LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball opens up postseason play on Wednesday against Western Carolina in the opening round of the Southern Conference Championship at 3 p.m. at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina.
Game Schedule and Probables
Opening Round | Wednesday at 3 p.m.
- LHP
Jaxon Lloyd (4-3, 7.01 ERA) vs. RHP Dusty Revis (6-5, 4.19 ERA)
The Keydets (27-25, 6-15 SoCon) look to make a run in the postseason, fighting for the automatic bid into the NCAA Regional. The first round of the SoCon Tournament is single elimination, with the remaining portion of the bracket being a double elimination. If VMI escapes the opening round, the Keydets will battle No. 4 Mercer on Thursday.
Keys to the Keydets
Keydets Snap Skid, Cap Off Regular Season With Win. VMI finished the season on a high note, defeating Wofford and snapping a 10-game skid against SoCon opponents.
Winning Ways. With the win over Wofford, VMI is guaranteed a winning record for the first time since 2014. This marks the third-straight season for head coach
Sam Roberts and company with 25 or more wins, the first time in 17 seasons (2006-08).
SoCon Championship Seeding. The Keydets were named the eighth seed of the tournament and will face Western Carolina in the opening round. ETSU claimed the regular season crown, followed by Samford, The Citadel, Mercer, WCU, UNC Greensboro, Wofford, and VMI.
Tournament History. VMI is 17-42 in SoCon postseason history. Last season, the Keydets fell out of the first round to Mercer, 19-14. VMI's last postseason win was against Wofford in 2017.
Postseason Knowledge. In postseason history, VMI has been the eighth seed 13 times, earning five victories. The Keydets have faced the Catamounts a total of 13 times, the most against a single team in program postseason history.
Postseason Honors. Four Keydets scored postseason SoCon awards. First baseman
Grayson Fitzwater landed on the All-SoCon First Team, while outfielders
Boston Torres and
Owen Prince were voted to the All-SoCon Second Team. Prince also secured All-Defensive Team honors. Right-handed pitcher
Justin Spiegel was dubbed to the All-SoCon Freshman Team.
Garner Sighting. Bradley Garner put on a show against Wofford, going seven for 16 with six runs, six RBIs, and three homers. On Friday, the outfielder recorded four hits with two home runs, a double, three RBIs, and four runs. Garner also extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his on-base streak to 28 games.
Batting Title. With the season closing soon,
Bradley Garner has his sights set on the SoCon batting title as he leads the league with a .397 batting clip, while also boasting a .504 on-base percentage. Also producing key offensive numbers are
Owen Prince, who leads the conference with 79 hits, and
Boston Torres, who holds a league-leading 67 RBIs and 68 runs.
History Makers. With two home runs and four RBIs at the Peninsula Classic,
Grayson Fitzwater has moved to the top in VMI history with 157 career RBIs.
Boston Torres broke two VMI single-season records against ETSU, totaling 67 RBIs and 68 runs.
Shattering Records. VMI has now totaled 341 walks, 209 stolen bases, 440 RBIs, and 490 runs, all first in the program's single-season record book. The Keydets are in the running to break more program records this season, including on-base percentage, strikeouts per nine innings, batting average, slugging percentage, and hit by pitches. If the season ended today, VMI's .448 on-base clip and 8.70 K/9 would be first.
Fitz Bomb. Grayson Fitzwater has launched 17 home runs this season, which is two away from the single-season record he set last year. His 41 career homers are ranked third all-time.
The Record-Breaking Streak. Grayson Fitzwater set a new on-base record by reaching base in 43 straight games, snapping Assistant Coach
Trey Morgan's record.
Speedy Kaz. Kazuya Jordan has raced his way towards the top of stolen bases this year, swiping 44 bags, which stands second in VMI history and fourth in the nation, both behind his fellow Keydet,
Owen Prince. In his career, Jordan has stolen 77 bases, putting him at fourth all-time.
Regal Spiegel. This season,
Justin Spiegel has gone at least five innings in four outings and has totaled 48 strikeouts. The sophomore standout set a new strikeout career high in back-to-back starts, earning eight and nine strikeouts, respectively, against SoCon foes.
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 46 steals, which is second in the country, with nearly one steal per game, the third most nationally.
Prince of Pain. Owen Prince leads the team with 79 hits and 46 walks, both top three in the conference and top 40 nationally. Prince is now three walks shy of the VMI single-season record.
Lloyd Expressway. Jaxon Lloyd has dominated the strike zone, tallying 73 punchouts in 60.1 innings for a stellar 10.93 K/9 ratio, which would be fourth in VMI single-season history. His career 10.55 K/9 split would rank second in VMI history.
The Brand. VMI leads the country with 209 steals, averaging four steals a game.
Runs Galore. VMI is eighth in the NCAA with 462 runs, scoring over nine runs per game, the fifth-most in the nation. The Keydets have scored double digits in 24 games, with nine run-rule victories.
Eagle Eyes. VMI has drawn 341 walks, the seventh-most nationally.
Plate Warriors. The Keydets are slashing .311/.506/.448, ranking in the top 35 in all three categories. VMI's on-base percentage is first in the league and fourth nationally, while its batting and slugging clips stand second in the conference.
Rub Some Dirt On It. The Keydets have been hit by 103 pitches, the second-most in program history, while ranking 31st nationally.
Ryan Peterson has tallied 21, the 34th-most among DI players and the third highest in VMI single-season history.
Ayden Schnarrs and
Cole Raile rank fifth in VMI single-season history with 18.
Small Ball. The Keydets are eighth in sacrifice flies (34) and ninth in sacrifice bunts (44).
Scouting the Field
- VMI's first-round opponent, Western Carolina, comes in as the fifth seed after going 28-26 overall with a 10-11 SoCon split.
- The Catamounts dropped two of three against the Keydets in March.
- WCU slashes .304/.479/.404, with 118 doubles, 10 triples, and 62 home runs to pair with 425 runs and 388 RBIs.
- 118 doubles ranks first in the league and 25th nationally, while 561 hits stands second in the conference and 35th nationally.
- Trent Turner leads the charge offensively, boasting 71 hits, 52 RBIs, and 13 homers.
- Wyatt Stanley has a .368 batting clip against conference opponents, tallying 25 hits and 22 RBIs.
- The Catamounts hold a 6.89 ERA, the second highest in the league, with 446 strikeouts and 235 walks, the most in the SoCon.
- WCU has allowed 413 runs, the most in the conference.
- Dusty Revis has led the Catamounts, starting in 14 games with a 4.19 ERA. Revis' 3.38 ERA versus conference foes is seventh-best in the league.
- Davis Wright has tossed 44.2 innings and 45 strikeouts in conference games, the league leader.
- If the Keydets advance to the double-elimination bracket, they will face No. 4 Mercer, who enters the tournament with a 33-23 overall record after going 12-9 in league play.
- The Bears took two of three from VMI in April.
- Mercer clinched the first-round bye after winning two against Samford in the final series of the regular season.
- The Bears promote a .278/.451/.383 slash, with 101 doubles, four triples, and 72 home runs to go with 354 runs and 332 RBIs.
- Mercer boasts a .4.74 ERA, the second-lowest among SoCon teams.
- Highlighting the Bears' success has been Colton Cosper, who has put up six victories on the mound with a 3.29 ERA, the second-best in the conference.
- Bradley Frye has been a staple in the lineup, tallying a conference-leading 79 hits to pair with 52 RBIs and 12 home runs.
- Ty Dalley has produced a team-leading 18 homers and 59 RBIs.
