LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball hits the road for a three-game series against Ohio at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens, Ohio.
 
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 6 p.m.
- RHP Evan Parmer (2-3, 7.76 ERA) vs. RHP Blake Gaskey (2-3, 7.13 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 2 p.m.
- LHP Jaxon Lloyd (4-1, 6.88 ERA) vs. RHP Hudson Boncal (1-3, 5.08 ERA)
Game 3 | Sunday at 1 p.m.
- TBA vs. TBA
 
The Keydets (21-13, 4-5 SoCon) start a short road trip against the Bobcats in a non-conference series. VMI is 12-5 in non-league series with three series sweeps. Ohio is looking to get back on track after dropping its last four home matchups.
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Rout Highlanders. Thanks to a trio of home runs, VMI earned an 11-5 victory over Radford on Wednesday
 
Big Bats. James Newsome and Bradley Garner each produced three hits, with Newsome hitting a solo shot and Garner tallying a double. Grayson Fitzwater launched his 12th home run of the season, while Cole Raile hammered his 11th bomb of the year.
 
Standing Tall. Roberto Velasquez tossed five innings, allowing just two runs, and posted five punchouts en route to his third win. Marcus Van Alstine went four innings, striking out four, to earn the save.
 
Here for the Weekend. In weekend series, VMI holds a 16-10 record while slashing .323/.520/.476 with 264 runs. Boston Torres has been lights out in such games, boasting a .404/.766/.516 slash with 45 RBIs. Owen Prince is right behind with a .381 batting clip and 37 hits.
 
The Streak Continues. Boston Torres has reached base safely in all 34 games and has earned a hit in the last 11. Grayson Fitzwater follows right behind with a 29-game on-base streak along with Ayden Schnarrs, who has tabbed a hit in his last eight games.
 
Runs Boston Batted In. The nation's RBI leader has produced 57 RBIs, which is seven shy of breaking the VMI single-season record set by teammate Grayson Fitzwater last year, with nearly two RBIs per game.
 
King of Steals. It only took Owen Prince 29 games to break VMI's single-season stolen base record after swiping his 37th bag against Longwood. He has reached 40 through 33 games, with over a steal a game, which leads the country. In his career, Prince has collected 68 steals, the fifth-most in program history.
 
Home Run Derby. Three Keydets are in a race for the home run title. Grayson Fitzwater has launched a team-leading 12 homers, while Cole Raile has 11 and Boston Torres has 10.
 
Witnessing History. VMI is in the running to break several program records this season. If the season ended today, the Keydets' .326/.542/.477 slash and 9.3 K/9 would be program bests. VMI's 172 stolen bases are third, while its 369 runs are fifth and its 254 walks are third.
 
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile ranks number one in the nation with 56 runs. Raile has also swiped 23 bags, the 15th most in DI.
 
Torres It Up. While showing he can drive runners in, Boston Torres has proven he can get on base and score as he ranks in the top 25 in walks (32) and top 10 in runs (50). Torres leads the team with 15 multi-RBI and multi-hit outings.
 
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the nation and league in steals and steals per game (1.18). He's 10th in the NCAA in walks (35), fifth in runs (51), and 10th in runs per game (1.50) while standing 29th in hits (51).
 
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a .402 batting clip and has 15 multi-hit and 11 multi-RBI games.
 
Kaz-Mania. Kazuya Jordan has been producing on the base paths, ranking third with 32 stolen bases and is closing in on top five in career steals with 65.
 
Fitz Bomb. Grayson Fitzwater smashed his 36th career home run to move into fifth all-time.
 
Lloyd Expressway. Jaxon Lloyd has dominated the strike zone, tallying 47 punchouts in 35.1 innings for a stellar 11.97 K/9 ratio, which would be first in VMI single-season history. His career 11.03 K/9 split would rank first as well.
 
Plum Dog. Caden Plummer leads the team with a 4.10 ERA, 41 strikeouts, four victories, and one complete game.
 
The Brand. VMI leads the country with 172 steals, closing in on the VMI single-season record set in 2023. The Keydets average over five steals a game.
 
Runs Galore. VMI leads the NCAA with 369 runs and averages a nation-leading 11 runs per game, scoring double-digit runs in 19 games with nine run-rule victories.
 
K Zone. VMI staffers have posted 287 strikeouts with nine strikeouts per game.
 
Eagle Eyes. VMI has drawn a nation-leading 254 walks. The top four players who lead the SoCon in walks are all Keydets, while three players rank in the top 25 in NCAA DI.
 
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .326/.542/.477, which all stand in the top 25 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .478 on-base clip is first while their .325 batting average ranks eighth.
 
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 78 pitches, the ninth most, with Ryan Peterson and Cole Raile leading the charge with 14 apiece, ranking 25th.
 
Small Ball. The Keydets are fourth in sacrifice flies (25) and sixth in sac bunts (32).

Scouting the Bobcats
- Ohio enters the series 8-23 overall with a 4-11 conference record.
- The Bobcats are members of the MAC.
- Ohio was swept by fellow SoCon rival Wofford to open the season, but would later pick up quality wins over Morehead State, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and a series win over Butler.
- The Bobcats are 4-11 at home but have lost their last four home games.
- Ohio is slashing .295/.479/.384 with 61 doubles, three triples, and 45 home runs to pair with 218 runs and 199 RBIs.
- The Bobcats have 136 walks and 229 strikeouts.
- Matt Ineich has produced a team-high .407 batting clip that ranks in the top 50 in NCAA DI with a team-most 46 hits that stands in the top 100 in the nation.
- Ben Slanker has tallied 45 RBIs and 14 homers, both are top 25 in the country, while his .780 slugging percentage ranks 27th nationally.
- Ohio's pitching staff has accumulated an 8.08 ERA with 204 strikeouts and 181 walks.
- The Bobcats' opponent batting average rounds out to a .315 clip.
- Blake Gaskey and Hudson Boncal are slated to start, with Gaskey posting a 7.13 ERA and a 2-3 record and Boncal holding a 5.08 ERA and a 1-3 record.
- Hudson leads the squad with 40 strikeouts.
- Ohio ranks eighth in hit batters with 74.
- Head Coach Craig Moore is in his fourth season at the helm after taking over following the 2021 campaign.
 
Series History
- This will be the second meeting in program history, with the first matchup being in 1998 when Ohio bested VMI, 5-1, in Lexington.
 
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