LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball (11-10) is back in town for a single game on Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Radford University (7-11) at Gray-Minor Stadium.
The Keydets are coming off their third-straight series victory after taking two of three from the University of North Carolina Asheville on the road. VMI returns to the friendly confines with a three-game winning streak while playing at Gray-Minor Stadium. This matchup will be the last before Southern Conference play kicks off on Friday.
Series Information:
Location: Gray-Minor Stadium
Live Stats:
VMI Baseball Live Stats
Broadcast:
VMI vs. Radford on ESPN+
Series Schedule and Probables:
VMI vs. Radford | Tuesday, 3 p.m.
- LHP
Nolan Williamson (0-0, 9.45 ERA) vs. LHP Jordan Irizarry (1-2, 8.03 ERA)
Last Time Out:
- VMI took care of business against UNC Asheville with a 10-6 victory on Sunday
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Brett Cook led the group at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, three runs, and a homer
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Andrew Jones threw five clean innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five, after coming in relief to pick up win number two on the year
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Justin Starke picked up a pair of RBI thanks to a home run
- It was the fourth-straight contest where VMI earned 10+ hits
- VMI scored 33 combined runs in the series, the most all season
Tracking the Keydets:
- With a leftie on the mound for Radford, VMI could draw some luck as the Keydets are batting .306 when a left-handed pitcher is on the bump
- Keydets have been producing big in the fourth inning, batting .425 with six doubles and five home runs, totaling 28 runs and 25 RBI
- VMI's staff has started strong and finished strong on the bump, allowing just 19 earned runs in the first two innings and 15 earned runs in the last two innings
- Keydets rank nationally with their small-ball tactics, standing third in stolen bases (60), fifth in stolen bases per game (2.86), sixth in K/BB ratio (3.31) and walks allowed per nine (2.95), and seventh in sacrifice bunts (19) in NCAA Division I
- VMI is first in three of the four above listed categories in the conference
- VMI tends to be aggressive on the base path, resulting in 26 caught-stealing attempts which is most in the country
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Justin Starke leads the Keydets with a .380 average, earning 27 hits, 18 RBI, and seven homers while slashing .380/.732/.505
- After going 5-for-5 on Saturday versus UNC Asheville,
Ty Swaim leads the team with 30 hits
- Three different Keydets hold a .340+ qualifying batting average (2 PA/G minimum)
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Nolan Williamson will get his first start of the season after allowing no runs and striking out a pair in his last two appearances from the bullpen
Scouting the Highlanders:
- Radford enters the contest 7-11
- Highlanders stole the series against Marist College last weekend, winning two of three
- Radford ranks number one in the nation in stolen bases per game (3.56)
- Keeping with the fast trend, the Highlanders stand sixth and seventh in triples (10) and triples per game (0.56), respectively
- Radford has won three series including a sweep over Long Island University and a series win over Le Moyne University
- Highlanders have three qualified hitters batting over .325 and have a team batting average of .284
- As a team, Radford slashes .284/.480/.397
- Highlanders' catchers have allowed 29 stolen bases off 37 attempts
- On the other end, Radford has stolen 64 bags off 79 attempts
- This will be Irizarry's fifth start of the season and sixth appearance with his last outing being against Marist where he gave up three hits and a run
- Radford plays clean ball in the field, totaling just 17 errors compared to the Keydets' 44
Series History:
- Highlanders own the 31-18 series advantage, winning nine of the last 10 matchups
- VMI won the last meeting after a stunning 17-7 decision in Lexington last season
- The 17-7 victory in 2023 was the largest margin of victory between the two sides
