VMI Baseball begins a six-game road trip in May, starting with a three-game series against UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to an April 30 announcement. The Keydets (27-17, 3-9 Southern Conference) will face the Spartans (17-28, 3-12 SoCon), with nine of VMI’s final ten games scheduled against conference opponents.
The upcoming series presents VMI with an opportunity to improve its position in the Southern Conference standings. The Keydets are seeking their first road series win over UNCG since 2021 and aim for their first sweep of a conference opponent on the road since 2023.
Head Coach Sam Roberts has emphasized speed as a key element for VMI. The team leads NCAA Division I in stolen bases for the third consecutive season and set a program record with 209 steals last year. This season, they have recorded 164 steals and average nearly four per game. Offensively, Grayson Fitzwater stands out with a league-leading 18 home runs this season—one shy of his own single-season program record—and he also holds the school career mark at 59 home runs.
Pitching has played an important role as well. The Keydets’ staff combined for five shutouts this year—a new single-season program record—and have allowed five or fewer hits in six games so far. Hunter Sipe has emerged as a bullpen leader, ranking among national leaders in several pitching categories and leading the team in strikeouts and innings pitched.
Owen Prince recently became VMI’s all-time stolen base leader after swiping his 101st base, surpassing David Groseclose’s previous mark set in 1995. Cole Raile is on a nine-game hitting streak and moved into sixth place on VMI’s career home run list after his latest performance.
UNCG enters the series eighth in conference standings but comes off two straight wins. Their offense features Tanner Berry (.370 batting average) and Jake Mueller (team-highs of hits and RBIs). Head Coach Cody Ellis was named SoCon Coach of the Year during his first season leading UNCG.
VMI is aiming to reach its first thirty-win season since 2010; there have only been three such seasons previously: in 2006, 2007, and 2010. As competition intensifies toward the end of regular play, both teams look to improve their records before postseason tournaments.
