The VMI Baseball team will host rival The Citadel for a three-game series at Gray-Minor Stadium starting Thursday, May 14, to close out the regular season.
This matchup is significant as both teams look to secure their positions ahead of the Southern Conference Championship Tournament. VMI enters the series with a record of 28-23 overall and 3-15 in conference play, while The Citadel stands at 27-24 overall and 8-10 in the Southern Conference.
The scheduled games will see RHP Will Holmes face RHP Justin Spiegel on Thursday, followed by RHP Andrew Buffkin against RHP Clark Driscoll on Friday. Saturday’s finale will feature Trip Brown for VMI with The Citadel’s starter yet to be announced. According to the team, “VMI’s identity in the Sam Roberts era has been speed on the base paths,” highlighting their national ranking in stolen bases over recent seasons. This year alone, VMI has tallied 179 steals and averages more than three per game.
Senior Grayson Fitzwater is approaching notable career milestones with just twelve runs shy of joining VMI’s exclusive 200/200 club—an achievement marked by scoring at least two hundred runs and RBIs each—and he recently set a new single-season home run record for the program. Cole Raile continues his strong performance with a thirteen-game hitting streak and fifteen home runs this season.
On pitching, Hunter Sipe has emerged as an important bullpen contributor for VMI with league-leading statistics including strikeouts and innings pitched. Meanwhile, Clark Driscoll returns from injury to make his sixth start after strong showings on the mound since coming back.
For The Citadel, Michael Gibson leads offensively with a .369 batting average while also contributing seven saves as a reliever. The Bulldogs are ranked highly nationally in stolen bases and sacrifice bunts but have dropped their last two games after previously winning six out of eight.
Looking ahead, both teams are aiming for momentum entering postseason play. As noted by team officials: “Follow @VMIAthletics for the latest news and updates.”
