VMI Baseball will face the Longwood Lancers again at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium on April 28, according to an announcement released April 27.
The matchup gives the Keydets (26-17, 3-9 Southern Conference) a chance to end a six-game losing streak and avenge last week’s loss against the Lancers (26-18, 8-7 Big South), who won their previous meeting. This game is only VMI’s second home midweek contest of the season.
Under Head Coach Sam Roberts, VMI has built its identity around speed on the base paths, having led NCAA Division I in stolen bases for three consecutive seasons. The team set a program record with 209 steals in 2025 and currently leads the nation with 162 steals this year. Offensively, VMI boasts a .415 on-base percentage—30th nationally—and averages eight runs per game. The team remains undefeated when scoring seven or more runs in a game this season.
Individual players are also chasing records. Owen Prince is one steal away from tying VMI’s career stolen base record and has reached base safely in all 43 games this season. Grayson Fitzwater leads with power hitting, tallying a league-leading 18 home runs—one shy of his own single-season school record—and holds several program records including career home runs and total bases.
The visiting Longwood Lancers have won five of their last six games and feature strong pitching led by Jaxon Lloyd and closer JR Fordham. Second-year head coach Ray Noe has surpassed last year’s win total for Longwood; he previously served as an assistant coach for VMI before taking over at Longwood.
Historically, VMI holds a slight edge over Longwood with a record of 20-14 since their first meeting in 1979. Last week’s matchup ended with a victory for the Lancers by a score of 10-4.
