VMI baseball pitchers Will Riley ’24 and Holden Wilkerson ’25 were drafted in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft in Arlington, Texas, the week of July 15–19, 2024.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
A pair of VMI baseball pitchers heard their names called during the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft in Arlington, Texas, the week of July 15–19, 2024.
Pitchers Will Riley ’24 and Holden Wilkerson ’25 were selected on days two and three of the draft—the first time multiple Keydets were drafted in the same class since 2018 and the first time VMI has had a draftee since 2019. Since 1980, 36 Keydets have been drafted to the league.
“I am super excited for both Will and Holden,” said Sam Roberts ’11, VMI baseball head coach. “They both battled through adversity at different points during their time at VMI, and seeing their hard work pay off as they fulfill their dreams is amazing. I am looking forward to seeing how they continue to evolve as they continue their baseball careers in the professional ranks.”
The first Keydet off the board was Riley, a right-handed pitcher out of Midlothian, Virginia. Riley was selected in the eighth round by the Seattle Mariners, making him the 243rd pick and the first-ever Keydet to be drafted by Seattle. By the end of his VMI career, he ranked No. 1 in career strikeouts per nine innings with 10.95 and is sixth all-time in career strikeouts with 213. In 2024, Riley was named an All-SoCon Second-Team Starting Pitcher after earning five wins while making a career-high 14 starts on the mound. He went on to achieve two career highs of tossing 78.1 innings with 84 punch outs, and he ranked in the top five in the league in innings pitched, games started, strikeouts, and strikeouts looking.
The second hurler from VMI was Wilkerson, a right-handed pitcher out of Roanoke, Virginia. Wilkerson was picked in the 18th round by the Toronto Blue Jays, dubbing him the 547th overall pick and the third Keydet to be selected by the Toronto organization. Despite his 2024 campaign being cut short due to injury, Wilkerson made four straight starts, throwing 18.1 innings with 29 strikeouts. He tallied his lone win against Binghampton after going 6.2 innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts. In his 3 years with VMI, Wilkerson tallied five wins on the bump and 87 punchouts.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published at vmikeydets.com.
