Hadra ’04 Wins 100th Career Game

Jonathan Hadra ’04, head baseball coach, won his 100th career game as a collegiate head coach April 7, 2019, as the Keydets defeated East Tennessee State University 6-0 in the finale of a Southern Conference series. Hadra is only the third coach in VMI baseball history to reach 100 career victories. At press time, Hadra has now surpassed 104 wins, which was the all-time record for VMI baseball wins under one coach, previously held by Scott Gines ’83. Hadra’s Keydets rode the right arm of Cadet Zak Kent ’20, who threw eight innings of shutout ball, striking out 12 while scattering six hits and four walks. This victory also gave VMI the win in the series against the former conference-leading Buccaneers, taking the first and third games of the three-game conference series.

Jake Huggins ’19 opened the fourth inning with a single. Cadet Josh Hollifield ’20 singled with one out, and Cadet Don Goodes ’22 brought home Huggins with another single. An ETSU error later in the frame allowed a second run to score with two outs, giving VMI a 2-0 edge.

Cadet Ryan Hatten ’20 belted a two-run home run over the centerfield fence to make the lead 4-0 in the sixth. Another unearned run crossed the plate in the sixth and VMI struck again for a run in the eighth. Hatten led off with a double, was sacrificed to third by Cadet Cody Warner ’21 and scored on a single from Ryan Smoot ’19.

Kent was masterful with runners on base, stranding 11 Bucs and working out of bases-loaded jams in the fifth and sixth. His record stands at 4-2 on the season with a 3.31 ERA and a conference-best 81 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings.

Hatten finished 2-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Hollifield was also 2-4 with a double and scored twice. Every Keydet starter recorded a hit on the afternoon.

David Beam was 2-3 for ETSU (23-8/4-2 SoCon).