LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball kicks off a seven-game road swing this weekend at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut.
Game Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Saturday at Noon
- RHP
Andrew Jones (2-0, 5.60 ERA) vs. RHP Colton Shaw (1-1, 4.24 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 3 p.m.
- RHP
Caden Plummer (3-1, 2.16 ERA) vs. RHP Daniel Cohen (0-1, 4.15 ERA)
Game 3 | Sunday at 11 a.m.
- TBA vs. RHP Jack Ohman (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
The Keydets (13-4) continue their hot start when they visit the Ivy League leading Bulldogs. VMI has been off to its best start since 2010 after winning 11 of its first 12 games and leading the country in six NCAA statistical categories, including runs and stolen bases.
Keys to the Keydets
Big Bats. Bradley Garner went five for eight against Stonehill with nine RBIs, four doubles, and four runs, while
Owen Prince went four for seven at the plate with seven RBIs and four runs.
Parm Piece. Evan Parmer had a masterclass relief outing to earn his second win on the bump, tossing 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts.
Torres It Up. Boston Torres leads the team with 26 hits, nine doubles, and 33 RBIs, including 10 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games, and has also reached base safely in all 17 games. Torres is top 25 in the NCAA in walks (19), doubles (9), runs (32), RBIs (33), runs per game (1.88), RBIs per game (1.94), and sacrifice flies (4).
Kaz-Mania. Kazuya Jordan has been stellar in his last three games, going seven for 14 with three multi-hit games. Jordan has tallied six runs, three RBIs, and a double, triple, and home run.
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the nation in steals (30) and steals per game (1.76). He's also second in walks (26) and walks per game (1.53) while standing second in runs (33) and runs per game (1.94). Prince is just seven steals away from breaking VMI's single-season record.
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a team-leading .489/.851/.649 slash. His .649 on-base percentage is number one in the country while his .489 batting clip ranks eighth. He also stands fourth with 23 walks.
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile has his name in the top 25 in several categories including ranking first in runs (35) and runs per game (2.06). Raile's 20 walks and 14 stolen bases are top 10 in the nation while his eight homers rank 12th in the country.
Grand Salamis. Grayson Fitzwater has hit two grand slams this season while
Boston Torres has hit one.
Plum Dog. Caden Plummer leads the team with 31 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA. He earned his first SoCon Pitcher of the Week honor after his outing against Coppin State, going six innings, allowing no earned runs, and striking out 13, the most in a game since 2019.
Walk-Off Fashion. VMI has had two walk-off wins this season thanks to a
James Newsome against Norfolk State and
Kazuya Jordan against Holy Cross.
K Zone. VMI staffers have posted 156 strikeouts, boasting over 10 strikeouts per nine innings.
Eagle Eyes. The Keydets have drawn a nation-leading 172 walks
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .347/.606/.525 which all stand in the top three in the NCAA.
Clobberin' Keydets. VMI ranks 19th in the nation with 28 home runs and 1.65 home runs per game
Season Streaks. Boston Torres,
Ryan Peterson, and
Cole Raile have reached base safely in all 17 games.
Bradley Garner enters the weekend with a five-game hitting streak.
Runs Galore. VMI has scored 225 runs with 13 runs per game, the nation's leader in both categories. The Keydets have scored double-digit runs in 14 games with seven run-rule victories.
The Brand. VMI is the only team in the country to have 100+ stolen bases with 114, which is on pace to beat the national record of 333 steals set by Wichita State in 1982. The closest team is Wofford, who has 60. Four of the nation's top 10 stolen base leaders are Keydets (Prince, Garner, Jordan, and Raile).
Keydets in the Outfield. VMI's top hitters are the starting outfielders:
Boston Torres (.433),
Owen Prince (.436), and
Bradley Garner (.489). They also attest to 85 putouts and nine assists.
Scouting the Bulldogs
- Yale enters the weekend 8-3 overall after earning series sweeps over Queens and Rice.
- The Bulldogs' only losses were by The Citadel.
- Yale defeated Sacred Heart, 9-5, in its midweek game to start an eight-game homestand.
- The Bulldogs are members of the Ivy League.
- Yale slashes .280/.399/.365 at the dish with 103 hits, 73 runs, and 62 RBIs to pair with 34 walks and 28 steals.
- The Bulldogs have 28 extra-base hits.
- Yale's pitching staff has been lights out, holding a 3.38 ERA, ranking 21st in the country, with 103 strikeouts and a .234 opponent batting average. The staffers' 7.78 H/9 ratio ranks 45th in the NCAA.
- The Bulldogs' defense has been strong, boasting a .970 fielding clip, while turning nearly one double play a game to rank in the top 50 in the nation.
- Jack Ohman has been dominant on the mound, allowing no earned runs in three appearances and 14.1 innings pitched.
- At the plate, Jake Williams leads the charge with a .390 clip and 16 hits to pair with four doubles, 11 RBIs, and seven walks.
- Alec Atkinson and Kaiden Dossa each have 14 hits.
- The Bulldogs are set to start Colton Shaw (Game One), Daniel Cohen (Game Two), and Jack Ohman (Game Three) on the mound this weekend.
- Head Coach Brian Hamm is in his third year at the helm.
- Yale hosts its games at George H.W. Bush '48 Field, which has hosted the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams, in honor of one of its most accomplished alumni who captained the Yale baseball team in his senior season.
Series History
- VMI is 0-2 all-time against Yale.
- The only meeting was at a neutral site in Florida in March 1983 where the Bulldogs took both games against the Keydets.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
