LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball is set to host UNC Greensboro for a three-game set starting Friday at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
 
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 6 p.m.
- RHP Evan Parmer (2-1, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Sam Murchison (3-2, 2.94 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 2 p.m.
- RHP Caden Plummer (4-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. LHP Noah Chapman (2-1, 3.90 ERA)
Game 3 | Sunday at 1 p.m.
- TBA vs. TBA
 
The Keydets (16-9, 2-1 SoCon) kicked off the Southern Conference campaign last weekend on the road, earning a series win over Western Carolina. The Spartans, who were picked to finish atop the league in the preseason, will play their first league game of the season.
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Fall to Revs on Wednesday. VMI suffered a 10-8 loss to George Washington in its midweek game.
 
Big Bats. Grayson Fitzwater and Bradley Garner each tacked on two hits for the Keydets in the loss. Fitzwater tallied his seventh homer of the season while Garner earned a double and a triple. The first six spots in the VMI lineup accounted for nine of its 10 hits, along with six runs.
 
Historic SoCon Series Victory. After taking two of three from Western Carolina, it marks the first time the Keydets have won the conference opening series since 2010 and the first time they have won the SoCon opening series since 2003.
 
Building Blocks. VMI searches for back-to-back SoCon series wins. The last time the Keydets claimed the first two SoCon series of a season was 1987.
 
Sophomore Standout. Cole Raile tallied three multi-hit games for a total of seven hits in the series win against the Catamounts. On Saturday, Raile blasted his ninth homer of the season with three RBIs. His seven hits lead all conference batters in league games.
 
Dealin' and Winnin'. Caden Plummer and Jaxon Lloyd each picked up wins on the mound last weekend. Plummer went seven innings on Saturday while Lloyd came in relief on Sunday, tossing four innings.
 
Toro Jones. In his last three appearances, Andrew Jones has thrown eight innings with 11 strikeouts, allowing just three hits.
 
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile ranks number one in the nation with 43 runs and 1.72 runs per game. He has clobbered a team-leading nine home runs, the 28th most in the nation. Raile can be speedy too as he ranks 11th with 19 steals.
 
Torres It Up. Boston Torres leads the team and the conference with 38 RBIs which is 13th in the country. Torres has also shown he can get on base and score as he ranks in the top 10 in walks (29) and runs (37).
 
Prince of Pain. Not only does he lead the team with 32 steals, Owen Prince leads the nation and league in steals and steals per game (1.28). Prince's 32 hits and 31 walks are also team bests. He's fourth in the NCAA in walks (31), third in walks per game (1.24), and fourth in runs (39).
 
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a team- and SoCon-leading .400 batting clip and has earned at least one hit in five of his last six games.
 
Plum Dog. Caden Plummer leads the team with 38 strikeouts. He is top 25 in the country with 7.60 K/BB ratio and 1.15 BB/9.
 
FitzH2O. Grayson Fitzwater has been on a tear at the dish, earning a hit in 10 of his last 11 games. So far, the nation's 43rd-ranked ranked first baseman has knocked 30 hits with a team-high 38 RBIs with 1.5 RBIs per game.
 
The Brand. VMI is the only team in the country to have 100+ stolen bases with 139 which is on pace to beat the national record of 333 steals set by Wichita State in 1982. The closest team is Wofford, which has 94.
 
Runs Galore. VMI has scored 274 runs, the second most, with 11 runs per game, the nation's leader. The Keydets have scored double-digit runs in 15 games with seven run-rule victories.
 
K Zone. VMI staffers have posted 210 strikeouts, boasting over nine strikeouts per nine innings.
 
Eagle Eyes. The Keydets have drawn a nation-leading 210 walks.
 
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .311/.517/.480 which all stand in the top 30 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .517 on-base clip is number one in the country.
 
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 57 pitches, the 14th-most in the NCAA.
 
Small Ball. The Keydets are fifth in sacrifice flies (20) and 14th in sac bunts (20).
 
Season Streaks. Boston Torres enters the week with a 25-game on-base streak while Grayson Fitzwater boasts a 20-game on-base streak.
 
Keydets in the Outfield. VMI's starting outfielders lead the squad in batting average: Boston Torres (.349), Owen Prince (.356), and Bradley Garner (.400). They also attest to 150 putouts and 10 assists.
 
Record Book Watch. Grayson Fitzwater enters the season ranked first in career fielding percentage with .988. Other records to watch are career home runs (31), putouts (909), and slugging percentage (.592). Owen Prince is five steals away from breaking VMI's single-season record and is closing in on top five in career steals with 60.

Scouting the Spartans
- UNC Greensboro enters the series with a 10-14 record and will play its first SoCon game of 2025.
- The Spartans were picked to finish the year as SoCon champions, earning three first-place nods and 40 total votes.
- UNCG had six Spartans named Preseason All-SoCon.
- The Spartans had a gauntlet of non-conference opponents, including Creighton, #13 Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, and UConn. UNCG was able to pick up a series win over the Blue Jays and upset the Demon Deacons in Greensboro.
- At the plate, the Spartans are slashing .232/.351/.342 with 31 doubles, four triples, and 18 homers to pair with 92 RBIs and 112 runs.
- One of the league's top pitching teams enters to weekend with a 4.92 team ERA, boasting 228 strikeouts and 79 walks for a 2.89 K/BB ratio that ranks 23rd in the country.
- UNCG's 3.29 BB/9 is 15th in the nation.
- The Spartans have shut out three opponents, the 13th most in the NCAA.
- Sam Murchison leads the group with a 2.94 ERA and three wins, while Jay Miller boasts a .230 opponent batting average and 46 strikeouts.
- SoCon Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year, Rob Ready, has made eight appearances with a 6.97 ERA.
- Jeremy Wolf has produced big numbers at the plate, holding a .341 batting clip with a team-high 28 hits and seven doubles.
- Head Coach Cody Ellis is in his second season at the helm after being promoted to interim head coach before last season.
 
Series History
- VMI is 20-38 against UNCG.
- The Keydets are 14-15 when playing in Lexington.
- Last season, VMI was swept by UNCG in Greensboro.
 
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