Part VI- (April 12)
April is a month full of road trips.  Starting out at UNC Ashville, then going to play Gardner-Webb, and this upcoming weekend we travel to Liberty for a three game set.  We have played well on the road in conference so far.  We have won every game except for the Sunday game against High Point.  We are going for our third straight conference sweep this weekend, but we know that Liberty is always very tough at home.  Before Liberty we take on one of the top teams in the country in UVA at Gray-Minor Stadium on Wednesday.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that we had been ranked 28th and at that time that was the highest we had ever been ranked.  Well this week we have been ranked 26th in the nation.  This is a great accomplishment for our program, but is still not the end prize every player on our team seeks.  This program wants a Big South Championship.  The team is focused and still playing with the passion of a bunch of little leaguers.  The opposing coach from this weekend even asked if he could borrow Andrew "Mr. Hype" Deal to keep their dugout energy up against their next opponent.

All the fun the team is having on the field has translated to bus rides as well.  On the way home from playing Gardner-Webb the majority of the bus joined together in numerous songs.  The VMI Spirit was sung, the Doxology, Old McDonald Had a Farm, and even The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.  Even before taking infield and outfield for Sunday's game the whole team joined in to do the Hokey Pokey dance before taking the field.  Even with all this going on the team is still focused and ready to play VMI baseball.

Part V- (March 24)
We are now ranked 28th in the nation, the highest ranking for the baseball team in school history.  This is a great accomplishment for our program.  But, what the team really wants is a Big South Championship.  We started Big South play this past weekend against High Point.  The first two games went in our favor.  The first two games turned into more pitching duels than what was originally expected with the numbers both offensive clubs have put up so far this season.  Sunday's game was a different story.  High Point went up big on us early, but we slowly kept chipping away.  Then all of a sudden we put up a 5-spot in the 9th inning and we were winning.  But we could not keep High Point from scoring in the bottom of the inning.  Winning the first weekend in the Big South is important.  We are off to the right start.

The bus ride home from the series was much different than the ones last year.  This time everyone was laughing and joking.  Last year everyone was silent on the bus rides home because we were not having a good season.  Everyone on the bus woke up from napping or stopped talking Sunday night to watch the new show Life on the Discovery Channel.  You would have thought we were a bunch of kids going to the zoo or something.  All the jokes stopped once we realized that we were back at barracks and spring break was over.

The team is ready for this upcoming Big South weekend against Charleston Southern.  The series is at home, with game times being Friday at 5, Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 1.  But, before we can play this weekend we go up to JMU tonight at 6:30. 

Part IV- (March 18)
With a sweep of UMES and LaSalle, we are now undefeated in weekend series.  Our first loss of the season came to a very tough Bryant team.  The highlight of Spring Break so far has been the two-game sweep of Citadel.  It was tough game Tuesday night and then a blowout Wednesday.  It was a great atmosphere down at Citadel.  The parents gave us great support in both games.  The Citadel fans tried to give us a hard time, but once we went up big in Game 2 you could have heard a pin drop in that stadium.  We would like to thank the Rugby team, Commandant Staff members and other VMI cadets that came out to watch us play.

We have our first national ranking since my freshmen year in 2007.  The team is still playing with high energy in every game.  Everyone seems like a bunch of little kids out there.  Andrew Deal has been the best hype man the past 17 games.  His "Hit them again" speech has become legendary.  Even Coach Ikenberry has gotten into some of the cheering during the games this season.  There is something special about this team this year.

We start conference this weekend with our opening series against High Point.  It should be a good battle this weekend.  High Point is swinging the bats well, they are second in the nation in batting average behind no other than your Keydets of course.  The real season starts this Friday and VMI is ready for it. - Tanner

Part III- (March 1)
We were able to get our second sweep of a Patriot League opponent this weekend.  The offense is clicking on all cylinders, the pitching is amazing, and we can actually field the baseball this year.  Everybody is filling their role on the team, and the energy is great in the dugout.  This is our best start in school history and we look to keep it going.  This past Friday marked the first time I have ever had a game was postponed due to cold weather.  It was a bitter cold day Friday and every player on both sides was happy the first game was moved to Saturday.  This weekend series would not have been possible if it was not for all the hard work by the team and Physical Plant to remove all the snow and ice we have had.  The team would like to thank the Physical Plant for helping out as much as they did.

Our offense exploded during both games of the doubleheader on Saturday.  Our pitching and defense were able to keep the Lafayette bats at bay in both games.  Sunday's game was a great game.  Both teams came out swinging early and then went cold through the middle innings.  Graham "The Rock" Sullivan was the hero at the end of the day.  He smoked a fastball into right center to win the game for us in the 9th inning.  The team did a great job this weekend of playing together as a team and fighting off the cold.  The team would like to thank the parents and friends that provided food for us during the break of the doubleheader. 

This week we will hopefully see our first mid-week action against University of Maryland.  Upcoming this weekend, we will face another team from Maryland when we face off with University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.  All the players have their fingers crossed for some warmer weather and a chance for the water pipes to unfreeze.  That will bring huge smiles to the infielders' and base runners' faces, as it will give us a chance to soften up the dirt a little bit with some much needed water.  All in all the Keydets are focused and ready for the upcoming week. - Tanner

Part II - (Feb. 22)
A good start to the season for the Keydets this weekend, we got the sweep against Bucknell.  Prince George High School, the house that Sam Roberts built, was kind enough to let us get the series in this weekend at their field.  A beautiful high school field, we are very thankful they let us play there this weekend.  The team would also like to thank all of the parents for pulling together and helping with sleeping arrangements and food for the weekend.  Our parents are very supportive and always rise to the occasion when asked, we could not ask for better parents.

This weekend a lot of former baseball players came out.  A.J. Yoder was the first base coach for Bucknell, still the same Yoder as always, countering back at all of the jokes as he coached first base.  Mike Roberts was there all weekend helping out his dad getting the field ready, along with another Brewers member Michael Bowman.  Always good to see them, and good luck to them this upcoming spring and summer.  Local legend Brain Sandridge made an appearance and so did former shortstop Chad Rice.  It was great to see former players this weekend.

Everybody stepped up and did their jobs this weekend from the freshmen to the sophomores, from the defense to the offense.  It was great to see Jason Farley and Chris Duty back on the mound for us again; they both came back carving batters up.  All in all, a great opening weekend for the program.  This week we will be working on the field hoping to get the field ready for the weekend.  We are trying to get a midweek game in and hopefully will be able to play this upcoming weekend against Lafayette. - Tanner

Part I - (Feb. 17)
The college basketball season may still be going on, but down at Gray-Minor Stadium it is baseball season.  This time of the year is Christmas for the baseball team.  This is when the new gloves, batting gloves, bats and cleats are passed out for the upcoming season.  The whole team is excited and ready for the start of the season.  Everyone is ready for the long hours of endless practices and workouts to pay off with a productive season.

All the snow we have received here has made it very interesting for practices recently.  Everyone has had to pitch in to clear out as much snow and ice off the field as possible.  The days we could not get on our field we were able to get on to the turf football field to take groundballs and fly balls.  Since this past Thursday, we have been able to get on our infield because of the hard work of the coaches getting it ready for us.  This past weekend we were actually able to get in three intersquads, but with the outfield covered in ice we could not use outfielders.

Being able to get on the field has put a smile on every players face.  This has brought a new intensity to practice with the opportunity for starting roles to be won through practice and intersquads now.  Every player is ready excited for the opening series.  The older players are excited to see former VMI second basemen A.J. Yoder, who will be coaching for Bucknell in the opening series.  We hope to see everyone at the opening series this upcoming weekend, make sure you bring your blankets! - Tanner