RUSTON, LA (WAVY) – For the first time ever, Old Dominion baseball is a Conference USA Tournament champion. The Monarchs outlasted a determined Louisiana Tech team 7-5 in 10 innings on Sunday, locked up an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and claimed their first league title of any kind since 1996.
Each team traded leads throughout the contest, but it was Kyle Battle who delivered the title-winning moment in the top of the 10th inning. With a man on first, two men gone, and the game tied at 5, Battle powered a fastball over the centerfield wall for his 18th home run of the year, which gave ODU the lead for good.
The Monarchs will now wait until the NCAA tournament field is revealed on Monday to find out which regional they are headed to.