LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball will have one home and two road games this weekend against Radford in a designed split series.
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1 | Friday, March 20 - 6 p.m. (Radford, VA)
- RHP Raymond Ladd vs. LHP
Peyton Dhein
Game 2 | Saturday, March 21- 2 p.m. (Lexington, VA)
- LHP Corey Costello vs. RHP
Clark Driscoll
Game 3 | Sunday, March 22 - 1 p.m. (Radford, VA)
- RHP Breckin Nace vs. TBA
The Keydets (17-3) challenge former conference foe Radford (8-9), with Friday and Sunday's games in Radford, and Saturday's contest in Lexington. VMI has won all five series, while Radford is looking to snap a three-game skid.
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 109 steals, with over five steals per game, ranking first nationally in both categories.
Eyes On The Prize. Keydet batters have used their keen eyes to reach base safely. VMI ranks 15th nationally with 131 walks and has been hit by 64 pitches, the second most in the nation.
The Clutch Gene. No matter the situation, VMI has stepped up down the stretch. The Keydets have tallied a pair of walk-off home runs in crucial comebacks.
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 seven steals away from the 101 mark.
The Long Ball. VMI has hit at least one home run in its last 10 games, totaling 17 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 97 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. With a series sweep over Radford, Roberts would become the fastest coach to reach 100 wins.
Series Notes
Keydets Walk-Off Big Red In Rubber Match, Take Series. VMI captured the series over Cornell, capping off the three-game set with a walk-off home run by
Bradley Garner.
Fitzwater Goes Back-To-Back. For the second-straight week,
Grayson Fitzwater was named Southern Conference Player of the Week. The lefty powerhouse continued his stellar March with another impressive week, slashing .583/1.333/.700, while going seven-for-12 at the dish with three doubles and two homers to pair with five runs and six RBIs. He walked seven times and went three-for-three on stolen bases.
No Scratches On This CD. Clark Driscoll was bright in his start against Cornell, tossing 6.1 shutout innings with six punchouts.
Sipe Hunting. Hunter Sipe has been rolling in his senior campaign, holding a 2-0 record and one save in nine appearances and 25.2 innings. Sipe boasts a 1.40 ERA, the second-lowest among qualifying SoCon pitchers, with a team-leading 27 strikeouts. Sipe's 0.74 WHIP is ranked 12th across D-I, while his 1.05 BB/9 ratio stands in the top 30.
Prince of Pain. Leading the Keydets on the base path once again is
Owen Prince, swiping 20 bags and ranking second nationally, just one behind the leader. His explosive abilities on the base path have not been for nothing, as Prince leads the team with 32 runs, the sixth most in the country.
Mr. Fitzwalker. Grayson Fitzwater has been walked a SoCon-high 25 times, ranking in the top 10 nationally. In his career, Fitzwater has walked 120 times, nearing the top five all-time walks conversation.
Like A Thief In The Night. The top four base stealers in the league are Keydets, led by
Owen Prince with 20, followed by
Cole Raile and
Bradley Garner with 15, and
Cole Cook with 14.
Super Streaky. Grayson Fitzwater has a team-best nine-game hitting streak.
Owen Prince has reached base safely in all 20 games, with
Ayden Schnarrs reaching safely in 17-straight games.
Hurts So Good. Ayden Schnarrs has worn plenty of pitches, 11 total and nearly one per game. He ranks second in the conference and 15th nationally in hit by pitches.
Swing, Batter, Swing. VMI has been a force at the plate, posting 176 hits and 46 doubles, along with 28 homers and 176 RBIs. VMI's .517 slugging percentage is 28th in the country.
Fielding It Cleanly. VMI has played a fairly clean game on the field, boasting a .984 fielding percentage, the second highest in the SoCon and 12th in the country.
Buddy Ball. Freshman lefthander
Buddy Baker is 4-0 on the bump in eight appearances, boasting 0.79 WHIP and 2.13 ERA. His four victories are the eighth most in the country.
Looking For A Four-Peat. As always, the Keydets have controlled the base path, going 109-for-115 on stolen bases, with over five steals per game, the most by any team in the country.
Leading The League. VMI's staff leads the league with four shutouts and three saves, while giving up a league-low 14 home runs.
Magic No. 7. VMI is 16-0 when scoring at least seven runs.
Scouting the Opponent
Overall. Radford enters the weekend series with an 8-9 overall record and 0-3 in Big South play. The Highlanders were swept by Winthrop to open league action last weekend.
Roster. The 2026 roster includes two graduate students, two seniors, 11 juniors, 10 sophomores, and 13 freshmen.
Offense. The Highlanders are slashing .248/.362/.365 with 31 doubles, four triples, and eight homers to pair with 89 RBIs and 92 runs. Radford ranks 27th nationally with 14 sacrifice bunts.
Defense. Radford's defense holds a .969 fielding clip with 20 errors.
Pitching. The Highlanders' staff has a 5.33 team ERA with 129 strikeouts and 63 walks. Corey Costello leads the team with 22 punchouts. Daniel Quintana and Matthew Lefevers boast three victories apiece.
The Probables. Radford has named its starting rotation for the weekend, going with Raymond Ladd, Corey Costello, and Breckin Nace.
Coach Alex Guerra. Radford alum and head coach Alex Guerra is in his fourth season at the helm. He is the seventh head coach in program history after being hired in June 2022. Guerra spent several years under former VMI skipper and all-time wins leader Marlin Ikenberry up at James Madison.
Series History
An in-state rivalry that dates back to 1987, VMI is 27-39-1 all-time against Radford. In the past five meetings, the Keydets have had the upper hand, winning four of the last five; however, the Highlanders won the last matchup at home.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
