LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball travels to Arlington, Virginia, to face George Washington on Tuesday afternoon at Tucker Field at Barcroft Park.
 
Game Schedule and Probables
Tuesday, March 24 - 3 p.m.
- RHP Declan Wywoda vs. RHP Justin Spiegel
 
The Keydets (19-4) begin a five-game road trip, starting with the Revolutionaries (8-14) in a midweek tilt. VMI is 1-1 in midweek outings.
 
 
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 119 steals, with over five steals per game, ranking first nationally in both categories.
 
The Long Ball. VMI has hit at least one home run in 11 of its last 12 games, totaling 19 home runs in that stretch. The Keydets have homered in all but four games this season.
 
Get On and Score. The Keydets are no strangers to being able to get on base, boasting a .457 on-base clip that is top 10 nationally, but it has been capitalizing on every opportunity that has made them effective, ranking 10th in runs per game (9.9) and 14th in total runs (227) among all D-I programs.

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 six steals away from the 101 mark.
 
Regal Spiegel. Making his 2026 debut on Tuesday is Justin Spiegel, who gets the nod to start on the bump against the Revs. The 2025 SoCon All-Freshman nominee finished his first collegiate season with 48 strikeouts, with 28 in conference play.
 
The Quest To 100. Head Coach Sam Roberts has accumulated 99 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.
 
 
Game Notes
Keydets Bounce Back With Back-To-Back Wins. After dropping the series opener, VMI tallied two-straight wins to take the series from Radford.
 
Raile Rakes. Cole Raile led the team at the plate against the Highlanders, going six-for-13. while .462/.769/.500, with a double, a home run, and five RBIs. Raile also scored four runs. Raile is on an eight-game hitting streak, totaling 13 RBIs in that span.
 
Goose Eggs. In his last four appearances, Hunter Sipe has allowed no runs, earning 12 punchouts in the process. In nine of his 11 total appearances, the lefty has allowed zero runs, with the only runs allowed this season coming in the Western Illinois series.
 
The Tyn Man. Freshman Eli Tyndall has found his groove on the bump. Tyndall went 6.1 innings against Radford, holding the Highlanders to a pair of runs. The two-way has posted a pair of victories in eight appearances.
 
Mr. Fitzwalker. Grayson Fitzwater's league-leading 30 walks rank third in the country, just three behind the nation's leader. In his career, Fitzwater has walked 125 times, now fifth in Keydets history.
 
Sipe Hunting. Hunter Sipe has been rolling in his senior campaign, holding a 3-0 record and one save in 11 appearances and 30 innings. Sipe boasts a 1.20 ERA, the second-lowest among qualifying SoCon pitchers and 19th nationally, with a team-leading 31 strikeouts. Sipe's 0.77 WHIP is ranked 14th, his 0.90 BB/9 ratio stands 15th, his 10.33 K/BB ratio is 16th nationally, with all marks first in the league.
 
Prince of Pain. Leading the Keydets on the base path once again is Owen Prince, swiping 21 bags and ranking fourth nationally, just three behind the leader. His explosive abilities on the base path have not been for nothing, as Prince leads the team with 39 runs, the second most in the country, and just one behind the leader. Prince has been one of the toughest batters to strike out, with just seven strikeouts in 80 at-bats for an 11.4 Toughest-To-Strikeout margin.
 
Like A Thief In The Night. The top four base stealers in the league are Keydets, led by Owen Prince with 21, followed by Bradley Garner with 20, Cole Raile with 16, and Cole Cook with 15. Prince and Garner are two of seven players in the country with 20+ steals.
 
Multi Boys. Grayson Fitzwater leads the team with 10 multi-RBI games, while Owen Prince leads with 10 multi-hit outings.
 
Super Streaky. Owen Prince has reached base safely in all 23 games.
 
Hurts So Good. Ayden Schnarrs has worn plenty of pitches, 12 total and nearly one per game. He ranks second in the conference and 15th nationally in hit by pitches.
 
Walk It Out. VMI ranks 13th in the country with 147 walks.
 
Double Up. VMI has been taking two recently, ranking in the top 25 nationally with 53 doubles.
 
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 20th in the country.
 
Buddy Ball. Freshman lefthander Buddy Baker is 4-0 on the bump in nine appearances, boasting a 0.80 WHIP and 1.98 ERA. His four victories are the 24th most nationally and the third most in the SoCon.
 
Leading The League. VMI's staff leads the league with four shutouts, while giving up a league-low 17 home runs.
 
Magic No. 7. VMI is 18-0 when scoring at least seven runs.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Overall. George Washington is 8-14 overall and 2-4 in A-10 play. The Revs have lost five straight, including a sweep in last weekend's A-10 series against Saint Joseph's.
 
Roster. The 2026 roster includes two graduate students, three seniors, 11 juniors, nine sophomores, and 11 freshmen.
 
Offense. The Revs slash .279/.422/.381 with 43 doubles, two triples, and 20 homers to pair with 124 RBIs and 134 runs. Connor Jones ranks 15th among D-I batters with five sacrifice bunts.
 
Defense. GW's defense holds a .975 fielding clip with 20 errors. The Revs have turned 23 double plays, ranking 13th nationally, and average one double play per contest, the eighth-best margin.
 
Pitching. On the mound, GW posts a 6.87 ERA with 154 strikeouts and 116 walks. The bullpen combo of Gavin Miller and Colin Lebel has been key, with the two holding a sub-3.00 ERA with a combined 27 strikeouts and 14 appearances.
 
The Probable. The Revs look toward Declan Wywoda as the starter. Wywoda has a 5.82 ERA, with a 1-2 record, making six appearances and five starts. The right-hander has faced the third-most batters and has tossed the third-most innings among GW pitchers.
 
Coach Gregg Ritchie. GW alum and head coach Gregg Ritchie '86 is in his 14th season at the helm, earning over 300 victories as the skipper, the first 300-win coach in Revs baseball history. Ritchie has piloted his squad to 12-straight 20-win seasons.

Series History
The feud between these two programs has picked up in recent years, as the two sides have faced each other nine times in the past 10 seasons, and twice last season. VMI split last year's home-and-home matchup, defeating GW in Arlington in the last meeting. The earliest battle recorded was back in 1951, and has resulted in 21 victories for the Keydets since then.
 
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