LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball kicks off the 2025 campaign at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium for a four-game series against Maryland Eastern Shore starting Friday.
 
Game Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 1 p.m.
- LHP Jaxon Lloyd (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Carter Champey (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 2 | Friday at 4 p.m.
- RHP Caden Plummer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jonah Stepner (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 3 | Saturday
- TBA vs. TBA
Game 4 | Sunday
- TBA vs. TBA
 
The Keydets open the 2025 campaign at home for the first time since 2010. Due to weather conditions, Friday's matchup will be a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday are TBD.
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets 2025 Schedule. VMI is slated to host seven different programs and travel to nine different schools along with a neutral-site contest at War Memorial Stadium.
 
2024 Recap. VMI went 27-29 last year while going 7-14 in conference play.
 
Projected Finish. VMI was picked to finish eighth within the SoCon. UNC Greensboro was predicted to win followed by Samford, Wofford, ETSU, Mercer, Western Carolina, and The Citadel, respectively.
 
Preseason All-SoCon. Juniors Grayson Fitzwater and Owen Prince were named Preseason All-SoCon honorees. Fitzwater was named to the first team while Prince was voted second team.
 
17. Junior Grayson Fitzwater was ranked 17th among all first basemen in the nation by D1Baseball.com.
 
Losing & Gaining. The Keydets lost 16 players from last year's roster, but have gained 13 including 11 freshmen and two transfers.
 
Speed, I am Speed. The Keydets returned to their speedy ways, defending their stolen base title with 178 stolen bases and stealing over three bags per game.
 
Making History. VMI broke the single-season record for walks with 287 en route to earning 27 wins, the fifth most in program history. The Keydets would break even more records, recording the most walks in a game against Richmond with 17.
 
Fastest to 50. Head Coach Sam Roberts made history in 2024, becoming the fastest coach to reach 50 career wins. Roberts ranks fifth all-time in wins.
 
Fitz-Bomb. Junior Grayson Fitzwater will be a key factor in VMI's offense this season. Last season, Fitzwater broke the record for most home runs 18) and RBI (63) in a season. His 18 homers were sixth in the league while 63 RBIs were good for ninth.
 
Speedy Kaz. Junior Kazuya Jordan ended the season with a team-high 29 stolen bases with nearly one stolen base per game. Both ranked in the top 25 nationally and second in the conference. 29 steals was the sixth-most in a season in VMI history.
 
Back on the Bump. The Keydets' staff seeks a lower ERA from last season's 7.24 ERA. Senior Nathan Hawley (21) and junior Marcus Van Alstine (20) had the most appearances.
 
Score More. Last season, VMI was 17-0 when scoring 10 or more runs in the regular season.
 
Record Book Watch. Junior Grayson Fitzwater enters the season ranked first in career fielding percentage with .989. Other records to watch are career home runs (24), putouts (750), and slugging percentage (.570).
 
Top 50 in the Nation. VMI ranked in the top 50 in several NCAA statistical categories including sacrifice flies (32), sacrifice bunts (41), BB/9 (3.80), hit by pitches (94), and on-base percentage (.410). VMI led the nation in steals (178) and steals per game (3.18).
 
Fielding the Keydets. VMI will boast 18 pitchers, 11 infielders, two outfielders, and two utilities.
 
Young Bunch. There will be many fresh faces this season with 11 true freshmen joining the Keydets. 18 of the 33 players are underclassmen.
 
Senior Status. VMI has eight seniors in this year's class which includes six pitchers and two infielders.

Scouting the Hawks
- Maryland Eastern Shore is coming off a 0-48 season and is searching for their first win since May 2023.
- Hawks enter its third season as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC) after spending time in the MEAC.
- UMES will face only one SoCon school this season (VMI).
- Similar opponents will include Coppin State, Norfolk State, George Washington, and Stonehill.
- Bronson Taylor will be a key bat to the Hawks' lineup after boasting a team-leading .355 average with 39 hits, five homers, and 24 RBI last season.
- UMES is set to toss Carter Champey and Jonah Stepner this weekend, both making their Hawks debut.
- Danny Acosta has been leading the squad as head coach since 2023.
- UMES has 16 freshmen, seven sophomores, nine juniors/redshirt juniors, five seniors, and two graduate students.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.