LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball duels with cross-state foe Norfolk State on Wednesday at Marty L. Miller Field in Norfolk, Virginia.
Game Schedule and Probables
Wednesday, March 11 - 3 p.m.
- TBA vs. TBA
The Keydets (14-2) are riding a five-game winning streak heading into the midweek bout against the Spartans (2-11), who host Navy Tuesday afternoon before welcoming VMI to the diamond. Wednesday's action will be one of three games played throughout the season between the two programs. The Keydets will return to Norfolk on April 14, before hosting the Spartans on May 12.
Keydets Notes
Heading into the matchup on a high note is
Grayson Fitzwater, who was dubbed SoCon Player of the Week and named to the Baseball America Week 4 National College Team of the Week. Fitzwater went eight-for-11 with two doubles and four homers to pair with nine RBIs and six runs.
During his four home run outing on Friday, Fitzwater set the career home runs record and became the first Keydet since 2017 to hit three home runs in a game.
A dark horse player on the rise is the sophomore standout
Cole Cook. During the series sweep over the Leathernecks, Cook batted .533 with eight hits, nine RBIs, and five extra-base hits, including a grand slam. On the season, Cook leads the team with a .400 batting clip, 20 hits, seven doubles, 25 RBIs, and six home runs
Playing hero in game two of the series and holding the hot bat is
Seth Buchanan, who hit the walk-off home run and has earned a hit in VMI's last five wins. Someone to keep an eye on is
Cole Raile, who has been making a case for the Buster Posey Award. Raile has swatted three homers and is 10-for-10 in stolen bases. Behind the dish, Raile has caught six runners stealing.
Owen Prince continues to impress, reaching base safely in all 16 games, and leads the nation with 17 stolen bases. He also ranks fifth nationally and first in the league with 26 runs.
The Runnin' Roos still lead the nation in stolen bases entering week five. VMI has won the stolen base crown three-straight times, and has 91 steals and has only been caught a handful of times. The Keydets also stand at the top with 52 hit by pitches.
The Keydets also rank in the top 25 nationally in walks, doubles, doubles per game, on-base percentage, runs, scoring, shutouts, and win-loss percentage.
Spartans Notes
Norfolk State has lost its last seven matchups entering its Tuesday battle against Navy. The Spartans' two wins came in the season opener against Towson and the series finale against Manhattan.
The Spartans are led by Justin Journette, who is slashing .356/.756/.464 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. As a team, NSU is batting .239 with 99 hits, 21 doubles, one triple, and 10 homers to pair with 54 RBIs and 65 runs.
On the mound, the Spartans hold an 11.04 ERA with 86 walks and 85 strikeouts. Sean Harris-Walter has made five appearances and has allowed no earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. Ethan Blakeney has made three starts and leads the team with 17 strikeouts.
Piloting the Spartans is first-year head coach Merrill Morgan, who most recently served as the Mid-Atlantic area scout supervisor for the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays since 2021.
Series History
VMI is 28-2 all-time against Norfolk state dating back to 2001. Last season, the Keydets swept the Spartans in a three-game series in Lexington, then went over to Norfolk and left with a dominating 26-6 victory. VMI has won three of the last four games by run-rule.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
