two wins over then No. 1/No. 23 ranked UVA and another top-10 victory over No. 8 ranked Rice. At the conclusion of the season, Finwood saw three players earn Conference USA honors, while freshman Zach Rutherford was named a Freshman All-American on two occasions. Three Monarchs were selected into the MLB draft, as P.J. Higgins was picked in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs, Greg Tomchick in the 27th round by the St. Louis Cardinals and Taylor Ostrich in the 34th round by the Kansas City Royals. 2014 || The Monarchs won 36 games in 2014, finished fourth in Conference USA, reached the league semifinals, and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals, ODU's first since 2000. ODU posted a 36 RPI and played one of the nation's strongest non-conference schedules, beating No. 1 Virginia and C-USA champion Rice. The 2014 Monarchs turned a school record 68 double-plays, which ranked third nationally, and fielded .976, which was good for a top-20 national ranking. Senior reliever Dean Ali was named to C-USA's All-Academic squad, while two Monarchs were selected into the MLB draft, led by Ryan Yarbrough who went in the fourth round to Seattle.  2013 || In 2013, the Monarchs won 30 games and placed third in the school's final season in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Monarchs finished the season strong, winning seven of their last 10 games. ODU swept three-game series from NCAA tournament participant William & Mary and a road series at James Madison. Team MVP Ben Verlander was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson award and two Monarchs were selected in the 2013 MLB draft. 2012 || The Monarchs finished the year with a 19-34 overall record during Finwood's first season at the helm of the program. At the end of the season, shortstop Josh Wright and catcher Josh Tutwiler were named third team All-CAA and outfielder Josh Eldridge was selected to the CAA All-Rookie squad. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ OFF THE FIELD _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Not only have the Monarchs produced on the field, the team has also had much success in the classroom.The 2013-2014 team had a GPA of over 2.9 and earned better than a 3.0 GPA in the fall of 2013, 2014 and 2015. This past season, the Monarchs saw 26 athletes earn recognition to the Conference USA Commissioners Honor Roll and had three earn the C-USA Commissioners Academic Medal for posting a 3.75 or better.  Finwood has also stepped up and helped fundraise for the school to improve upon the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. Since his arrival in 2012, he has helped the program and university raise around 1.7 million dollars, in mostly private funds, on multiple projects to improve and update the 33-year-old facility. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NOTABLE WINS _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ First head coaching win: Feb. 21, 1992 vs. Shenandoah (7-2 at VMI)  100th head coaching win: Feb. 22, 2008 vs. Bowling Green (11-4 at WKU) 200th head coaching win: April 10, 2010 vs. South Alabama (12-4 at WKU) 300th head coaching win: Mar. 8, 2014 at No. 17 Rice (2-1 at Rice, 10 inn.) First win at ODU: Feb. 17, 2012 vs. Temple, 5-4 (at ODU) 100th win at ODU: April 5, 2015 vs. Charlotte, 15-1 (at ODU) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PRIOR TO OLD DOMINION _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Prior to coming to ODU, Finwood guided Western Kentucky for six years as head coach and was named the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. In six seasons, the Hilltoppers witnessed unprecedented success under Finwood, a Hampton, Va. (Hampton High) native. Magical postseason runs in 2008 and 2009, both in the Sun Belt and NCAA Tournaments, highlighted the Finwood era, as he compiled a 190-154 record at the Bowling Green, Ky. school. His 2009 squad reached the regional final in Oxford, Miss. WKU captured the 2008 Sun Belt tournament championship. In 2009, en route to notching the program's first 40-win season in 21 years, the Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt Regular Season championship. In those two seasons, WKU earned with back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the program's first at-large invitation (2009). The 2009 team made it to the final game in the Oxford regional and finished the year ranked 23rd in the country. Finwood-coached squads pride themselves on defense and his 2009 team was no exception, finishing third in the nation in fielding percentage (.979). WKU's fielding percentage was nine percentage-points higher than the next-closest conference foe, and the Hilltoppers made 17 fewer errors than second-place Troy. The 2011 squad had a .976 fielding percentage which tied them for first in the Sun Belt and 15th nationally. The 2011 squad won 33 games, beating NCAA participant Illinois twice. WKU also defeated Louisville, Ole Miss and Kentucky, which was Finwood's fifth straight win against the Wildcats. The 2010 Hilltopper team played one of the most ambitious schedules in school history, as 24 of the team's 56 games were against teams that played in the NCAA tournament. WKU had significant non-conference wins against Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Texas State and notched a pair of wins over the University of Kentucky. The Toppers' 24-8 win over Kentucky on April 20 at Bowling Green Ballpark came in front of 6,183 fans, the largest crowd to ever see a college baseball game in the state of Kentucky. The 2009 team finished with a 42-20 record and a 21-8 mark in the Sun Belt Conference, earning a conference championship along the way, the first in Finwood's WKU tenure. That squad won three games in the NCAA tournament, which equaled the total NCAA games won by the Hilltoppers in the 100 years. WKU beat Missouri twice and host Mississippi, before losing to the Rebels in the Regional finals. The Hilltoppers were an impressive 27-3 at home, setting a new WKU record for home winning percentage in a season. The 2008 squad went 33-27 and captured the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship and it marked the schools first winning season since 2004. The nine-game turnaround from 2008 to 2009 is tied for the fifth-best improvement from one year to the next in the 100-year history of Hilltopper baseball.  The 2008 squad also had a .976 fielding percentage which tied them for first in the Sun Belt. After winning just five Sun Belt Conference games in 2006, the Hilltoppers finished 15-15 in the league in 2007. The 10-win turnaround marked the biggest one-year improvement in the history of the conference. The Hilltoppers also qualified for the eight-team Sun Belt Conference Tournament all six seasons under Finwood. In his last three years at Western Kentucky 17 Hilltoppers were drafted, the most in the Sun Belt Conference, including the schools first 1st round draft pick. Academics were also a priority for Finwood's student-athletes at WKU. In 2009-10, 71 percent of his players recorded a GPA of at-least 3.0 and four earned a perfect 4.0. In 2011, the Hilltoppers catcher, Matt Rice had a perfect 4.0 GPA in mechanical engineering and was named the Capital One (CoSIDA) Academic All-American of the Year, and was also a First Team All-Sun Belt catcher. The Hilltoppers team had the highest GPA of any WKU men's squad at 3.12 in 2011. Prior to his stint at Western Kentucky, Finwood served as an assistant coach at Auburn for five seasons and helped lead the Tigers to four NCAA Regionals. During his time at Auburn, Finwood was responsible for all aspects of the Tiger defense, while also coordinating the program's recruiting efforts. In his five seasons, Auburn posted five winning campaigns and combined for 181 victories. The 2003 team, earned a top-seed in the NCAA tournament and hosted a regional after a 42-21 season and second-place finish with the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. Auburn again advanced to the regionals in 2005, falling in the finals to host Florida State. In his five seasons at Auburn, he oversaw a defense that posted the two best fielding percentages in school history, finishing at .970 in 2002 and .968 in 2003. The 2002 fielding percentage also ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally. Prior to joining the staff at Auburn Finwood spent six seasons at Virginia Commonwealth -- four seasons as an assistant (1995-98) before serving as the Rams' associate head coach in 1999 and 2000. Finwood helped guide VCU to a 219-139 record in six years in Richmond. In his six seasons, VCU claimed Colonial Athletic Association regular-season titles in 1997 and 1998. The Rams also earned trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and 1999, winning 40-plus games both seasons, including a school-record 46 victories during the 1998 campaign. Finwood began his coaching career at his alma mater -- Virginia Military Institute -- serving as an assistant for three seasons before taking over the head coaching duties from 1992-94. After inheriting a VMI team that had won just two games the year before, Finwood led the Keydets to a school-record 21 wins in 1993 and 1994 and a berth in the 1993 Southern Conference Tournament championship game. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PLAYING CAREER _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A four-year starter on the field at VMI from 1985-88, Finwood was named to the Southern Conference All-Northern Division team three times. A career .300 hitter, he posted a .399 batting average as a senior -- the sixth-best average in school history. He was also named team captain during his senior season and finished his career with the Keydets ranked second in hits and runs scored. Finwood was inducted into the VMI Athletics Hall of Fame in the summer of 2003. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH FINWOOD _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "I have great admiration and respect for Coach Finwood having hired him at WKU and ODU. Coach Finwood and success are synonymous. His teams represent themselves exceptionally well academically, athletically, and within the community. He preaches defense and plays a scrappy and exciting brand of baseball that is very popular among baseball fans." Dr. Wood Selig - Old Dominion Athletic Director "I have known Chris for a long time. He is a good person, knows the recruiting area and I think you have a very good coach. I remain ready to help him in any way possible. Good luck to all the Monarchs." Mark Newman - Senior Vice President for Baseball Operations - New York Yankees "Chris Finwood is one of my all time favorite VMI baseball players. I recruited him out of Hampton High School to play shortstop for us and he became a four-year starter, All Southern Conference selection, and was inducted into the VMI Sports Hall of Fame. Chris was the hardest working player I had. Wood Selig was smart to hire him at Western Kentucky and even smarter hiring him at ODU." Donny White - VMI Director of Athletics "In my opinion Chris is one of the best five college baseball coaches in America. I'm excited for ODU and baseball. Henry Morgan - Peninsula Pilots Owner _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  THE FINWOOD FILE _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FINWOOD TEAMS IN THE NCAA 2014| Columbia, SC. Maryland 4 ODU 3; Campbell 4 ODU 1 2009| Oxford, Miss. WKU 11 Missouri 5; Ole Miss 7 WKU 4; WKU 11 Missouri 6; WKU 10 Ole Miss 9; Ole Miss 4 WKU 1 (regional final) 2008| Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State 5 WKU 3; TCU 10 WKU 5 FINWOOD IN THE C-USA TOURNAMENT 2014| #4 Hattiesburg, Miss. MTSU 3 ODU 2; ODU 3 FIU 2; ODU 2 MTSU 1; ODU 3 Rice 2; Rice 7 ODU 5 (Semifinal round) 2015| #7 Hattiesburg, Miss. FAU 6 ODU 4; Southern Miss 2 ODU 0 (12 innings) 2016| #5 Hattiesburg, Miss. Southern Miss 17 ODU 5; FIU 3 ODU 1 (11 innings) FINWOOD IN THE SUN BELT TOURNAMENT 2006| #8 L, 3-2 (10) vs. Troy || L, 8-6 vs. FIU 2007| #7 L, 11-6 vs. New Orleans || L, 7-6 vs. Florida Atlantic 2008| #5 W, 9-0 vs. Florida Atlantic || W, 10-4 vs. Louisiana Monroe || L, 6-5 vs. Florida Atlantic || W, 5-4 vs. Florida Atlantic || W, 17-5 vs New Orleans (Finals) 2009| #2 W, 14-4 vs. Louisiana-Monroe || W, 14-11 vs. Troy || L, 11-3 vs. Louisiana-Monroe || L, 4-2 vs. Louisiana-Monroe 2010| #8 L, 9-8 (13) vs. Florida Atlantic || L, 7-4 vs. FIU 2011| #4 W, 11-10 (12) vs. Florida Atlantic || L, 9-5 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock || L, 4-3 vs. Troy HEAD COACHING RECORD | 386-388 | 14 years ODU 2012 19-34 2013 30-24 2014 36-26 NCAA Regional 2015 27-29 2016 32-24 TLS 144-137 (5 years) WKU 2006 22-30 2007 25-30 2008 33-27 SBC Champions/ NCAA Tournament 2009 42-20 SBC Reg. Season Champions/NCAA Reg. Finals 2010 35-23 2011 33-24 TLS 190-154 (6 yrs) VMI 1992 11-39 1993 20-29 1994 21-29 TLS 52-97 (3 yrs)

Marron saw earn the  Prior to ODU, Marron joined the Stony Brook baseball staff as an assistant coach in 2009, where he was directly responsible for the preparation of the pitching staff routine, drills and philosophies. He was also heavily involved with the recruiting process and assisted in developing three top 75 national recruiting classes and five top 5 regional recruiting classes. During his time at Stony Brook, the Seawolves went 219-121 and claimed five America East championship titles. He also recruited, coached and developed four All-Americans, five Freshman All-Americans, three Conference Pitchers and Rookies of the Year, 10 Major League Baseball draft picks and 22 all-conference selections. Marron highlighted his career by helping the program record a 52-15 overall record in 2012 en route to a College World Series appearance in Omaha, Neb. and a No. 7 national ranking. His pitching staff produced the 15th best ERA in the nation, while also ranking ninth in hits allowed and 23rd in walks allowed. Marron arrived at Stony Brook after four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He helped lead the team to the Northeast 10 Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals in 2006. During his last two seasons, Marron guided the program to top 10 ERA rankings in Division II, ranking eighth in 2008 (3.37) and fifth in the nation in 2009 (3.14). Overall, he mentored 23 all-conference players, including a Rookie of the Year, two First Team All-Region selections and a fifth round MLB draft pick. While in Massachusetts, Marron was the head coach of the Pittsfield Dukes in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) for two summers, leading the program to its first playoff berth and a place in the Divisional Championship round. He was named the 2008 NECBL Coach of the Year and coached 13 MLB draft picks. Marron moved to the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), the premier amateur baseball league, in the summer of 2009 as an assistant coach for the Orleans Firebirds. He assisted with all on-field phases of the organization and coached 21 draft picks, including five current MLB players. Prior to his coaching days, Marron was a standout athlete at the College of the Holy Cross, where he was a four-year letter-winner. He was a right-handed pitcher and catcher from 2002-2005. He was named the Hop Riopel Team Most Valuable Player and Second Team All-Patriot League in 2003 and earned the title of team captain as a senior. SIGN UP FOR E-MAIL UPDATES ©  2016, Old Dominion University Athletics. All rights reserved.

HEAD COACH CHRIS FINWOODYearSchoolConferenceW-LNotes2023Old DominionSun Belt32-23-2022Old DominionC-USA41-17-2021Old DominionC-USA44-16C-USA Champs, No. 11 NCAA overall seed, No. 16 final ranking, highest in program history2020Old DominionC-USA12-4-2019Old DominionC-USA35-21-2018Old DominionC-USA15-37-2017Old DominionC-USA37-21Reached high ranking of #252016Old DominionC-USA32-24-2015Old DominionC-USA27-29-2014Old DominionC-USA36-26NCAA Regional, ABCA East Region COTY2013Old DominionCAA30-24-2012Old DominionCAA19-34-2011WKUSun Belt33-24-2010WKUSun Belt35-23 -2009WKUSun Belt42-20NCAA Regional, Sun Belt Season Champs2008WKUSun Belt33-27NCAA Regional, Sun Belt Tourney Champs2007WKUSun Belt25-30-2006WKUSun Belt22-30-1994VMISoCon21-29-1993VMISoCon20-29-1992VMISoCon11-39-Totals602-52721 seasons ODU360-27612 seasonsWKU190-1546 seasonsVMI52-973 seasonsHead coach Chris Finwood completed his 12th season at the helm of the Old Dominion baseball program in 2023. Finwood, the 2014 ABCA East Region Coach of the Year and 2017 VaSID Coach of the Year, has put the Monarch program back into the national spotlight.The Hampton native has compiled a career record of 602-527 in 21 seasons as a head coach, including a 360-276 overall record at Old Dominion. Finwood has guided the Monarchs to 30+ wins in six of the last seven complete seasons, including a 44-16 record in 2021 and a 41-17 record in 2022. In 2017, Finwood compiled a 37-21 record, which marked the highest single-season win total for the program since 2006. In his 12-year tenure at ODU, Finwood has produced 21 MLB draft selections, seven All-Americans, 10 Freshman All-Americans and 34 all-conference selections. YEAR-BY-YEAR AT OLD DOMINION2023Finwood's 12th season at ODU marked the program's return to the Sun Belt Conference. The Monarchs went 32-23 overall and 15-15 in conference play, securing the No. 10 seed for the conference championship. After dropping its season opener in extra innings, ODU won its next 12 straight as Jake Ticer and Hunter Fitz-Gerald were named Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week on February 20 and March 6, respectively. Fitz-Gerald was also named the Sun Belt Player of the Week (Feb. 28), added All-Sun Belt First Team honors after finishing 23rd nationally with 22 home runs, was a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, and signed with the Seattle Mariners in July. Sam Armstrong was the Saturday starter in the rotation and picked up an All-Sun Belt Second Team nod after going 9-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 15 starts. He recorded 72 strikeouts and was 6-0 through his first eight starts, leading him to being selected by the Chicago Cubs with the 386th pick of the 13th round in the 2023 MLB Draft. Ben Moore was tabbed a Second Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game after going 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA through 21 appearances and one start. Armstrong, Ticer, FItz-Gerald and Moore also landed on the VaSID All-State Baseball Teams.2022Finwood's 11th season in Norfolk saw ODU post its second-straight 40+ win season as the Monarchs finished 41-17 overall and 19-11 against C-USA opponents to earn the third seed in the conference tournament. Ranked as high as 18th, the Monarchs set new programs highs in both team and individual home runs for a season. The team ended the year ranked third in the country in both home runs (128) and home runs per game (2.21) and were fourth in slugging percentage (.552). Individually, Matt Coutney was ranked third nationally in home runs (27) and total bases (185), fourth in home runs per game (0.47), and fifth in slugging percentage (.808). Andy Garriola was sixth in RBIs per game (1.38), seventh in RBIs (80), eighth in home runs per game (0.43), and ninth in home runs (25). Blake Morgan also cracked the Top-10 in multiple categories, grabbing sixth in ERA (1.69), eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.25), and ninth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.04). Coutney and Garriola earned multiple All-American nods, and Morgan was named to three Freshman All-American teams. Coutney was also tabbed the C-USA Player of the Year and Morgan the league's Freshman of the Year. The 2022 MLB Draft saw Noah Dean selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round, Coutney taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the 10th round, and Garriola by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round.2021In his 10th season in Norfolk, Finwood led ODU to its best season in 35 years, as the Monarchs won their first conference championship in 20 years, earned the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the first No. 1 seed in a regional in program history. Finwood’s 2021 Monarchs were 44-16, the most wins by an ODU club since Mark Newman’s 50-win team in 1985. The Monarchs were ranked as high as No. 11 during the season and finished the polls at No. 16, the highest finish in program history. ODU’s offense was on full blast in 2021, crushing the school record for homers with 105, finishing second in the country in long balls. The Monarchs also ranked in the top-10 in slugging percentage, runs, winning percentage, hits, runs per game and triples. Along with the team ranking high in national categories, several individuals were among the nation’s leaders in several categories. Andy Garriola tied for the nation’s lead in RBIs with 72, while Kyle Battle led Conference USA and was third in the country with 56 walks.2020In the shortened 2020 season, Finwood led the Monarchs to a 12-4 record overall. ODU recorded four series wins, highlighted by Big Ten opponent Rutgers. The Monarchs also picked up a road win against in-state rival VCU in a come-from-behind, 6-3 victory. 2019The Monarchs went 35-21 in 2019 and a 16-14 mark in conference play after starting C-USA action 1-9. After failing to qualify for the C-USA tournament in 2018, ODU bounced back to earn the No. 5 seed. The Monarchs dropped back-to-back tournament games to be eliminated. Finwood guided ODU to a 19-5 non-conference mark and a 11-2 midweek record. Individually, two Monarchs in Vinnie Pasquantino and Bryce Windham were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Pasquantino was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round, 319th pick, while Windham was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 32nd round, 972nd pick. California native Andy Garriola was named a 2019 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. Six Monarchs also earned C-USA postseason honor, the most since 2006. Garriola was named 2019 C-USA Freshman of the Year, while also earning All-C-USA First Team honors. Pasquantino was also a first team selection. Windham, Ryne Moore and Hunter Gregory landed on the C-USA Second Team All-Conference, while Ryan Teschko was selected to the All-Freshman Team with Garriola. Garriola's 62 RBIs are an ODU freshman record and the most by any Monarch since 2011. 2018Old Dominion went 15-37 in 2018, including a 7-22 mark in conference play. ODU did not qualify for postseason play. Individually, utility player Erik Stock was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Other individual accomplishments over the course of the season included Will Morgan's three-run homer game and Vinnie Pasquantino's six-hit game, both of which tied school records.2017Old Dominion compiled a 37-21 overall record in 2017, marking the highest single-season win total for the program since 2006. The Monarchs finished second in the Conference USA regular season standings with a 19-11 mark, also setting a new program record for conference wins during the C-USA era. Finwood guided ODU to a 12-2 record in weekend series, including a sweep of Rice and a road series win at No. 16 Southern Miss. The squad reached a high ranking of No. 25 in the nation by D1 Baseball, marking the first time ODU had been ranked since 2007. Individually, juco transfer Jared Young was named a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball News and was also named the C-USA Newcomer of the Year. Fellow middle infielder Zach Rutheford was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year and was one of five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation's top shortstop. Three true freshmen, Vinnie Pasquantino, Kyle Battle and John Wilson, were all named Freshman All-Americans by CBN, marking the first time in program history that ODU had multiple Freshman All-Americans. The Monarchs nearly earned its second NCAA Regional bid under Finwood, but were listed as one of the 'First Four Teams Out' by the committee. At the conclusion of the season, Finwood was named the VaSID Coach of the Year.2016Finwood and the Monarchs started the 2016 season off with a bang after posting two consecutive shutouts, one over then No. 10 NC State (5-0) and the other over Kent State (2-0). The two shutouts marked the first time since 1995 ODU had two straight and the first time since 1992 the Monarchs opened the season with two shutouts. Finwood's Monarchs also enjoyed their fourth straight win over the 2015 National Champions Virginia with a 5-4 comeback effort at Davenport Field. Old Dominion entered the Conference USA tournament as the No. 5 seed and with two all-conference players. Senior centerfielder Connor Myers and junior pitcher Sam Sinnen both earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors, while Sinnen was named to the C-USA All-Tournament team for his efforts against FIU. Finwood also mentored two players that were selected in the 2016 MLB Draft, as Nick Hartman was chosen in the ninth round by the Toronto Blue Jays and Myers was selected in the 27th round by the Chicago Cubs. 2015Finwood joined ODU's 100 win club and his Baseball Monarchs (27-29) enjoyed two wins over then No. 1/No. 23 ranked UVA and another top-10 victory over No. 8 ranked Rice. At the conclusion of the season, Finwood saw three players earn Conference USA honors, while freshman Zach Rutherford was named a Freshman All-American on two occasions. Three Monarchs were selected into the MLB draft, as P.J. Higgins was picked in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs, Greg Tomchick in the 27th round by the St. Louis Cardinals and Taylor Ostrich in the 34th round by the Kansas City Royals.2014The Monarchs won 36 games in 2014, finished fourth in Conference USA, reached the league semifinals, and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals, ODU's first since 2000. ODU posted a 36 RPI and played one of the nation's strongest non-conference schedules, beating No. 1 Virginia and C-USA champion Rice. The 2014 Monarchs turned a school record 68 double-plays, which ranked third nationally, and fielded .976, which was good for a top-20 national ranking. Senior reliever Dean Ali was named to C-USA's All-Academic squad, while two Monarchs were selected into the MLB draft, led by Ryan Yarbrough who went in the fourth round to Seattle. 2013In 2013, the Monarchs won 30 games and placed third in the school's final season in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Monarchs finished the season strong, winning seven of their last 10 games. ODU swept three-game series from NCAA tournament participant William & Mary and a road series at James Madison. Team MVP Ben Verlander was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson award and two Monarchs were selected in the 2013 MLB draft.2012The Monarchs finished the year with a 19-34 overall record during Finwood's first season at the helm of the program. At the end of the season, shortstop Josh Wright and catcher Josh Tutwiler were named third team All-CAA and outfielder Josh Eldridge was selected to the CAA All-Rookie squad.OFF THE FIELDNot only have the Monarchs produced on the field, the team has also had much success in the classroom.The 2013-2014 team had a GPA of over 2.9 and earned better than a 3.0 GPA in the fall of 2013, 2014 and 2015. This past season, the Monarchs saw 26 athletes earn recognition to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and had three earn the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal for posting a 3.75 or better. Finwood has also stepped up and helped fundraise for the school to improve upon the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. Since his arrival in 2012, he has helped the program and university raise around 1.7 million dollars, in mostly private funds, on multiple projects to improve and update the 33-year-old facility.PRIOR TO OLD DOMINIONPrior to coming to ODU, Finwood guided Western Kentucky for six years as head coach and was named the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. In six seasons, the Hilltoppers witnessed unprecedented success under Finwood, a Hampton, Va. (Hampton High) native. Magical postseason runs in 2008 and 2009, both in the Sun Belt and NCAA Tournaments, highlighted the Finwood era, as he compiled a 190-154 record at the Bowling Green, Ky. school. His 2009 squad reached the regional final in Oxford, Miss.WKU captured the 2008 Sun Belt tournament championship. In 2009, en route to notching the program's first 40-win season in 21 years, the Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt Regular Season championship. In those two seasons, WKU earned with back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the program's first at-large invitation (2009). The 2009 team made it to the final game in the Oxford regional and finished the year ranked 23rd in the country.Finwood-coached squads pride themselves on defense and his 2009 team was no exception, finishing third in the nation in fielding percentage (.979). WKU's fielding percentage was nine percentage-points higher than the next-closest conference foe, and the Hilltoppers made 17 fewer errors than second-place Troy. The 2011 squad had a .976 fielding percentage which tied them for first in the Sun Belt and 15th nationally. The 2011 squad won 33 games, beating NCAA participant Illinois twice. WKU also defeated Louisville, Ole Miss and Kentucky, which was Finwood's fifth straight win against the Wildcats.The 2010 Hilltopper team played one of the most ambitious schedules in school history, as 24 of the team's 56 games were against teams that played in the NCAA tournament. WKU had significant non-conference wins against Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Texas State and notched a pair of wins over the University of Kentucky. The Toppers' 24-8 win over Kentucky on April 20 at Bowling Green Ballpark came in front of 6,183 fans, the largest crowd to ever see a college baseball game in the state of Kentucky.The 2009 team finished with a 42-20 record and a 21-8 mark in the Sun Belt Conference, earning a conference championship along the way, the first in Finwood's WKU tenure. That squad won three games in the NCAA tournament, which equaled the total NCAA games won by the Hilltoppers in the 100 years. WKU beat Missouri twice and host Mississippi, before losing to the Rebels in the Regional finals. The Hilltoppers were an impressive 27-3 at home, setting a new WKU record for home winning percentage in a season.The 2008 squad went 33-27 and captured the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship and it marked the schools first winning season since 2004. The nine-game turnaround from 2008 to 2009 is tied for the fifth-best improvement from one year to the next in the 100-year history of Hilltopper baseball.  The 2008 squad also had a .976 fielding percentage which tied them for first in the Sun Belt.After winning just five Sun Belt Conference games in 2006, the Hilltoppers finished 15-15 in the league in 2007. The 10-win turnaround marked the biggest one-year improvement in the history of the conference. The Hilltoppers also qualified for the eight-team Sun Belt Conference Tournament all six seasons under Finwood. In his last three years at Western Kentucky 17 Hilltoppers were drafted, the most in the Sun Belt Conference, including the school's first 1st round draft pick.Academics were also a priority for Finwood's student-athletes at WKU. In 2009-10, 71 percent of his players recorded a GPA of at-least 3.0 and four earned a perfect 4.0. In 2011, the Hilltoppers catcher, Matt Rice had a perfect 4.0 GPA in mechanical engineering and was named the Capital One (CoSIDA) Academic All-American of the Year, and was also a First Team All-Sun Belt catcher. The Hilltoppers team had the highest GPA of any WKU men's squad at 3.12 in 2011.Prior to his stint at Western Kentucky, Finwood served as an assistant coach at Auburn for five seasons and helped lead the Tigers to four NCAA Regionals. During his time at Auburn, Finwood was responsible for all aspects of the Tiger defense, while also coordinating the program's recruiting efforts. In his five seasons, Auburn posted five winning campaigns and combined for 181 victories. The 2003 team, earned a top-seed in the NCAA tournament and hosted a regional after a 42-21 season and second-place finish with the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. Auburn again advanced to the regionals in 2005, falling in the finals to host Florida State.In his five seasons at Auburn, he oversaw a defense that posted the two best fielding percentages in school history, finishing at .970 in 2002 and .968 in 2003. The 2002 fielding percentage also ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally.Prior to joining the staff at Auburn Finwood spent six seasons at Virginia Commonwealth -- four seasons as an assistant (1995-98) before serving as the Rams' associate head coach in 1999 and 2000. Finwood helped guide VCU to a 219-139 record in six years in Richmond. In his six seasons, VCU claimed Colonial Athletic Association regular-season titles in 1997 and 1998. The Rams also earned trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and 1999, winning 40-plus games both seasons, including a school-record 46 victories during the 1998 campaign.Finwood began his coaching career at his alma mater -- Virginia Military Institute -- serving as an assistant for three seasons before taking over the head coaching duties from 1992-94. After inheriting a VMI team that had won just two games the year before, Finwood led the Keydets to a school-record 21 wins in 1993 and 1994 and a berth in the 1993 Southern Conference Tournament championship game.PLAYING CAREERA four-year starter on the field at VMI from 1985-88, Finwood was named to the Southern Conference All-Northern Division team three times. A career .300 hitter, he posted a .399 batting average as a senior -- the sixth-best average in school history. He was also named team captain during his senior season and finished his career with the Keydets ranked second in hits and runs scored. Finwood was inducted into the VMI Athletics Hall of Fame in the summer of 2003.MILESTONESFirst head coaching win: Feb. 21, 1992 vs. Shenandoah (7-2 at VMI) 100th head coaching win: Feb. 22, 2008 vs. Bowling Green (11-4 at WKU)200th head coaching win: April 10, 2010 vs. South Alabama (12-4 at WKU)300th head coaching win: Mar. 8, 2014 at No. 17 Rice (2-1 at ODU, 10 inn.)400th head coaching win: Mar. 17, 2017 vs. Rice (3-2 at ODU)500th head coaching win: Mar. 27, 2021 vs. FIU (14-0 at ODU)600th head coaching win: May 6, 2023 at Arkansas State (3-0 at A-State)First win at ODU: Feb. 17, 2012 vs. Temple (5-4 at ODU)100th win at ODU: April 5, 2015 vs. Charlotte (15-1 at ODU)200th win at ODU: Feb. 26, 2019 vs. Norfolk State (11-0 at ODU)300th win at ODU: March 3 vs. Stony Brook (18-6 at ODU)

Mike Marron completed his eighth season as the pitching coach for Old Dominion in 2023 after joining the staff in July of 2015.The 2023 season saw Sam Armstrong named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team as he was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. The junior from Wantage, New Jersey went 9-4 with a 3.51 ERA through 15 starts. Additionally, left hander Ben Moore was named a Second Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game after finishing 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA through 21 appearances with one start. The Monarchs owned the third-best ERA in the Sun Belt at 5.02 and ranked second in the league in shutouts (4), third in walks allowed per nine innings (4.25) and fourth in WHIP (1.55).In 2022, ODU recorded its second-straight 40+ win season as the team finished 41-17 and 19-11 against Conference USA opponents. Blake Morgan was voted the C-USA Freshman of the Year and added Freshman All-American nods from Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and D1Baseball. The lefty went 8-0 with a 1.69 ERA, which ranked sixth in the country. He struck out 66 batters and walked eight through 69.1 innings pitched and held opposing hitters to a .216 average. Noah Dean was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. In 26 innings out of the bullpen, he went 3-2 with a 4.15 ERA with seven saves and set the ODU record for career saves with 18.Marron helped coach the Monarchs to their first conference championship in 20 years and their first as a member of Conference USA. ODU earned its first-ever No. 1 seed in an NCAA Regional and was seeded 11th overall. Hunter Gregory posted an 8-2 record with a 2.95 ERA, and Ryne Moore went 9-1 with a 3.16 ERA. Both Gregory and Moore were drafted following the season as was reliever Aaron Holiday.In the shortened 2020 season, ODU compiled a 12-4 record overall. Monarch weekend starters Hunter Gregory, Ryne Moore and Nick Pantos each picked up two wins on the bump. Junior Gregory turned in a 1.69 ERA and compiled 28 strikeouts, the most on the ODU squad. Freshman Noah Dean also put together solid performances on the mound in relief, collecting two saves in 5.1 innings of work.In his fourth season with the Monarchs, Ryne Moore turned into a staff ace, leading ODU weekend starters with a 3.78 earned run average. First year Monarchs Tommy Gertner and Aaron Holiday pitched to ERA's under 3.In 2018, the Monarchs compiled a 15-37 record, as Marron oversaw a young pitching staff. Morgan Maguire blossomed into a star in the rotation, going 4-7 with a 3.38 ERA with two complete-game shutouts. Marron also helped develop a plethora of true freshman arms, including Connor Muly (1-0, 3.31 ERA) and Jason Hartline (2-4, 4.05 ERA), who were two of the most valuable bullpen arms for the Monarchs in 2018.In 2017, Marron helped guide the Monarchs to a 37-21 overall record, the most single-season wins for the program since 2006. ODU also compiled a 19-11 Conference USA record en route to finishing second in the league during the regular season, the best finish ever for ODU in C-USA. On the mound, ODU posted a team ERA of 4.66, down 0.24 points from 2016. Of the 11 pitchers who pitched in 10 or games, six were newcomers, including three true freshmen. Individually, senior Saturday starter Adam Bainbridge earned All-C-USA honors after going 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA and two complete games and John Wilson, who went 6-1 with a 3.41 ERA, was named a Collegiate Baseball News Freshman All-American.In his first season with the Monarchs in 2016, Old Dominion posted a 4.90 team ERA and ranked third in the league with 12 pickoffs. Marron saw Sam Sinnen earn the first C-USA Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after throwing five shutout innings against No. 10 NC State. He also mentored Sinnen to Second Team All-Conference USA, VaSID All-State honors and Conference USA All-Tournament Team accolades at the end of the season. Marron also guided the pitching staff to rank fourth in the league with 17 saves, seven of which came from ninth round draft pick Nick Hartman.Prior to ODU, Marron joined the Stony Brook baseball staff as an assistant coach in 2009, where he was directly responsible for the preparation of the pitching staff routine, drills and philosophies. He was also heavily involved with the recruiting process and assisted in developing three top 75 national recruiting classes and five top 5 regional recruiting classes.During his time at Stony Brook, the Seawolves went 219-121 and claimed five America East championship titles. He also recruited, coached and developed four All-Americans, five Freshman All-Americans, three Conference Pitchers and Rookies of the Year, 10 Major League Baseball draft picks and 22 all-conference selections.Marron highlighted his career by helping the program record a 52-15 overall record in 2012 en route to a College World Series appearance in Omaha, Neb. and a No. 7 national ranking. His pitching staff produced the 15th best ERA in the nation, while also ranking ninth in hits allowed and 23rd in walks allowed.Marron arrived at Stony Brook after four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He helped lead the team to the Northeast 10 Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals in 2006. During his last two seasons, Marron guided the program to top 10 ERA rankings in Division II, ranking eighth in 2008 (3.37) and fifth in the nation in 2009 (3.14). Overall, he mentored 23 all-conference players, including a Rookie of the Year, two First Team All-Region selections and a fifth round MLB draft pick.While in Massachusetts, Marron was the head coach of the Pittsfield Dukes in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) for two summers, leading the program to its first playoff berth and a place in the Divisional Championship round. He was named the 2008 NECBL Coach of the Year and coached 13 MLB draft picks. Marron moved to the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), the premier amateur baseball league, in the summer of 2009 as an assistant coach for the Orleans Firebirds. He assisted with all on-field phases of the organization and coached 21 draft picks, including five current MLB players.Prior to his coaching days, Marron was a standout athlete at the College of the Holy Cross, where he was a four-year letter-winner. He was a right-handed pitcher and catcher from 2002-2005. He was named the Hop Riopel Team Most Valuable Player and Second Team All-Patriot League in 2003 and earned the title of team captain as a senior.

Jonathan Hadra enters his second season with Old Dominion in 2024.A four-year letterman and 2004 VMI graduate, he served as the head coach for eight years at his alma mater recording 147 wins in his tenure.The 2023 season marked ODU's return to the Sun Belt as the Monarchs finished 32-23 overall and 15-15 in league play. The team went 12-1 to open the season as Jake Ticer and Hunter Fitz-Gerald were named Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week on February 20 and March 6, respectively. Fitz-Gerald was also named the Sun Belt Player of the Week (Feb. 28), added All-Sun Belt First Team honors after finishing 23rd nationally with 22 home runs, was a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, and signed with the Seattle Mariners in July. The Monarchs became the first team to hit 100+ home runs in three straight seasons since the start of the BBCOR era in 2011. ODU finished the season ranked first in the Sun Belt in triples per game (0.33) and second in the league in home runs per game (1.82), scoring (7.8 runs per game) and slugging percentage (.515).Hadra was named the 20th head coach in VMI baseball history on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. He had served as associate head coach for the Keydets previously and was the acting head coach for 10 days following the resignation of Marlin Ikenberry.  Hadra, the 2010 SE Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year, spent seven seasons as an assistant coach when he rose from assistant to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2014 season. He worked with the infielders and hitters during the majority of that time, as well as serving as the program's recruiting coordinator since 2011.Of VMI's five alumni that played in the big leagues, Hadra coached and recruited four of them: Cory Spangenberg, Reed Garrett, Josh Winder and Ethan Eaton. He coached the only conference Player of the Year in program history as Rob Dickinson earned the honor in 2013. Hadra also recruited and coached VMI's only State Player of the Year and a Third Team All-American selection in Matt Pita. Other highlights include Matt Winn being named a Johnny Bench Award finalist and becoming the first position player in program history to be named an All-American. Hadra's 2016 squad saw the team finish ninth nationally in home runs despite 69 percent of the team's at-bats taken by freshmen and sophomores. That year also saw VMI finish in the Top 40 nationally in slugging percentage (28th), doubles (18th) and walks (39th). Hadra was also instrumental in the program's 2010 success that saw the Keydets earn their second-ever national ranking. Prior to VMI, Hadra spent three years as an assistant at Western Kentucky under Finwood. He was part of a run that saw three of VMI's last four head coaches have ties as a coach or player to Finwood.  At WKU, Hadra oversaw outfield instruction, base running and bunting while coaching first base. In 2008, the Hilltoppers were picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and made just the third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history after capturing the conference tournament championship. Also that season, the WKU defense ranked third in the nation with a .976 team fielding percentage.  As a cadet, Hadra was a four-year letterman who graduated with a degree in Economics and Business. Hadra served as team captain his senior year and helped the Keydets break the school record for wins during his junior season. His sophomore season, meanwhile, saw VMI finish with a 16-14 mark in the Southern Conference, breaking the program standard for most conference wins. Hadra is married to the former Allison Toth, and the couple has three children, son Colton and daughters Kennedy and Brynlee.