Former Pinelands Regional standout pitcher Noah Dean played a part in Old Dominion University baseball team’s first Conference USA championship on May 30, as the Monarchs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and Louisiana Tech runners on second and third, Dean came on in relief of Ryne Moore and struck out the Bulldogs’ Hunter Wells to preserve a 5-4 lead heading into the ninth.