VMI Baseball Ends Season at SoCon Tournament

The VMI baseball team ended its season with a 4-1 loss to Western Carolina University in a matchup played in Greenville, South Carolina, May 25, as part of the Southern Conference Tournament. Highlights of this year’s season, which concluded with a 16-40 record, included wins over Mercer University, UNC-Greensboro, and the University of Richmond, among others. In addition, two players were recognized by the Southern Conference for their performance on the field this season.

Zac Morris and Tyler Kaltreider Honored by SoCon

VMI’s Zac Morris ’23 and Tyler Kaltreider ’25 were honored May 24 as the Southern Conference announced the 2022 baseball all-conference teams and individual honors, which were voted on by the league’s eight head coaches and the SoCon Sports Media Association.

Morris earned second-team all-conference honors at second base by the league’s media members. The redshirt sophomore from Suffolk, Virginia, heated up at the plate in conference action, starting in 20 of 21 games. He hit .408 with five doubles and six home runs for a .711 slugging percentage. He drew 10 walks to help push his on-base percentage to .477, and he had team-highs of 15 runs and 18 RBI.

Kalteider, from Warrenton, Virginia, earned a spot on the coaches’ all-freshman team. The right-hander started once in each of the seven SoCon series, posting a 3-2 record with a 5.50 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 34 innings. He was a part of one combined shutout.

WCU Eliminates VMI Baseball from SoCon Tournament

The VMI baseball team was knocked out of the 2022 Southern Conference Tournament 4-1 by Western Carolina University from Fluor Field in a first-round matchup May 25.

Cole Garrett ’24, catcher, nearly made it a 1-0 game in the second with a double that was 2 feet short of clearing the 30-foot left-field fence. The Keydets left two runners on base in the first and second innings.

Seth Graves hit a run-scoring double in the bottom of the second to put the Catamounts ahead 1-0.

A great throw from Trey Morgan ’23, centerfielder, to Garrett nailed a WCU runner at home plate in the fifth to keep the score 1-0. Western Carolina scored three in the sixth, aided by an error that brought two runners home with two outs.

Morris, a shortstop, drilled a solo home run to cut the WCU lead to 4-1 in the eighth, his 10th longball of the season.

Kaltreider got the start for VMI and allowed only one run in 4.1 innings, scattering five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Will Riley ’24 came on in the seventh and threw 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings, striking out two.

Morgan had a triple and a walk for VMI (16-40), while Garrett had a double and a walk.

Zebby Matthews tossed 6 1/3 innings of relief for the Catamounts (26-29-1) to earn the win, allowing just two hits, one walk, and one earned run with seven strikeouts.

Wofford Hangs on for 4-3 Win over VMI Baseball

The VMI baseball team hung tough against a top team in the Southern Conference May 20, but Wofford College held on for a 4-3 victory from Gray-Minor Stadium.

The VMI pitching staff allowed just four hits, but the Terriers took advantage of 10 walks, three errors, and two hits batters.

Wofford scored two runs in the top of the first, but Morris hit a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. Will Knight ’21 singled in Cole Jenkins ’24 in the bottom of the second, and Brett Cook ’24 hit a solo home run in the third to put VMI ahead 3-2.

The Terriers countered with two runs in the top of the fourth, which ended the scoring for the remainder of the game. The Keydet defense turned double plays in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to keep it a one-run contest.

The Keydets had two on and two out in the seventh but couldn’t push the tying run home and had a baserunner on in the ninth and one out, but closer Dalton Rhadans worked out of the jam for the save.

Jenkins was 2-2 with a walk and was also hit by a pitch to reach safely in each of his four plate appearances. Morris was 3-4 with a walk, and Justin Nase ’22 had two hits, including a double. Knight and Cook each had a hit and a walk. Nathan Light ’22 threw three scoreless innings of relief, and Will Lopez ’22 threw 1.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Editor’s Note: These articles originally appeared at vmikeydets.com.