LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Baseball opens up the month of May with six games on the road, starting with a three-game series against UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1| Friday, May 1 at 6 p.m.
- LHP Noah Chapman vs. RHP
Justin Spiegel
Game 2 | Saturday, May 2 at 2 p.m.
- RHP Mayson Dear vs. LHP
Buddy Baker
Game 3 | Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m.
- TBA vs. TBA
The Keydets (27-17, 3-9 SoCon) have a chance to move up in the Southern Conference standings, but will have to get past the Spartans (17-28, 3-12 SoCon) in a decisive road series. Nine of VMI's final 10 games will be against league foes.
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 164 steals with nearly four steals per game, ranking first in steals and second in steals per game.
Score Early, Hold Late. In innings one through three, VMI has racked up 142 runs, nearly half of this season's run total. The Keydets have scored 51 runs in the first and third innings. The Keydets' final innings on the mound have been crucial in close games, allowing just 52 of 266 runs in the last three innings.
Magic No. 7. For VMI, the goal is to score at least seven runs. When VMI scores seven or more, they are a perfect 24-0.
What To Watch For
Fitz Bomb. Grayson Fitzwater has been hitting for power, totaling a league-leading 18 long balls this season, just one shy of breaking the VMI single-season record that he set in 2024. Fitzwater holds the VMI record with 59 career home runs.
30. VMI is eyeing a 30-win season for the first time in 16 years. There have only been three seasons (2006, 2007, 2010) in which the Keydets have reached 30 wins.
Road Warriors. The Keydets are searching for their first road series win over the Spartans since 2021. If VMI can complete a series sweep, it would be the first over a conference opponent on the road since 2023.
Series Notes
Keydets Get Revenge, Shut Out Lancers. VMI snapped its six-game skid with a bounce-back win over Longwood, blanking the Lancers at home, 3-0.
Dominant From Start To Finish. Clark Driscoll,
Hunter Sipe, and
Tyler Bassett combined for a shutout against the Lancers, allowing just five hits with eight strikeouts. Driscoll went four innings and matched his career high with six strikeouts. Sipe, who earned the win, went 4.1 innings, while
Tyler Bassett threw the final two outs for his first save at VMI.
The Prince of Stolen Bases. After stealing second in the seventh inning against Longwood,
Owen Prince became the all-time stolen base leader at VMI, breaking the 31-year-old record. His 101 stolen bases are now first in Keydet history, surpassing David Groseclose, who set the mark in 1995.
Hits Limited. VMI staffers allowed just three hits in the series finale against High Point, the fewest hits allowed on the road since last year's victory over Coppin State, and just five hits against Longwood on Tuesday. There have been six games where the Keydets have allowed five or fewer hits.
Goose Eggs. The Keydets have tossed five shutouts this year, a new single-season program record and the most since 2007. Five shutouts are the most among SoCon teams.
Raile Rakes. Cole Raile is on a nine-game hitting streak and has snuck into the SoCon's top five for home runs and top 15 with a .340 batting clip. The slugging catcher moved into sixth in program history after crushing his 34th career bomb against Longwood.
Crown Him. Grayson Fitzwater is looking for the home run crown this season, as he leads the conference with 18 home runs, which also ranks 12th in the country. He also leads the league and ranks in the top 25 nationally with 55 RBIs, 44 walks, .797 slugging clip, and 122 total bases.
On-Base Junkies. While ranking 28th nationally with a .415 on-base percentage, VMI has one player in the top 50 among DI players and three in the top 15 among SoCon players.
Grayson Fitzwater leads the group with a .495 on-base clip, good enough for 45th in the country, while
Owen Prince and
Ayden Schnarrs are among the top 15 in the league.
Sipe Hunting. One of the best success stories this season has been
Hunter Sipe, who has stepped into a large bullpen role in 2026. Sipe boasts a 1.95 BB/9, 4.00 K-BB ratio, and a 1.10 WHIP, which all rank top 100 nationally and second in the league. The lefty slinger leads the team with 52 strikeouts, 23 appearances, and 60 innings pitched. He also holds the third-lowest ERA among ERA-qualified SoCon staffers at 2.85 and has the fifth-most wins with five.
Prince Of Pain. Leading the Keydets on the base path once again is
Owen Prince, swiping a league-high 27 bags and ranking 25th nationally. His explosive abilities on the base path have not been for nothing, as Prince leads the team with 53 runs, the 29th most, and just north of one run per game, the 42nd most in the country, ranking second in the league in both categories. Defensively, the senior centerfielder moved into first in program history with a .990 career fielding percentage.
Watch Out For Fitz'walk'er. Grayson Fitzwater's league-leading 44 walks rank in the top 10 nationally and just five away from the VMI single-season record. In his career, Fitzwater has walked 139 times, now second all-time and just five shy of setting a new program record.
Hurts So Good. Ayden Schnarrs has worn plenty of pitches, 21 total, to move into fourth in the VMI single-season record book and just four shy of tying the record, which was set by current assistant coach
Ryan Smoot. He ranks first in the conference and top 15 nationally in hit by pitches and hit by pitches per game. In just two seasons, Schnarrs has been hit by 39 pitches, the fifth most in VMI history. As a team, VMI has been hit by 97 pitches, the 17th most in the nation, second most in the league, and fourth most in program history.
Walk It Out. VMI ranks 27th in the country and second in the SoCon with 245 walks.
Scouting the Opponent
Overall. UNCG is 17-28 overall with a 3-12 league record, currently eighth in the standings. The Spartans have won their last two games, a series finale win over The Citadel and a home thrashing of Davidson last Tuesday.
Roster. The 2026 roster includes one graduate student, 10 seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores, and 13 freshmen.
Offense. The Spartans are slashing .279/.423/.375 with 75 doubles, 15 triples, and 35 home runs to pair with 247 RBIs and 272 runs. Their 15 triples rank first in the SoCon and ninth in the country. Tanner Berry's .370 batting clip tops all Spartans and is seventh in the league, while Jake Mueller leads the team with 59 hits, which rank top 10 in the SoCon, and 31 RBIs. Jacob Dilley and Jacob Budzik boast seven homers apiece.
Defense. In the field, Longwood has a .967 fielding clip with 52 errors.
Pitching. UNCG's staff holds a 7.34 ERA with 323 strikeouts and 205 walks. Noah Chapman has tossed a team-high 59 innings with 65 strikeouts, posting a pair of wins and a complete game. A trio of Spartans has a team-best three wins.
Head Coach Cody Ellis. After being promoted as interim head coach in 2024, Cody Ellis was dubbed head coach of the Spartans in 2024. During his first year, Ellis was named SoCon Coach of the Year, while earning the program's third regular-season conference title.
Series History
VMI is 21-40 against UNCG, dating back to 1992. Last season, the Spartans took the first two games of the series in Lexington, but the Keydets tallied an 8-6 victory in the series finale to avoid the sweep.
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.
