LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Baseball team will host The Citadel for three games to close out the regular season at Gray-Minor Stadium beginning Thursday.
 
Series Schedule and Probables
Game 1| Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. - Live Stats
- RHP Will Holmes vs. RHP Justin Spiegel
Game 2 | Friday, May 15 at 6 p.m. - Live Stats
- RHP Andrew Buffkin vs. RHP Clark Driscoll
Game 3 | Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m. - Live Stats
- Trip Brown vs. TBA
 
VMI (28-23, 3-15 SoCon) picked up its 28^th win of the season on Tuesday, while The Citadel (27-24, 8-10 SoCon) dropped a 5-3 contest at No. 20 Coastal Carolina Tuesday.
 
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 179 steals with over three steals per game, ranking second in both categories.
 
These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.  keen eye makes a true Keydets, as VMI draws plenty of walks, 273 heading into the weekend, to rank second in the league and 33rd nationally. The Keydets' ability to get hit by pitches has been impressive, recording 105 beanballs this year, which ranks second in the SoCon and 20th in the country.

Magic No. 7. For VMI, the goal is to score at least seven runs. When VMI scores seven or more runs, they are a perfect 24-0.

What To Watch For
200/200 Club. Grayson Fitzwater is nearing an unbreakable career feat: 200 RBIs and 200 runs. The senior is just 12 runs away from hitting the 200 milestone, becoming the second Keydet to hit the mark. He has collected 217 RBIs already, the only Keydet to do so.
 
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.
 
Raile's On Fire. Cole Raile has had the hot bat lately, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games. In those games, Raile has slashed hit five doubles, six home runs, 16 runs, and 22 RBIs.
 
Series Notes
Keydets Bounce Back after dropping three in Macon. VMI fell three times to Mercer, but saw its offense come to life on Tuesday night on Lamore Field, scoring 13 runs in the first inning and defeating Norfolk State 15-5.
 
The King Is Here. Grayson Fitzwater has been named the Home Run King after setting a new single-season home run record with his 19th bomb against the Spartans. In three of his four years, Fitzwater has settled in the top five in VMI single-season history in home runs, hitting 18 his sophomore season and 17 his junior year. The slugging senior has slammed 60 homers in his career, a program record.
 
Mid-Majors' Finest. During their week 12 rankings, Mid-Major D1 Baseball ranked Grayson Fitzwater as the second-best first baseman and Cole Raile as a top-10 catcher among mid-major programs. Fitzwater was ranked eighth among all D-I first basemen, while Raile checked in at 28th among all D-I catchers.
 
Two Bagger. Ranking second in the league and 14th nationally with 20 doubles is Bradley Garner, who has been hot at the plate since running the 2026 Boston Marathon in late April.
 
Raile Rakes. Cole Raile has snuck into the SoCon's top 10 with 15 home runs and a .357 batting clip. The slugging catcher moved into sixth in program history after crushing his 36th career bomb against Norfolk State.
 
Crown Him. Grayson Fitzwater is looking for the home run crown this season, as he leads the conference with 20 home runs, which also ranks 15th in the country. He also leads the league and ranks in the top 20 nationally with 47 walks and is second with a .770 slugging clip, while being third in the SoCon and 48th in the country with 60 RBIs.
 
The Return Of CD. Making his glorious return was Clark Driscoll, who was sidelined for over a month. In his last three appearances on the hill, Driscoll has totaled eight innings with nine strikeouts and just one earned run. He is scheduled to make his sixth start on Saturday.
 
Sipe Hunting. One of the best success stories this season has been Hunter Sipe, who has stepped into a large bullpen role. Sipe boasts a 2.15 BB/9, 3.30 K-BB ratio, and a 1.13 WHIP, which all rank top three in the league. The lefty slinger leads the Keydets with 59 strikeouts, 26 appearances, and 71.0 innings pitched.
 
Prince Of Pain. Leading the Keydets on the base path once again is Owen Prince, swiping a league-high 28 bags and ranking 31st nationally. His explosive abilities on the base path have not been for nothing, as Prince leads the team with 59 runs, the 39^th most, and just north of one run per game. Defensively,
 
Watch Out For Fitz'walk'er. Grayson Fitzwater's league-leading 47 walks rank in the top 20 nationally and just four away from the VMI single-season record. In his career, Fitzwater has walked 142 times, now second all-time and just two shy of setting a new program record.
 
Hurts So Good. Ayden Schnarrs has worn plenty of pitches, 26 total, setting the single-season record Tuesday, breaking Coach Ryan Smoot's mark of 25. Schnarrs is fourth in the country in hit-by-pitch per game (0.58).
 
Walk It Out. VMI ranks 33rd in the country and second in the SoCon with 273 walks.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Overall. Despite dropping its last two games, The Citadel has won six of its last eight games and nine of its last 12. The Bulldogs are 18-0 in league play and are battling for seeding in the upcoming Southern Conference Championship Tournament.
 
Offense. Like VMI, stealing bases is a big part of the Bulldog offense, ranking 16^th nationally with 123 on the season. Michael Gibson powers the offense, batting .369 on the season (6^th, SoCon) while also collecting seven saves in relief.
 
Sacrifice. The Bulldogs are fourth in the country with 58 sacrifice bunts and third in the SoCon in sacrifice flies.
 
Defense. In the field, Mercer has a .972 fielding percentage with 46 errors.
 
Pitching. Among SoCon teams, The Citadel boasts the second-best ERA of 4.77 on the season. In league play, the Bulldogs are fourth with an ERA of 5.92. VMI will see the top two arms Friday and Saturday, as Will Holmes (4.61 ERA, 70.1 IP, 89 strikeouts) will open the series followed by Andrew Buffkin (2.48 ERA, 58.0 IP, 44 strikeouts
 
Head Coach Russell Triplett. The Citadel is guided by Russell Triplett, who is in his second year at the helm of the program.
 
Series History
After taking two of three in 2024, VMI will be looking for revenge as it was swept in Charleston last year.

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