LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball will host Samford for a three-game series starting Thursday at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
 
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Thursday at 6 p.m.
- RHP Justin Spiegel (0-1, 6.26 ERA) vs. LHP Miller Riggins (3-2, 4.73 ERA)
Game 2 | Friday at 6 p.m.
- LHP Jaxon Lloyd (4-1, 7.09 ERA) vs. RHP Cameron Keshock (3-1, 4.05 ERA)
Game 3 | Saturday at 1 p.m.
- TBA vs. TBA
 
The Keydets (24-14, 4-5 SoCon) look to move up in the conference standings, but standing in the way is the second-place Bulldogs, who have won six of their last seven league games. VMI is also riding a hot streak into the series, winning its last three games and holding opponents to five or fewer earned runs in its last five games.
 
Keys to the Keydets
10-Run Inning Lifts Keydets to Victory. VMI tallied a 16-4 win over George Washington on Tuesday thanks to a massive 10-run seventh inning.
 
Top Performers. Kazuya Jordan highlighted VMI at the plate with two hits and three RBIs while Bradley Garner tallied a three-run home run and Owen Prince earned a pair of hits. Evan Parmer tossed a three-inning gem, allowing one run and five strikeouts.
 
Weekend Kings. Boston Torres leads the group with a .394 batting clip, 41 hits, 11 doubles, and 45 RBIs in weekend series. Owen Prince has posted 40 hits and swiped 36 bags, while Grayson Fitzwater has smacked nine homers with 40 RBIs.
 
Home Sweet Home. Four Keydets are batting over .400 in home games this year. As a team, VMI slashes .355/.615/.499 with 100 stolen bases.
 
Situational Success. VMI swings .316 with 100 RBIs when there are two outs. The Keydets boast a .433 clip when the bases are loaded and a .479 average when leading off.
 
The Streak Continues. Boston Torres has reached base safely in all 38 games, while Grayson Fitzwater follows right behind with a 33-game on-base streak.
 
Runs Boston Batted In. The nation's RBI leader has driven in 58 RBIs, which is six shy of breaking the VMI single-season record set by teammate Grayson Fitzwater last year.
 
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. Jordan has also been successful in sacrifice situations, laying down 10 sac bunts, the fourth most.
 
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 15 in walks (38) and third in runs (58). His 58 runs are seven shy of the VMI single-season record set by Justin Starke last season. 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.
 
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 43 steals, with over a steal a game, both leading the country. In his career, Prince has collected 71 steals, the fifth-most in program history.
 
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the nation and league in steals and steals per game (1.16). He's 12th in the NCAA in walks (37), eighth in runs (55), while standing 33rd in hits (56).
 
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a team-high .382 batting clip and a .517 on-base percentage that ranks 34th 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 fifth in the nation with 57 runs. Raile has also swiped 23 bags, the 19th 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 third in VMI single-season history. His career 10.9 K/9 split would rank first. When Lloyd starts on the mound, the Keydets are 7-1.
 
Home Run Derby. Three Keydets are in a race for the team's 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' .470 on-base clip and 9.3 K/9 would be program bests. The .317 batting average and .523 slugging percentage would rank third. VMI's 187 stolen bases and 277 walks are second, while its 362 RBIs are third, and its 407 runs and 84 hit by pitches would stand fourth.
 
Plum Dog. Caden Plummer leads the team with a 4.10 ERA, 41 strikeouts, four victories, and one complete game. Plummer ranks 27th nationally with a 1.51 BB/9 mark.
 
The Brand. VMI leads the country with 187 steals, closing in on the VMI single-season record set in 2023. The Keydets average nearly five steals a game.
 
Runs Galore. VMI is the only team in the nation with 400+ runs, averaging a nation-leading 10.7 runs per game, scoring double-digit runs in 21 games, with nine run-rule victories.
 
Eagle Eyes. VMI has drawn a nation-leading 286 walks. The top three players who lead the SoCon in walks are all Keydets, while two players rank in the top 15 in NCAA DI.
 
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .317/.523/.470, which all stand in the top 25 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .470 on-base clip is first, while their .317 batting average ranks 19th.
 
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 84 pitches, the 12th most, with Ryan Peterson leading the charge with 16, ranking 25th.
 
Small Ball. The Keydets are fourth in sacrifice flies (27) and sacrifice bunts (37).

Scouting the Bulldogs
- Samford is 20-16 overall with a 6-3 SoCon record.
- The Bulldogs have earned series sweeps over Valparaiso, Evansville, and Wofford.
- Samford took two of three from The Citadel and was able to earn one win over East Tennessee State.
- The Bulldogs average nearly eight runs per game and allow just under six earned runs a game.
- Samford is 7-10 on the road, winning three straight.
- The Bulldogs are 12-0 when scoring 10 or more runs and are 14-2 when allowing four earned runs or fewer.
- Samford slashes .296/.479/.388 with 71 doubles, eight triples, and 45 home runs to pair with 252 RBIs and 281 runs.
- Cade Carr leads the group at the dish with a .354 batting clip and a team-high 44 RBIs, and ranks second in the country with seven sacrifice flies
- Jake Souders has a team-most 47 hits while Parker McDonald has hammered 10 home runs.
- Jeffrey Ince has put up a .333 average with 44 hits, 11 doubles, and 24 walks to pair with 16 steals.
- On the mound, the Bulldogs boast a 5.52 ERA with 326 strikeouts.
- Samford ranks number one in the league and 36th nationally with nearly 10 strikeouts per game.
- The Bulldogs have tossed a pair of shutouts, with one Bulldog earning a complete game.
- Cameron Keshock and Miller Riggins rank 20th in NCAA DI with nine starts.
- Evan Steckmesser is first nationally with a 13.00 K/BB ratio and second with a sub-one BB/9 mark in 16 appearances.
- Head Coach Tony David is in year four at the helm and is the 2023 SoCon Champion and Coach of the Year.
 
Series History
- VMI is 8-29 against Samford.
- The Bulldogs swept the Keydets in Birmingham last season.
- VMI has won four times in Lexington.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.