LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball travels to Cullowhee, North Carolina, for its first Southern Conference series against Western Carolina.
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 5 p.m.
- RHP
Evan Parmer (2-0, 2.04 ERA) vs. RHP Dusty Revis (1-2, 6.20 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 2 p.m.
- RHP
Caden Plummer (3-2, 2.53 ERA) vs. LHP Davis Wright (1-2, 4.32 ERA)
Game 3 | Sunday at Noon
- TBA vs. Cannon Pickell (0-0, 6.55 ERA)
The Keydets (14-7) scrapped a three-game skid after defeating Longwood, 9-7, on the road on Tuesday. VMI will take on a high-offensive unit of Western Carolina which has won three of its last four games.
Keys to the Keydets
Toro Jones. Andrew Jones tallied his third win after going 4.2 innings, allowing just two hits and no runs, while striking out seven.
B-Rad is Back. After going two for 12 in the last series,
Bradley Garner caught fire again against the Lancers, getting three hits and four RBIs including a home run.
Sweet 16. VMI's staffers threw 16 strikeouts in the win over Longwood, the second most in a game this season.
Torres It Up. Boston Torres leads the team with 28 hits, 37 RBIs, nine doubles, 49 total bases, and five sacrifice flies. Torres is nationally ranked in the top 25 in walks (23), walks per game (1.10), runs (35), RBIs (37), RBIs per game (1.76), runs per game (1.67), and sacrifice flies (5). He also has 10 multi-hit and multi-RBI games and is the only Keydet to reach base safely in all 21 games.
Kaz-Mania. Kazuya Jordan has earned a hit and stolen base in six of his last seven games with four multi-hit games. He has also scored at least one run in seven straight games.
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 (1.43). He's also fourth in walks (27), runs (34), and runs per game (1.62) while standing fifth in walks per game (1.29). Prince is just seven steals away from breaking VMI's single-season record.
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a team-leading .444/.762/.587 slash, 28 hits, and a 1.349 OPS. He ranks in the top 10 in walks (24), walks per game (1.20), and on-base percentage (.587) while being top 25 in steals (15) and RBIs (31).
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile has clobbered a team-leading eight home runs, the 26th most in the nation. He ranks number one with 39 runs and 1.86 runs per game.
Parm Piece. Evan Parmer is set to make his first start of the season. Parmer has been stellar in his outings, boasting a 2.04 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. He tossed 11 strikeouts in the win over Stonehill before earning the save against Longwood after striking out all three batters faced.
Plum Dog. Caden Plummer leads the team with 37 strikeouts, 38th most in the NCAA, and a 7.40 K/BB ratio, the 35th best. 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.
The Brand. VMI is the only team in the country to have 100+ stolen bases with 122 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 80.
Runs Galore. VMI has scored 247 runs with nearly 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 189 strikeouts, boasting over 10 strikeouts per nine innings which ranks 34th nationally.
Eagle Eyes. The Keydets have drawn a nation-leading 188 walks.
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .325/.547/.497 which all stand in the top 20 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .547 on-base clip is number one in the country.
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 48 pitches, the 12th-most in the NCAA.
Clobberin' Keydets. VMI ranks 29th in the nation with 30 home runs.
Small Ball. The Keydets are second in sac flies (20) and 16th in sac bunts (16).
Season Streaks. Grayson Fitzwater enters the weekend with a seven-game hitting streak and a 16-game on-base streak.
Keydets in the Outfield. VMI's top hitters are the starting outfielders:
Boston Torres (.384),
Owen Prince (.384), and
Bradley Garner (.444). They also attest to 108 putouts and 10 assists.
Scouting the Catamounts
- Western Carolina enters the weekend 10-11 overall but is 8-4 when playing at Hennon Stadium.
- The Catamounts have earned series wins over Maryland and Eastern Illinois with a midweek win over Michigan State.
- WCU was projected to finish sixth in the SoCon.
- Five Catamounts were named Preseason All-SoCon.
- As a team, WCU is slashing .325/.493/.431 with 241 hits, 46 doubles, six triples, and 22 home runs to pair with 171 RBIs and 190 runs.
- Catamount staffers hold an 8.95 ERA after allowing 177 earned runs with 184 strikeouts and 113 walks.
- WCU's defense boasts a .966 fielding clip with 25 errors and 18 double plays.
- The Catamounts rank in the top 25 in batting average, double plays, hits, and runs.
- Five players are hitting .300+ this season with 20+ hits.
- Hayden Friese leads the team with a .391/.598/.471 slash, earning 34 hits, the 26th most in the country, along with six doubles, and four home runs.
- Elijah Smith has doubled nine times and leads the squad with 27 RBIs.
- Preseason First-Team selection Dusty Revis is slated to make his sixth start on the mound.
- Almost guaranteed to make an appearance is Shane Huntsberger who has pitching in 11 games, the 11th most in the NCAA and most in the SoCon.
- Head Coach Alan Beck, a three-time All-SoCon selection and the 2003 SoCon Baseball Player of the Year with the Catamounts, became the program's 11th coach in 2022.
Series History
- VMI is 26-71 against Western Carolina.
- The Keydets are 9-36 when playing in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
- VMI has won three of the last five matchups.
- Last season, the Catamounts won the series, but the Keydets took game three with a walk-off home run.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
