LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball will challenge The Citadel for baseball's version of the Military Classic of the South in Charleston, South Carolina.
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday at 6 p.m.
- RHP
Justin Spiegel (0-1, 6.35 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Stanley (2-2, 5.86 ERA)
Game 2 | Saturday at 3 p.m.
- LHP
Jaxon Lloyd (4-2, 6.95 ERA) vs. LHP George Derrick Floyd (3-2, 4.58 ERA)
Game 3 | Sunday at 1 p.m.
- TBA vs. RHP Chandler Anderson (1-2, 3.98 ERA)
The Keydets (25-17, 5-7 SoCon) have a chance to move up in the Southern Conference standings when they visit the Bulldogs, who have had two weeks off from conference action. Last season, VMI took two of three from Citadel at home, including a walk-off win in the rubber match thanks to an extra-inning RBI single by
Grayson Fitzwater.
Keys to the Keydets
Shattering Records. VMI has now totaled 304 walks and 193 stolen bases, both first in the team's single-season history.
League Leaders. In conference games,
Owen Prince has produced a league-leading 19 hits, while
Kazuya Jordan has swiped a SoCon-most 19 bags.
Jaxon Lloyd has tossed 25 strikeouts with two victories, both second in the SoCon.
Weekend Kings. Grayson Fitzwater and
Kazuya Jordan have dominated in their weekend outings. Fitzwater has tacked on a team-leading 22 hits, five doubles, and four homers, with Jordan boasting 23 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Nathan Hawley has made five appearances, earning a pair of saves with a sub-one ERA.
Fielding Opponent Territory. VMI promotes a .971 fielding percentage on opposing turf with 10 double plays and half as many errors as its opponents.
Follow the SoCon Road. This will be just the second road conference series for VMI, with the last being in late March against Western Carolina. In that series, the Keydets scored 19 runs and came away with two wins.
The Streak Continues. Boston Torres has reached base safely in all 42 games, while
Grayson Fitzwater follows right behind with a 37-game on-base streak. Torres has tied Assistant Coach
Trey Morgan for the longest on-base streak in program history.
Runs Boston Batted In. With 59 RBIs, which ranks sixth in the NCAA,
Boston Torres is five 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 39 bags, which stands second in VMI history and in the nation, both behind his fellow Keydet,
Owen Prince. In his career, Jordan has stolen 72 bases, putting him at fifth all-time with Prince.
Torres It Up. Boston Torres has proven he can get on base and score as he ranks 15th in walks (41) and 10th in runs (59). His 59 runs are six shy of the VMI single-season record set by
Justin Starke last season. He has also hit seven sacrifice flies, the third most in the country. Torres leads the team with 15 multi-RBI 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 44 steals, with over a steal a game, both leading the country.
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the team with 18 multi-hit games and is currently 15th in the NCAA in walks (41), 13th in runs (57), and 32nd in hits (62). Prince's .509 on-base percentage ranks first in the league, with his .376 batting clip standing third.
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner has been consistently at the top for batting average and on-base percentage. His .378 batting clip ranks second in the SoCon, while his on-base percentage is third.
Fitz Bomb. Grayson Fitzwater smashed his 38th career home run against Radford to move into sole possession of fourth all-time. His 14 home runs in 2025 rank 31st nationally and fourth in the conference.
Runnin' Raile. Cole Raile ranks 11th in the nation with 58 runs and is 34th in stolen bases with 23. Both categories are top three in the SoCon
Lloyd Expressway. Jaxon Lloyd has dominated the strike zone, tallying 58 punchouts in 45.1 innings for a stellar 11.57 K/9 ratio, which would be third in VMI single-season history. His career 10.9 K/9 split would rank second in VMI history.
Witnessing History. VMI is in the running to break several program records this season, including on-base percentage, strikeouts per nine innings, batting average, slugging percentage, runs, RBIs, and hit by pitches.
The Brand. VMI leads the country with 193 steals, averaging nearly five steals a game.
Runs Galore. VMI is second in the NCAA with 429 runs and 10 runs per game. The Keydets have scored double digits in 22 games, with nine run-rule victories.
Eagle Eyes. VMI has drawn a nation-leading 304 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. The Keydets' .463 on-base clip is first, while their .314 batting average ranks 21st. If the season ended today, the on-base clip would rank first in VMI's history.
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 90 pitches, the 13th most, with
Ryan Peterson and
Ayden Schnarrs leading the charge with 16 each, ranking 30th.
Small Ball. The Keydets are fifth in sacrifice flies (29) and seventh in sacrifice bunts (39).
Scouting the Bulldogs
- Citadel enters the weekend 20-19 overall with a 4-5 SoCon record.
- The Bulldogs picked up a conference series win over Mercer and a win against Wofford and Samford.
- Citadel has earned 15 wins at home.
- The Bulldogs are 16-1 when allowed three or fewer earned runs.
- Offensively, Citadel slashes .239/.319/.344 with 51 doubles, seven triples, and 11 home runs to pair with 142 RBIs and 180 runs.
- The Bulldogs have produced the fewest runs, RBIs, hits, doubles, and home runs in the SoCon with the lowest batting average and slugging and on-base percentages.
- Citadel does lead the league with 43 sacrifice bunts, ranking fourth nationally, with Travis Elliott leading the charge with 11 sac bunts, the fifth most in the country.
- Elliott also leads the team with a .304 batting clip, totaling 41 hits and 26 RBIs.
- On the mound, the Bulldogs boast a 4.74 ERA, the second lowest in the conference, with 261 strikeouts and 168 walks.
- Citadel has earned three shutouts while allowing 25 home runs, the fewest in the SoCon.
- George Derrick Floyd has earned three wins in nine appearances, holding a 4.58 ERA.
- Andrew Stanley has made 12 appearances with 45 strikeouts, while Maddox Webb has made a team-high 15 appearances with 48 strikeouts.
- Four pitchers have earned at least three wins, with three sitting at a perfect 3-0.
- Head Coach Russell Triplett is in his first season with the Bulldogs after serving at Newberry College for 14 seasons.
Series History
- VMI is 42-89 against The Citadel.
- 42 wins is the third-most wins against a single opponent in franchise history.
- This is the oldest rivalry in VMI history, as the teams have met a program-high 131 times, with the first known matchup being in 1955.
- VMI has outscored Citadel, 78-72, when playing in Charleston since 2015, accumulating a 9-7 record.
- The Keydets' most recent road sweep of the Bulldogs came in 2021, also marking the last road series win.
- The rivals have split the last 10 games, both holding a 5-5 record.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
