VMI baseball finished their record-breaking season with an NCAA Division I-leading 192 stolen bases, 30 ahead of the second-place team. The Keydets’ record for most stolen bases broke a mark that had been on the books since 1993.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
It was a record-breaking season for Keydet baseball under Sam Roberts ’11, first year head coach.
The Keydets finished their season with an NCAA Division I-leading 192 stolen bases, 30 ahead of the second-place team. VMI broke the NCAA Division I record for most stolen bases in an inning with nine in the second frame against Norfolk State University March 19, breaking a mark that had been on the books since the 1993 season. The Keydets stole 14 bags total versus NSU, breaking the school record for stolen bases in a game.
VMI finished the spring fifth in the nation with a .322 batting average, 28th with 604 hits, and 37th with 447 runs. The Keydets rank 16th in doubles (134), 17th in slugging percentage (.529), and 25th in base percentage (.409).
VMI ended the 2023 campaign with a 26-29 record. VMI’s SoCon winning percentage (9-11, 45%) is the best for the team since 2018, and 26 total wins tie the 2018 squad. The Keydets earned the SoCon tournament’s No. 5 seed, the highest for the program in five years.
Two Keydets were named to national watch lists this spring: Zac Morris ’23 on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List and Trey Morgan ’23 for the John Olerud Two-Way Player Watch List.
VMI gained national recognition in just the second game of the season by rallying back from a 10-1 deficit to defeat Mississippi State, the 2021 national champion, 14-13.
Cole Jenkins ’24, right fielder, earned Perfect Game/Rawlings National Player of the Week honors April 10, becoming VMI’s first national player of the week since 2018. Jenkins also was the SoCon Player of the Month for April, while Jenkins, Morris, and Justin Starke ’23 were recognized as conference player of the week at various points during the season. Will Riley ’24 earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week accolades April 17.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at vmikeydets.com.
