The VMI baseball team, ranked 30th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, looks to continue its best start in program history with a mid-week set against military rivals, The Citadel. The 14-1 Keydets are coming off their fourth consecutive weekend sweep, taking four games from La Salle at Gray-Minor Stadium.
The national ranking is just the third in program history for the Keydets after being ranked 30th by Collegiate Baseball back-to-back weeks in March 2007. That season, VMI opened the year 17-4 and scored wins over third-ranked Virginia and 10th-ranked Auburn. This week, the Keydets also received votes in both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Poll and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, marking the first time VMI had ever been included in the latter.
Senior Jordan Ballard also made national headlines Monday, earning Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors after hitting six home runs in five games. The first baseman slugged an astounding 1.929 on the week, driving in 14 runs in 14 at bats, as he also earned Big South Conference Player of the Week honors.
Ballard's bat has not been the only red-hot bat for the Keydets, as the team enters the week leading the nation with a .675 slugging percentage, and ranking second with a .381 batting average and 35 home runs. VMI has scored at least 11 runs in seven outings this year, ranking among the top 10 in the nation by scoring 10.7 runs per game.
This week's series against the Bulldogs renews one of VMI's oldest rivalries. The Keydets have not played a member of the Southern Conference on the diamond since leaving the league after the 2003 campaign. That year, the teams split their four meetings, with The Citadel winning two of three in the regular season finale before VMI scored a 2-1 victory in the SoCon Tournament four days later.
Tuesday's contest will pit Keydet right-hander Chris Duty (1-0) against Bulldog righty T.J. Clarkson (1-0). On Wednesday, a pair of freshmen right-handers are scheduled to face off, with VMI Coby Cowgill (2-0) and Austin Pritcher (0-0) matching up.
Each of the Keydets' five road games over Spring Furlough will be carried on the VMI Sports Network, which can be heard online at www.VMIKeydets.com, while Tuesday's and Wednesday's games will be carried on Lexington's WREL 1450 AM. In addition, fans can watch each of the next five games online, with The Citadel games available at www.CitadelSports.com and the High Point contests set to be broadcast on the Big South Network at www.BigSouthSports.com.
