LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI baseball team will resume Southern Conference action later this week, traveling to Western Carolina University for a three-game series on Ronnie G. Childress Field at Hennon Stadium. The schedule has been altered due to expected inclement weather, with a doubleheader now scheduled for noon Thursday and the third game tentatively slated for Friday with a time to be announced.

Game Schedule & Links (Subject to Change)
Game 1 – Thursday noon – ESPN+ - Live Stats
Game 2 – Thursday 45 minutes after game 1 – ESPN+ - Live Stats
Game 3 – Friday TBA – ESPN+ - Live Stats

Last Time:
VMI nearly erased a 5-0 deficit Tuesday, but VCU held on for a 6-4 win in non-conference play.  The game looked like it was going to be a slugfest after VCU scored five in the first inning and VMI answered with two runs each in the second and third frames. Grayson Fitzwater homered in the second and Justin Starke blasted a two-run shot in the third. 

The pitching settled down for both teams and the score remained 5-4 until the Rams pushed across an insurance run in the eighth. The Keydets had runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth with the go ahead run at the plate, but a flyball ended the contest.
 
Nathan Hawley was in control in his five innings of relief, striking out 11 while allowing five hits, one run and no walks. Cole Garrett finished 3-5 with a double while Cole Jenkins went 2-4 with a triple and a stolen base.

About Western Carolina:
The Catamounts took two of three games at Mercer University last weekend but fell 9-8 Tuesday at home against USC-Upstate in 13 innings.

Pre-season SoCon Player of the Year Pascanel Ferreras leads the team with a .330 batting average, 35 RBI and 24 runs. The shortstop also has six doubles and seven home runs. The Catamounts are 12-16 overall and 3-3 in conference action.

2022 Results:
The two teams played four highly competitive games last season. Western Carolina won two of three games at VMI during the regular season, winning the first contest 7-6 and third game 8-5 in 10 innings while the Keydets won the middle game 14-8. The Catamount won a first-round SoCon Tournament game 4-1 against VMI at Greenville, S.C.