LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball travels to Arlington, Virginia, for a midweek clash against George Washington on Tuesday afternoon at Tucker Field at Barcroft Park.
Game Schedule and Probables
Tuesday | 3 p.m.
- LHP
Nolan Williamson (1-0, 18.90 ERA) vs. RHP Jonas Aponick (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
The Keydets (23-14, 4-5 SoCon) seek revenge against the Revs after dropping their first matchup in March. Since the loss, VMI has won three straight midweek bouts and took two of three from Ohio over the weekend.
Keys to the Keydets
Top Weekend Performers. On Saturday,
Kazuya Jordan went three for four with four RBIs and two runs.
Nolan Williamson earned his first collegiate win on the bump while
Marcus Van Alstine took home his third save. In Sunday's victory,
Ayden Schnarrs delivered a clutch two-RBI single while
Andrew Jones and
Nathan Hawley teamed up to shut down Ohio's offense in the final 4.2 innings.
Big Game James. James Newsome had a legacy week at the plate, making four starts at first base while slashing a team-best .455/1.182/.647 with a pair of doubles and homers, including a team-high six walks.
Weekday Kings. Bradley Garner boasts a team-best .556/1.074/.641 slash with 15 hits, six doubles, and 18 RBIs in midweek contests. Also performing well is
Owen Prince, who holds a .400 batting clip with 16 RBIs, and
Grayson Fitzwater, who has homered four times. In two appearances,
Nathan Hawley has tossed four innings with no runs allowed, while
Evan Parmer has struck out a team-high 18.
The Streak Continues. Boston Torres has reached base safely in all 37 games, while
Grayson Fitzwater follows right behind with a 32-game on-base streak.
Ayden Schnarrs has tabbed a hit in his last 11 games.
Runs Boston Batted In. Boston Torres has produced the third most RBIs in NCAA DI with 57, which is seven shy of breaking the VMI single-season record set by teammate
Grayson Fitzwater last year.
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 43 through 37 games, with over a steal a game, which leads the country. In his career, Prince has collected 71 steals, the fifth-most in program history.
Speedy Kaz. Kazuya Jordan has raced his way towards the top of stolen bases this year, swiping 35 bags, which stands third in VMI history and third in the nation. In his career, Jordan has stolen 68 bases, putting him at sixth all-time.
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 20 in walks (36) and third in runs (56). He has also hit seven sacrifice flies, the second most in the country. Torres leads the team with 16 multi-RBI and 15 multi-hit outings.
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the nation and league in steals and steals per game (1.16). He's 15th in the NCAA in walks (37), eighth in runs (53), while standing 36th in hits (54).
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a team-high .392 batting clip and a .530 on-base percentage that ranks 19th nationally.
Fitz Bomb. Grayson Fitzwater smashed his 37th career home run against Ohio to move into a tie for fourth all-time.
Runnin' Raile. Cole Raile ranks third in the nation with 56 runs. Raile has also swiped 23 bags, the 17th most in DI.
Lloyd Expressway. Jaxon Lloyd has dominated the strike zone, tallying 51 punchouts in 39.1 innings for a stellar 11.67 K/9 ratio, which would be first in VMI single-season history. His career 10.9 K/9 split would rank first as well.
Home Run Derby. Three Keydets are in a race for the home run title.
Grayson Fitzwater has launched a team-leading 13 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' .542 slugging and .477 on-base clips and 9.3 K/9 would be program bests. VMI's 184 stolen bases are second, and 277 walks are third, while its 391 runs, 350 RBIs, and 81 hit by pitches would stand fourth.
A Kid Named Boston. Boston Torres was outstanding in his battle against the Spartans, landing him SoCon Player of the Week honors to end March. Torres tallied seven hits and seven RBIs, going five-for-five with three RBIs and four runs on Saturday before smashing the game-tying three-run home run to set up the Keydets for a series-finale victory on Sunday. Torres homered in all three games against the Spartans.
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 184 steals, closing in on the VMI single-season record set in 2023. The Keydets average nearly five steals a game.
Runs Galore. VMI leads the NCAA with 391 runs and averages a nation-leading 10.6 runs per game, scoring double-digit runs in 20 games with nine run-rule victories.
K Zone. VMI staffers have posted 312 strikeouts with nine strikeouts per game.
Eagle Eyes. VMI has drawn a nation-leading 277 walks. The top three players who lead the SoCon in walks are all Keydets, while two players rank in the top 25 in NCAA DI.
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .321/.530/.472, which all stand in the top 25 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .472 on-base clip is first while their .325 batting average ranks 14th.
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 81 pitches, the 12th most, with
Ryan Peterson leading the charge with 16, ranking 23rd.
Small Ball. The Keydets are fourth in sacrifice flies (27) and fifth in sac bunts (36).
Scouting the Revolutionaries
- George Washington comes into the midweek matchup 18-17 overall with a 6-9 conference record.
- The Revs are 13-9 when playing at home.
- GWU has scored series wins over Holy Cross, Maine, Rhode Island, and George Mason.
- Last weekend, the Revs were swept by Dayton.
- GWU has lost four of its last five games and is 1-3 in its last four home games.
- Ty Acker put up three hits and scored three times while Ellis Schwartz tallied four RBIs in the VMI-GWU matchup in March.
- Gavin Miller picked up his first win, and Andrew Cutler secured his first save in the victory.
- As a team, the Revs are batting .282/.418/.390 with 76 doubles, six triples, and 24 home runs to pair with 228 runs and 205 RBIs.
- GWU has 164 walks and 270 strikeouts.
- 76 doubles are 38th in the country.
- Schwartz leads the group with a .360 batting clip, tallying a team-high 45 hits and 30 RBIs along with six home runs.
- Charlie Rogan has a team-best 28 runs.
- The Revs have turned 33 double plays with nearly one double play per game, which both stand in the top 20 in NCAA DI.
- GWU's staff boasts a 6.66 ERA with 187 walks and 258 strikeouts.
- Cutler has been prominent down the stretch, earning a 4-0 record and a 1.88 ERA in 12 appearances.
- Head Coach Gregg Ritchie, who graduated from GW in 1986, is in his 13th season with the Revs, racking up over 300 wins.
Series History
- VMI is 20-29 against GWU.
- Earlier this season, the Revs bested the Keydets, 10-8, in come-from-behind fashion, scoring five runs in the seventh to win.
- VMI is 3-6 against GWU in Arlington.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.