THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995                TAG: 9503020596
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C7   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   49 lines

ODU BASEBALL TEAM IS FACING KEY TESTS HIGHLY REGARDED N.C. STATE, CLEMSON ARE ON TAP NEXT.

In need of an early season challenge, Old Dominion University's baseball team will get that test starting today when it visits N.C. State, followed by a three-game series at Clemson.

The Monarchs, 8-1 and ranked No. 21 by Baseball America, have won seven straight, mostly on the strength of solid pitching and timely power hitting.

N.C. State (7-3), ranked No. 23 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and unranked by Baseball America, will start righthanded junior Terry Harvey, who is also the Wolfpack's starting quarterback. Harvey no-hit perennial power Florida State last year, when he was 10-3. He is 1-0 (7.63 earned run average) in three starts this season.

ODU will start righthanded sophomore Brett Wheeler, who is 3-0 this season and 12-0 in his career.

Junior righthander Anthony Eannacony, senior lefty Maika Symmonds and freshman righty Ron Walker will pitch against Clemson.

The Tigers (5-1), ranked No. 6 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 8 by Baseball America, boast left-handers Jason Dawsey and Mark Watson and righthanders Kris Benson and Jeff Sauve.

``This is what it's all about and what we want,'' ODU coach Tony Guzzo said. ``We've been playing good ball, but we're capable of better things and we're ready for a challenge.''

Guzzo said he hopes the lower part of ODU's batting order comes to life. The Monarchs are batting .280 as a team.

``That's the lowest it's been in recent years,'' Guzzo said. ``But the guys swinging the big bats early have helped us have some big innings and break games open.''

Kevin Gibbs, Symmonds, Matt Quatraro and Rob Morgan are all sporting slugging percentages of .600 or better, with two home runs apiece.

NOTES: ODU shortstop Dan Almonte has been lost until April 1 with a thumb injury that required surgery. . . . The top-ranked team in Division II, Mansfield (Pa.), makes a road swing through South Hampton Roads this weekend. On Friday, the Mountaineers play at Virginia Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m. On Saturday they play at Norfolk State, which already holds a victory over No. 25 Elon. The Norfolk State game will be played at 1 p.m. at Poplar Hall Field. by CNB