LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball continues the road swing on Tuesday in a midweek battle with Longwood at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Virginia.
 
Game Schedule and Probables
Tuesday at 5 p.m.
- TBA vs. TBA
 
The Keydets (13-7) look to escape their dry spell after being swept by Yale last weekend. On the other side, the Lancers are 1-6 in their last seven games with their one win coming at home last week. This will be VMI's final matchup before Southern Conference play begins this weekend.
 
Keys to the Keydets
Big Bats. Producing big numbers in the last five games was Grayson Fitzwater and Kazuya Jordan who each batted .421 with eight hits apiece. Fitzwater had seven RBIs while Jordan swiped five bags. Owen Prince also tallied eight hits and seven RBIs while Bradley Garner nabbed four doubles, nine RBIs, and 14 total bases.
 
Torres It Up. Boston Torres leads the team with nine doubles, 37 RBIs, and five sacrifice flies. Torres is ranked in the top 10 nationally in walks (23), runs (34), RBIs (37), RBIs per game (1.70), and sacrifice flies (5). He has 10 multi-hit and multi-RBI games and is the only Keydet to reach base in all 20 games.
 
Kaz-Mania. In his last six games, Kazuya Jordan has batted .416 with 10 hits, nine runs, and seven steals. Jordan's 21 steals and 1.05 steals per game this season ranks second and third in the nation, respectively.
 
Prince of Pain. Not only does he lead the team with 28 hits, Owen Prince leads the nation in steals (30) and steals per game (1.50). He's also fourth in walks (26) and walks per game (1.30) while standing third in runs (34) and second in runs per game (1.70). Prince is just seven steals away from breaking VMI's single-season record.
 
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a team-leading .424 batting clip and .586 on-base percentage, which ranks 11th in the country. Garner has also drawn 24 walks and stole 15 bases, both top 15 in the NCAA.
 
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile has his name in the top 25 in several categories including ranking first in runs (36) and runs per game (1.80). Raile's 15 stolen bases are 14th in the nation while his eight homers rank 23rd.
 
Parm Piece. Evan Parmer had a masterclass relief outing to earn his second win on the bump, tossing 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts.
 
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 37 strikeouts, 38th most in the NCAA, and a 2.53 ERA. Plummer also ranks 35th in the nation with a 7.40 K/BB ratio.
 
Runs Galore. VMI has scored 238 runs with 12 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.
 
K Zone. VMI staffers have posted 173 strikeouts, boasting nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings.
 
Eagle Eyes. The Keydets have drawn a nation-leading 183 walks.
 
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .332/.560/.504 which all stand in the top 15 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .504 on-base clip is number one in the country.
 
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 45 pitches, the 13th-most in the NCAA.
 
Clobberin' Keydets. VMI ranks 29th in the nation with 29 home runs.
 
Small Ball. The Keydets are third in sacrifice flies (19) and 17th in sacrifice bunts (15).
 
Season Streaks. Grayson Fitzwater enters the week with a six-game hitting streak and a 15-game on-base streak while Owen Prince has a five-game hitting stint.
 
The Brand. VMI is the only team in the country to have 100+ stolen bases with 120 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 72.
 
Keydets in the Outfield. VMI's top hitters are the starting outfielders: Boston Torres (.397), Owen Prince (.406), and Bradley Garner (.424). They also attest to 103 putouts and 10 assists.

Scouting the Lancers
- Longwood is 5-15 overall after being swept by SoCon foe, ETSU, over the weekend.
- The Lancers have won one of their last seven games.
- Four of Longwood's five wins have come at home.
- Longwood has picked up wins against VCU, UAlbany, Boston College, Towson, and UMass Lowell.
- As a team, the Lancers hold a .235/.340/.352 split with 141 hits, 35 doubles, five triples, and six home runs to pair with 105 runs and 83 RBIs.
- James Nelson leads the team with a .359 batting clip, boasting 23 hits, seven doubles, two home runs, and 20 RBIs.
- Also racking up 20 hits is Myles Webb.
- Ried Dittner has made eight appearances and one start on the mound for Longwood, holding a 4.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts.
- Guillermo Garcia Jr. leads the team with 20 strikeouts followed by Alek Elges who has 19 punchouts.
- Longwood has been pulling plays out of VMI's playbook as the Lancers are ranked eighth in the nation with 52 stolen bases, 17th in steals per game with 2.60, and 33rd in sacrifice bunts with 13.
- Tre Keels ranks third in steals (19) and sixth in steals per game (0.95) in the NCAA.
- Lancers' pitching staff ranks 19th in the nation in hit batters (42).
- Head Coach Ray Noe is in his first season after joining the Lancers in 2024. Noe was VMI's assistant coach from 2019 to 2024.
 
Series History
- VMI is 18-13 all-time against Longwood.
- First matchup was in 1979.
- Last meeting was in April 2019 when the Keydets defeated the Lancers, 14-7, in Farmville.
- The Keydets have won four of the last five matchups.
- VMI is 8-3 when playing at Longwood.
 
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