LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball continues the homestand on Friday when Holy Cross comes to Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Game Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 3 p.m.
- RHP
Andrew Jones (2-0, 1.93 ERA) vs. RHP Sean Scanlon (0-1, 6.55 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 1 p.m.
- RHP
Caden Plummer (3-0, 2.50 ERA) vs. RHP Danny Macchiarola (1-2, 3.78 ERA)
Game 3 | Saturday at 4 p.m.
- LHP
Jaxon Lloyd (2-0, 3.65 ERA) vs. LHP Derek Volz (1-0, 2.61 ERA)
Game 4 | Sunday at 11 a.m.
- TBA vs. RHP Jaden Wywoda (2-0, 1.88 ERA)
The Keydets earned their 10th victory and seventh-straight home win last weekend after sweeping Norfolk State, the third series sweep of the season for VMI. In the way of extending the hot streak is the Crusaders of Holy Cross, who have won four of their last five games.
Keys to the Keydets
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the nation in several categories including walks per game (1.73), on-base percentage (.672), runs per game (2.18), steals (25), and steals per game (25). He's also second in runs (24) and walks (19). Prince is just 12 steals away from breaking VMI's single-season record.
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner has had a stellar start to the season, slashing .500/.733/.653 with 15 hits, 15 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. His .500 hitting clip and .653 on-base percentage are top 10 in the country.
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile has clobbered seven homers, the sixth most in the nation, with a 1.029 slugging percentage, the eighth best in the NCAA. Raile is also top 25 in runs (23) and RBIs (20).
The Best Boston. Boston Torres is one of three Keydets to boast a .400+ batting average. Torres also ranks in the top 10 in the country in sacrifice flies (3), RBIs per game (1.82), and runs per game (1.73). He also has six multi-hit and multi-RBI games.
Big Game James. James Newsome played hero against Norfolk State on Saturday, hitting the walk-off single. Newsome was called to start on Sunday and went four for five with three runs and three RBIs.
Call the Plummer. Caden Plummer is set to make his fourth start of the season. He ranks fifth in the nation in victories with three.
K Zone, No Walking or Running Allowed. VMI staffers have posted 105 strikeouts and just 29 walks and 76 hits. The Keydets' 3.68 K/BB ratio is 13th, 3.19 BB/9 is 17th, and 11.4 K/9 is 18th in the NCAA.
Season Streaks. Owen Prince leads the bunch with a seven-game hitting streak right in front of
James Newsome and
Cole Raile who have six-game hitting streaks. Five Keydets have reached base safely in all 11 contests.
Runs Galore. VMI has scored 150 runs, the fourth most, with over 13 runs per game, the nation's leader.
Getting On Base. VMI leads the nation with a .548 on-base percentage while boasting an NCAA-high 115 walks and .365 batting clip.
The Brand. VMI has swiped 90 bags and over eight steals per game, serving as the nation's leader in both categories. Four of the nation's top five stolen base leaders are Keydets (Prince, Garner, Jordan, and Perry).
Keydets in the Outfield. VMI's top hitters are the starting outfielders:
Boston Torres (.410),
Owen Prince (.486), and
Bradley Garner (.500). They also attest to 49 putouts with no errors.
Rub Some Dirt On It. Max Perry has shown his toughness as he has been hit by six pitches which is top 50 in the country.
Fitz Bomb. Despite a slow start,
Grayson Fitzwater has found his rhythm, going six for nine in his last three games with seven RBIs.
More Parmer. A big piece to the bullpen has been
Evan Parmer who has made four appearances and has allowed just one earned run and two hits with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.
Situational Hitting Kings. When leading off, VMI is batting .525. With runners on third with less than two outs, the Keydets boast a .793 clip. Hitters have earned 38 two-out RBIs and have advanced 55 runners without an out.
Score More. Last season, VMI was 17-0 when scoring 10 or more runs in the regular season and is already 10-0 this season.
Scouting the Crusaders
- Holy Cross enters the series 5-5 overall, winning four of the last five games.
- The Crusaders faced Towson on Thursday night before making the trip to Lexington.
- Holy Cross dropped its latest matchup to George Mason, 26-6, while allowing an NCAA record 23 runs in the third inning.
- The Crusaders defeated #22 Auburn on opening weekend.
- Holy Cross slashes .227/.344/.334 with 78 hits, 19 doubles, three triples, and five home runs.
- The Crusaders have scored 49 runs off 45 RBIs.
- Jimmy King leads the charge at the dish, boasting a team-high .289 batting average with 11 hits.
- Gianni Royer and John LaFleur have driven in a team-most seven RBIs.
- CJ Egrie leads the team with eight runs, eight walks, and five stolen bases.
- Holy Cross' staff hold a 6.31 ERA, allowing 61 earned runs.
- Jaden Wywoda will get the start on Sunday after leading the Crusaders to a pair of victories in three starts with a 1.88 clip.
- Derek Volz has an opponent batting average of .167 in three appearances and is set to make his first start on Saturday.
- Danny Macchiarola leads the bunch with 15 strikeouts.
- As a team, Holy Cross has a .962 fielding percentage with 14 errors.
- Head Coach Ed Kahovec is the reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year and enters his sixth season at the helm.
Series History
- VMI is 5-2 against Holy Cross and has won the last four matchups.
- All seven games have been played in Lexington.
- The Crusaders' last victory came in March 2022.
- The first meeting between the two programs was in 1990.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
