LEXINGTON, Va. – With the postseason nearing, VMI Baseball (25-23, 6-9 SoCon) looks to jump up in the Southern Conference standings but will need to get past East Tennessee State (27-15, 9-6 SoCon) this weekend at Thomas Stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The Keydets currently stand sixth in the league standings while the Buccaneers hold a three-seed going into the series. VMI is eyeing a top-four seed as the front runners get a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Game Information
Location:
Thomas Stadium
Live Stats:
Game 1 |
Game 2 |
Game 3
Game Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 12 p.m.
- LHP
Trey Morgan (3-5, 5.95 ERA) vs. RHP Carter Fink (4-0, 6.02 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 2 p.m.
- RHP
Will Riley (5-3, 5.02 ERA) vs. RHP Jace Hyde (5-3, 5.69 ERA)
Game 3 | Sunday at 1 p.m.
- TBA vs. RHP Michael Harpster (7-1, 5.60 ERA)
Last Time Out
- VMI earned a much-needed victory against Coppin State on Wednesday, winning 8-2 to end their winless streak
-
Jack Thompson went seven innings in his first start on the mound, allowing just one earned run off four hits while striking out five
-
Justin Starke recorded a pair of hits including a double for his 19th multi-hit game of the season
Keys to the Keydets
- Thompson was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week after his stellar outing against William & Mary last week, going 3.2 innings and allowing just one hit and no runs while striking out four to earn the save
- For six straight weeks, the Keydets have stayed at number one in stolen bases (159) and stolen bases per game (3.31) in the nation
- VMI also ranks seventh in sacrifice flies (30), ninth in sacrifice bunts (37), 14th in walks (263), and 17th in BB/9 (3.45)
- Starke is 21st in runs (57) and sacrifice flies (6), 24th in on-base percentage (.515), and 26th in walks (41) in the country
-
Grayson Fitzwater has produced a team-high 55 RBI, 31st-most in the nation, and just seven away from breaking the VMI single-season record
- Both
Kazuya Jordan (26) and
Ty Swaim (24) rank in the top 25 in stolen bases while Jordan produces 0.63 stolen bases per game
- Morgan has been a dual threat for VMI, issuing a 1.25 BB/9 ratio and seven sacrifice flies, both top 10 in NCAA DI
- For the first time in his career, Morgan has reached base in 34 straight games and has reached base safely in all but two games in 2024
-
Owen Prince is on a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 19 straight games, both season-highs
- Keydets are 17-0 when scoring 10 or more runs
- Starke is closing in on the VMI hits record as he is just five hits away from breaking the feat set by current head coach,
Sam Roberts
Scouting the Buccaneers
- ETSU enters the series 27-15 overall with a 9-6 SoCon record
- Buccaneers are coming off a 15-2 loss to #15 South Carolina
- ETSU swept The Citadel along with winning series against Mercer and Western Carolina while getting one victory against Samford and UNCG
- Buccaneers are 20-5 at home and 5-1 against conference teams
- Including #15 South Carolina, ETSU has faced three opponents with #9 Tennessee (L, 16-0) and #19 Virginia Tech (L, 14-4)
- Buccaneers have the same amount of sacrifice flies (30) as VMI, ranking seventh in the nation
- ETSU also ranks ninth in batting average (.321), 18th in doubles per game (2.33), and 20th in on-base percentage (.423)
- Buccaneers have produced the most walks and second-most hits and RBI against conference opponents
- ETSU's staff boasts 122 strikeouts against league teams but has allowed a conference-high 28 home runs against those same opponents
- Nick Iannantone has a .426 batting average and a .513 on-base percentage against SoCon teams, both second-best in the league while producing a conference-leading 29 hits against those same teams
- In 2024, Iannantone leads ETSU with 62 hits while Cameron Sisneros has a team-leading 59 RBI
- Tommy Barth has been ranked one of the toughest players to strikeout
Series History
- ETSU leads the all-time series, 47-64
- First matchup was in April 1979
- Last season's series found the Buccaneers victorious, but the Keydets got one win, 7-6, at home
