LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball will host Radford on Wednesday night at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
 
Game Schedule and Probables
Wednesday | 6 p.m.
- RHP Roberto Velasquez (2-1, 6.00 ERA) vs. RHP Noah Toole (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
 
The Keydets (20-13, 4-5 SoCon) battle the Highlanders for the 66th time in program history, dating back to when both teams competed in the Big South together. VMI has won its last two midweek games, while Radford, which has been stellar in road matchups, is coming off two weekday road wins against Virginia Tech and Southern Conference rival East Tennessee State.
 
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Salvage Series With Walk-Off Win. Despite the Bears taking the series, VMI was able to pick up a win against Mercer in walk-off fashion.
 
Who Else? In his last five games, Boston Torres has slashed .529/1.118/.545, tallying nine hits with one double and three homers to pair with 12 RBIs. He also scored six runs and walked three times.
 
The Streak Continues. Boston Torres has reached base safely in all 33 games and has earned a hit in the last 10.
 
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 11 homers while Cole Raile and Boston Torres are close behind with 10.
 
Witnessing History. VMI is in the running to break several program records this season. If the season ended today, the Keydets' .325/.535/.478 slash and 9.3 K/9 would be program bests. VMI's 167 stolen bases are third, while its 358 runs are fifth and its 250 walks are fourth.
 
Dumbbell Raile. Cole Raile ranks number one in the nation with 54 runs. In addition, Raile has swiped 23 bags, the 12th most in DI, and has blasted 10 homers.
 
Torres It Up. While showing he can drive runners in, Boston Torres has shown he can get on base and score as he ranks in the top 25 in walks (32) and top 10 in runs (49). Torres leads the team with 15 multi-RBI and multi-hit outings. He has also homered in six of his last eight games.
 
Prince of Pain. Not only does he lead the team, but Owen Prince also leads the nation and league in steals and steals per game (1.21). He's eighth in the NCAA in walks (35), second in runs (51), and sixth in runs per game (1.55) while standing 30th in hits (50).
 
That's So B-Rad. Bradley Garner boasts a .393 batting clip and has 14 multi-hit and 11 multi-RBI games.
 
Kaz-Mania. Kazuya Jordan has been producing at the plate in different ways as the speedy second baseman ranks third with 30 stolen bases and has a 10-game hitting streak, earning 11 RBIs in that span.
 
Fitz Bomb. Grayson Fitzwater smashed his 11th home run of the season last week to move into sole position of fifth in career home runs with 35. Fitzwater has also reached base safely in 28 straight games.
 
A Kid Named Boston. Boston Torres was outstanding in his battle against the Spartans, landing him SoCon Player of the Week honors. 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 167 steals, which is on pace to beat the national record of 333 set by Wichita State in 1982. The Keydets average over five steals a game.
 
Runs Galore. VMI leads the NCAA with 358 runs and is the only team with 350+ runs this season. The Keydets average a nation-leading 11 runs per game and have scored double-digit runs in 18 games with nine run-rule victories.
 
K Zone. VMI staffers have posted 278 strikeouts with eight strikeouts per game.
 
Eagle Eyes. VMI has drawn a nation-leading 250 walks. The top four players who lead the SoCon in walks are all Keydets.
 
Plate Warriors. VMI is slashing .325/.535/.478, which all stand in the top 25 in the NCAA. The Keydets' .478 on-base clip is first while their .325 batting average ranks 10th.
 
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 76 pitches, the 10th most, with Ryan Peterson leading the charge with 14, ranking 23rd in the country.
 
Small Ball. The Keydets are third in sacrifice flies (25) and fifth in sac bunts (31).

Scouting the Highlanders
- Radford is 14-17 overall with a 3-6 Big South record.
- The Highlanders are 9-6 on the road.
- Radford is 8-1 when scoring 10 or more runs.
- When giving up five or fewer earned runs, the Highlanders are 10-1.
- Radford defeated ETSU, 10-8, and Virginia Tech, 8-1, in back-to-back road contests.
- The Highlanders have swept Mercyhurst and USC Upstate.
- Radford took two of three from UNC Greensboro.
- The Highlanders are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
- Radford slashes .274/.398/.368 with 58 doubles, 11 triples, and 19 home runs to pair with 189 RBIs and 212 runs.
- 11 triples is 27th in the nation.
- The Highlanders have 119 walks and 259 strikeouts.
- Breckin Nace boasts a team-leading .363 batting clip and a team-high 14 walks.
- Hunter Keen has 43 hits, 10 doubles, and 28 RBIs, while James Ward has 39 hits, 11 doubles, and 29 RBIs.
- Ward has a 1.014 OPS and has been hit by 16 pitches, the 10th most in the country.
- Jhonkeanu Perez's four triples are top 15 in the nation.
- Radford's staff holds a 7.81 ERA with 163 walks and 239 strikeouts.
- Ben Keefe has made 18 appearances, ranking second among DI teams and first in the Big South.
- The Highlanders have turned 30 double plays and average nearly one double play per game, both ranking in the top 15.
- Head Coach Alex Guerra, the seventh head coach in program history, is in his third season at the helm.
 
Series History
- VMI is 27-37-1 all-time against Radford and has won the last three meetings.
- The Keydets won last year's home and away bouts, taking down the Highlanders, 9-8, at home before easily handling them on the road, 8-1.
- Last season, Cole Raile launched a go-ahead pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning to flip the script and win the game against Radford.
- VMI is 13-18-1 against Radford when playing at home, winning the last two matchups at Gray-Minor Stadium.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.