vmi baseball 2026

Baseball

Keydets square off with Bulldogs to open SoCon Tournament

LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI baseball team will face off against rival The Citadel for the fourth time in seven days when the two schools open the 2026 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases.
 
The Game 1 opening pitch is set for an early 9 a.m. start at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina. The winner advances to play in Game 3 of the bracket to face #4 seed Wofford at 4 pm later in the day while the loser will go home.
 
Broadcast Information
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats (link available soon) | Tickets | Bracket
 
VMI (28-26, 3-18 SoCon) picked up its 28th win of the season last Tuesday, while The Citadel (30-24, 11-10 SoCon) swept the Keydets this past weekend to achieve 30 wins for the regular season and move above .500 for the year in league play.
 
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 180 steals averaging over three steals per game, ranking second in the nation for both categories.
 
These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.  A keen eye makes a true Keydet as VMI draws plenty of walks, 283 heading into the tournament, to rank second in the league and 38th nationally. The Keydets' ability to get hit by pitches has been impressive, recording 109 beanballs this year, which ranks second in the SoCon and 21st in the country.

Magic No. 7. For VMI, the goal is to score at least seven runs. When VMI scores seven or more runs, the Keydets are an almost perfect 24-1. The sole outlier is a 7-12 setback this past Saturday to the Bulldogs.

What To Watch For
200/200 Club. Grayson Fitzwater is nearing an unbreakable career feat: 200 RBIs and 200 runs. The senior is just eight runs away from hitting the 200 milestone, becoming the second Keydet to hit the mark. He has collected 221 RBIs already, the only Keydet in program history to reach that amount.
 
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. The Keydets will need to log two wins at the tournament to hit the standard.
 
Raile's On Fire. Cole Raile has had the hot bat lately as he has earned a hit in 15 of the past 16 games, including 13 straight games going into this past weekend series. In those games, Raile has slashed six doubles, six home runs, 19 runs, and 27 RBIs.
 
Series Notes
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 last Tuesday night and has 20 this season following The Citadel series. In three of his four years, Fitzwater has settled into 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 62 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 16 home runs and a .348 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 21 home runs, which also ranks 13th in the country. He also leads the league and ranks in the top 20 nationally with 50 walks and is second with a .634 slugging clip, while being third in the SoCon and 42nd in the country with 62 RBIs.
 
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 61 strikeouts, 27 appearances, and 76.0 innings pitched.
 
Prince Of Pain. Leading the Keydets on the base path once again is Owen Prince, swiping a league-high 29 bags and ranking 30th nationally. His explosive abilities on the base path have not been for nothing, as Prince leads the team with 62 runs, the 42nd most in the NCAA, and just north of one run per game.
 
Watch Out For Fitz'walk'er. Grayson Fitzwater's league-leading 50 walks rank in the top 20 nationally and just broke VMI's single season (49) and career mark (144) in this past Friday's 4-7 loss to The Citadel.
 
Hurts So Good. Ayden Schnarrs has worn plenty of pitches, 27 total, setting the single-season record last Tuesday against Norfolk State, breaking Coach Ryan Smoot's mark of 25 from 2019. Schnarrs is fourth in the country in hit-by-pitch per game (0.56).
 
Scouting the Opponent
Overall. The Citadel enters the tournament with confidence after sweeping the Keydets this past weekend. The Bulldogs defeated VMI by a 9-2 count last Thursday, a 7-4 margin Friday, and a 12-7 win over the Keydets Saturday.

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
VMI will be looking for revenge as the Keydets have been swept by the Bulldogs in two consecutive seasons.

Follow @VMIAthletics for the latest news and updates.
 



 
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Players Mentioned

Grayson Fitzwater

#20 Grayson Fitzwater

1B
6' 1"
Senior
L/L
Bradley Garner

#23 Bradley Garner

UT
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
Owen Prince

#2 Owen Prince

UT
5' 9"
Senior
L/R
Cole Raile

#19 Cole Raile

C/DH
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Ayden Schnarrs

#1 Ayden Schnarrs

IF
5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
Hunter Sipe

#13 Hunter Sipe

LHP
6' 1"
Senior
L/L

Players Mentioned

Grayson Fitzwater

#20 Grayson Fitzwater

6' 1"
Senior
L/L
1B
Bradley Garner

#23 Bradley Garner

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
UT
Owen Prince

#2 Owen Prince

5' 9"
Senior
L/R
UT
Cole Raile

#19 Cole Raile

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
C/DH
Ayden Schnarrs

#1 Ayden Schnarrs

5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Hunter Sipe

#13 Hunter Sipe

6' 1"
Senior
L/L
LHP