WASHINGTON – Major League pitchers Justin Verlander and Daniel Hudson are former ODU standouts who have excelled in the October spotlight, and they guarantee the Monarchs will have a representative on the World Series champion for the second time in three years.
Verlander, a starter for the Houston Astros, was drafted out of ODU in the first round in 2004 by the Detroit Tigers while Hudson was taken in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox four years later. Verlander helped the Astros to the 2017 World Series title while Hudson, a key reliever for the Washington Nationals, is in the playoffs for the first time since 2011 when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks.