LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball welcomes Cornell for a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday and ending with Senior Day on Sunday at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Saturday, March 14 - 1 p.m.
- RHP Carson Mayfield vs. LHP
Peyton Dhein
Game 2 | Saturday, March 14- 4 p.m.
- LHP Huxley Holcombe vs. RHP
Clark Driscoll
Game 3 | Sunday, March 15 - 11 a.m.
- RHP Ethan Hamill vs. TBA
The Keydets (15-2) have come out victorious in their last six games and look to keep the momentum when Ivy League foe Cornell (1-9) comes to Lexington. Highlighting the weekend series will be Senior Day on Sunday, where VMI will honor its seven first-classmen during pregame.
Keys to the Keydets
Run Fast, Turn Left. VMI's identity in the
Sam Roberts era has been speed on the base paths. The Keydets have claimed the NCAA Division I stolen base crown three straight seasons, including a program-record 209 steals in 2025. This season, VMI has 98 steals, with nearly six steals per game, ranking first nationally in both categories.
Getting On Base. VMI has found every way to get on base this season, ranking in the top 10 nationally with a .476 on-base percentage. The Keydets' 112 walks rank in the top 25, while their 58 hit by pitches is in the top three nationally.
The Clutch Gene. No matter the situation, VMI has stepped up down the stretch. In four of their last five games, the Keydets were trailing by at least three runs and still came back to win each time.
What To Watch For
Prince of Stolen Bases. Owen Prince stole the spotlight last year by setting the single-season stolen base record midway through the season. This year, Prince is eyeing the career stolen base record and is just eight steals away from the 101 mark.
The Long Ball. VMI has hit at least one home run in its last six games, totaling 12 home runs in that stretch. The Keydets have homered in all but three games this season.
The Quest To 100. Head Coach
Sam Roberts has accumulated 95 wins at the helm, nearing the 100-win milestone. Roberts' 50th win in 2024 made him the fastest head coach to reach 50 wins in program history, and after securing win number 90 against Stonehill, he became the fastest coach to reach that mark. At this pace, Roberts would become the fastest coach to reach 100 wins.
Game Notes
Khaos Keydets Win Four Against WIU, Outslug Norfolk State. For the third time this season, VMI came away with a series sweep, tallying three come-from-behind victories. In its midweek, the Keydets won the slugfest over the Spartans for their first road victory.
Fitzwater Makes History. With his four-home run day against the Leathernecks,
Grayson Fitzwater broke the career home runs record with his game-tying and record-setting 47th career bomb. In game two, it was the first time since 2017 that a Keydet hit three home runs in a single game.
Touch 'Em All, Seth. In game two of the series,
Seth Buchanan delivered a walk-off three-run home run to come back and defeat WIU. It was Buchanan's second home run of the day.
SoCon Player Of The Week. Grayson Fitzwater was dubbed SoCon Player of the Week for the first time in his career after his stellar performance against the Leathernecks. The lefty powerhouse slashed .727/2.000/.789 with eight hits, two doubles, four homers to pair with nine RBIs and six runs. Fitzwater drew seven walks and had two stolen bases. After his four-homer, six-RBI outing on Friday, he earned the D1Baseball Mid-Major LOUD! Performance of the Day. Between games three and four, Fitzwater was intentionally walked five times and still managed to secure a hit in each game.
National Recognition. Because of his strong series,
Grayson Fitzwater became the first Keydet to be named to the Baseball America National College Team of the Week. Fitzwater was slotted in the designated hitter spot as a 'wild card' selection as an outstanding performer of any position.
Sipe Hunting. Hunter Sipe has been rolling in his senior campaign, holding a 2-0 record and one save in eight appearances and 23 innings. Sipe boasts a 1.57 ERA, the third lowest among qualifying SoCon pitchers, with a team-leading 21 strikeouts.
Prince of Pain. Leading the Keydets on the base path once again is
Owen Prince, swiping 19 bags and ranking in the top five nationally. His explosive abilities on the base path have not been for nothing, as Prince leads the team with 28 runs, ranking in the top 10.
Mr. Fitzwalker. In his last five games,
Grayson Fitzwater has drawn 10 walks, accumulating 21 bases on balls this season. In his career, Fitzwater has walked 116 times, nearing the top five all-time walks conversation.
The Chef. Sophomore standout
Cole Cook leads the conference in slugging (.889) and RBIs (26), while leading the team with a .389 batting clip. Cook also boasts a team-leading six homers to pair nicely with 14 stolen bases. He also has seven multi-hit games and is on a five-game hitting streak.
Super Streaky. Seth Buchanan and
Grayson Fitzwater each hold a six-game hitting streak.
Owen Prince has reached base safely in all 17 games, with
Ayden Schnarrs reaching safely in 14-straight games.
Swing, Batter, Swing. VMI has been a force at the plate, posting 157 hits and 41 doubles, along with 24 homers and 162 RBIs. VMI's .307 batting clip stands in the top 50 nationally.
Fielding It Cleanly. VMI has played a fairly clean game on the field, boasting a .983 fielding percentage, the second highest in the SoCon and top 50 in the country.
Looking For A Four-Peat. As always, the Keydets have controlled the base path, going 98-for-103 on stolen bases, with nearly six steals per game, the most by any team in the country.
Leading The League. VMI leads the league with 41 doubles, 157 RBIs, 184 runs, and 98 stolen bases. On the mound, the Keydets have conference-leading marks with three saves and three shutouts.
Magic No. 7. VMI is 14-0 when scoring at least seven runs.
Scouting the Opponent
Overall. Cornell enters the weekend series 1-9 overall. The Big Red's win came against Fordham last weekend.
Roster. The 2026 roster includes 11 seniors, nine juniors, 10 sophomores, and nine freshmen.
Offense. The Big Red slash .270/.374/.322, with 16 doubles and six homers to pair with 39 RBIs and 44 runs. Cornell's run total ranks in the bottom 10 of NCAA D-I baseball. Leading the charge has been Mason Barela, who boasts a .364 batting clip and team-leading 165 hits and five runs. The Big Red have five players with a .300+ batting average.
Defense. Cornell's defense has a .948 fielding percentage with 18 errors, sitting in the bottom 20 among D-I programs.
Pitching. As a team, the Big Red hold a 7.87 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 45 walks. Among the qualified leaders (1 IP/G), Huxley Holcombe has a team-low 4.73 ERA and team-high 14 punchouts.
The Probables. Cornell will give the nod to Carson Mayfield and Huxley Holcombe on Saturday, then turn to Ethan Hamill on Sunday.
Coach Dan Pepicelli. Head Coach Dan Pepicelli enters his 11th season at the helm, accumulating 114 wins at Cornell, one of four head coaches in Cornell baseball history to reach the century mark for victories, while mounting 335 career wins in 22 seasons. Pepicelli played for three colleges, and was an all-region selection in two seasons at Mohawk Valley CC before earning his degree from SUNY Cortland (1994) after playing one season with the Red Dragons. He was also an all-conference pick in one season with Oneonta State.
Series History
Believe it or not, but this will be the first series between the two programs in nearly 70 years. The last meeting was in March 1957, when Cornell took two of three from VMI.
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