2018 VMI Keydets baseball team

The 2018 VMI Keydets baseball team represented the Virginia Military Institute during the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Keydets competed as a member of the Southern Conference, and were led by fourth-year head coach Jonathan Hadra. They played their home games out of Gray–Minor Stadium.

2018 VMI Keydets baseball
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	26–27 (12–12 SoCon)
Head coach	Jonathan Hadra (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Casey Dykes Sam Roberts Grey Finwood
Home stadium	Gray–Minor Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Southern Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
UNC Greensboro  ‍‍‍	18	–	3		.857			37	–	13		.740
Samford  ‍‍‍	16	–	8		.667			32	–	24		.571
Wofford  ‍‍‍	15	–	9		.625			35	–	21		.625
VMI  ‍‍‍	12	–	12		.500			26	–	25		.510
Mercer  ‍‍‍	11	–	13		.458			35	–	20		.636
East Tennessee State  ‍‍‍	11	–	13		.458			27	–	23		.540
Furman  ‍‍‍	9	–	12		.429			24	–	26		.480
The Citadel  ‍‍‍	8	–	16		.333			19	–	33		.365
Western Carolina  ‍‍‍	5	–	19		.208			7	–	45		.135
‡ – Tournament champion As of May 19, 2018[1] Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

Personnel

VMI lost only one offensive starter from the 2017 season, that being right fielder Tyler Tharp, who hit .348 in 58 games and led the team with 143 total bases.^[2] Relief pitchers Blaine Lafin, Jack Gomersall, and Ryan Bennett were the only other seniors lost from the previous season. However, backup infielder Mason Adamson, backup catcher Garrett St. Laurent, and relievers John Fuqua and Liam Roden did not return to the team in 2018.^[3]

Returning starters

Player	Class	Position
Josh Winder	Junior	SP
Brandon Barbery	Senior	SP
Peyton Maddox	Senior	C
Collin Fleischer	Senior	1B
Michael Diodato	Sophomore	2B
Jacob Jaye	Senior	3B
Matt Dunlevy	Senior	LF
Will Malbon	Senior	CF
Matt Pita	Junior	RF
Jake Huggins	Junior	DH

Roster

2018 VMI Keydets baseball team
Players	Coaches
# Pos. Name B/T Height Weight Year Home town 1 INF Michael Diodato R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Gloucester, Virginia 3 OF Will Malbon L/L 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Virginia Beach, Virginia 4 INF Nathan Eaton R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So Chester, Virginia 5 INF Noah Cook R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Danville, Virginia 6 INF Jacob Jaye L/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Winchester, Virginia 7 INF Callen Nuccio L/R 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Waxhaw, North Carolina 8 C Peyton Maddox R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Amherst, Virginia 9 INF Jake Huggins R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Richmond, Virginia 10 OF Jordan Ebersole R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Vienna, Virginia 11 LHP Michael Geary L/L 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Richmond, Virginia 12 OF Matt Dunlevy L/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Richmond, Virginia 14 LHP Jon Clines L/L 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So McLean, Virginia 16 C Matt Keane R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Williamsburg, Virginia 17 RHP Eric Byrd R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Fredericksburg, Virginia 18 INF Collin Fleischer R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Chester, Virginia 19 RHP Matt Eagle R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Norfolk, Virginia 20 INF Will Knight R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Amherst, Virginia 21 RHP Austin Murphy R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Winchester, Virginia 22 OF Nathan Lloyd L/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Amherst, Virginia 23 Cody Warner L/R 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Harrisonburg, Virginia 24 RHP Sam Ewald L/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Nokesville, Virginia 25 RHP Derek Tremblay R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Covington, Virginia 26 C Ryan Smoot R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Strasburg, Virginia 27 INF Josh Hollifield R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Weddington, North Carolina 28 RHP Corey Johnston R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Chester, Virginia 29 OF Ryan Hatten R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Hendersonville, Tennessee 30 RHP Michael Spence R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Charlottesville, Virginia 31 RHP Tucker Kuykendall R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Candler, North Carolina 32 LHP Brady Watts L/L 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr Lowgap, North Carolina 33 OF Matt Pita R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Richmond, Virginia 35 LHP Brandon Barbery L/L 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Manassas, Virginia 36 RHP Josh Winder R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Richmond, Virginia 37 RHP Zak Kent R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Heathsville, Virginia 38 LHP Kyle Staats L/L 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Manassas, Virginia 39 RHP Seth Nichols R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Norfolk, Virginia	Head coach Jonathan Hadra (4th year) Assistant coach(es) Casey Dykes (4th year) Grey Finwood (1st year) Pitching coach(es) Sam Roberts (1st year) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: February 22, 2018

Schedule

Legend
	VMI win
	VMI loss
	Postponement
Bold	VMI team member

2018 VMI Keydets baseball game log
Regular season
February (5–3) Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record SoCon record February 16 at #19 South Carolina Founders Park 7–6 D. Tremblay (1–0) A. Hill (0–1) M. Eagle (1) 7,384 1–0 – February 17 at #19 South Carolina Founders Park 2–7 C. Morris (1–0) Z. Kent (0–1) 6,627 1–1 – February 18 at #19 South Carolina Founders Park 0–9 R. Chapman (1–0) B. Watts (0–1) 6,612 1–2 – February 20 at #15 Virginia Davenport Field 9–4 B. Barbery (1–0) G. McGarry (0–1) 3,709 2–2 – February 23 Lafayette Gray–Minor Stadium 10–5 J. Winder (1–0) B. Kreyer (0–2) 233 3–2 – February 23 Lafayette Gray–Minor Stadium 8–1 Z. Kent (1–1) J. Faraci (0–1) 132 4–2 – February 25 Lafayette Gray–Minor Stadium 11–6 C. Johnston (1–0) J. Cain (0–1) 164 5–2 – February 27 at #14 Virginia Davenport Field 9–10 D. Ortiz (1–0) B. Barbery (1–1) B. Sousa (2) 3,177 5–3 –
March (6–10) Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record SoCon record March 3 Oakland Gray–Minor Stadium 10–11 J. Lee (1–2) J. Winder (1–1) 198 5–4 – March 3 Oakland Gray–Minor Stadium 11–1 Z. Kent (2–1) N. Parr (0–2) 78 6–4 – March 4 Oakland Gray–Minor Stadium 11–8 M. Eagle (1–0) C. Bowers (0–3) 188 7–4 – March 6 at Richmond Pitt Field Postponed to Apr. 18 March 9 UMass Lowell Gray–Minor Stadium 4–8 J. Riley (1–2) J. Winder (1–2) C. Metelski (1) 99 7–5 – March 10 UMass Lowell Gray–Minor Stadium 5–9 A. Ryan (1–1) Z. Kent (2–2) 244 7–6 – March 10 UMass Lowell Gray–Minor Stadium 6–3 K. Staats (2–0) H. Funaro (1–3) M. Eagle (2) 112 8–6 – March 14 at Old Dominion Bud Metheny Baseball Complex 4–19 H. Gregory (2–0) B. Barbery (1–2) 361 8–7 – March 16 at George Washington Barcroft Park 9–7 C. Johnston (1–0) T. Swiggart (3–1) M. Eagle (3) 128 9–7 – March 17 at George Washington Barcroft Park 5–8 A. Wheeler (1–0) Z. Kent (2–3) I. Pasteur (1) 124 9–8 – March 18 at George Washington Barcroft Park 2–4 N. Woods (1–2) K. Staats (2–1) I. Pasteur (2) 188 9–9 – March 20 Radford Gray–Minor Stadium Postponed to Mar. 27 March 23 at UNC Greensboro UNCG Baseball Stadium 1–9 M. Frisbee (4–0) J. Winder (1–3) 528 9–10 0–1 March 23 at UNC Greensboro UNCG Baseball Stadium 3–6 A. Wantz (3–0) M. Eagle (1–1) 576 9–11 0–2 March 25 at UNC Greensboro UNCG Baseball Stadium 8–7 N. Eaton (1–0) J. Maynard (4–2) 486 10–11 1–2 March 27 Radford Gray–Minor Stadium 6–8 A. Nardi (2–2) D. Tremblay (1–1) C. Higgerson (2) 67 10–12 – March 28 James Madison Gray–Minor Stadium Cancelled March 30 The Citadel Gray–Minor Stadium 0–5 D. Spence (2–2) J. Winder (1–4) 188 10–13 1–3 March 31 The Citadel Gray–Minor Stadium 12–3 Z. Kent (3–3) A. Bialakis (2–3) 323 11–13 2–3
April (12–7) Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record SoCon record April 1 The Citadel Gray–Minor Stadium 12–4 K. Staats (3–1) J. Merritt (2–3) M. Eagle (4) 239 12–13 3–3 April 3 at Longwood Bolding Stadium 12–6 E. Byrd (1–0) E. Harp (1–4) 198 13–13 – April 4 at James Madison Eagle Field 3–4 S. Perkins (3–0) M. Eagle (1–2) 421 13–14 – April 6 at East Tennessee State Thomas Stadium 8–7 C. Johnston (2–0) M. Kaczor (2–3) N. Eaton (1) 316 14–14 4–3 April 8 at East Tennessee State Thomas Stadium 4–6 R. Simpler (3–3) D. Tremblay (1–2) A. Maher (4) 363 14–15 4–4 April 8 at East Tennessee State Thomas Stadium 3–7 R. Koesters (2–0) K. Staats (3–2) J. Giambalvo (4) 363 14–16 4–5 April 10 Longwood Gray–Minor Stadium 9–11 Z. Potojecki (1–1) S. Ewald (0–1) J. Peterson (1) 134 14–17 – April 11 at VCU The Diamond 4–1 B. Barbery (2–2) B. Wilks (3–1) M. Eagle (5) 1,052 15–17 – April 13 Western Carolina Gray–Minor Stadium 11–7 J. Winder (2–4) C. Walter (0–5) 251 16–17 5–5 April 14 Western Carolina Gray–Minor Stadium 12–9 D. Tremblay (2–2) Z. Franklin (0–4) N. Eaton (2) 607 17–17 6–5 April 14 Western Carolina Gray–Minor Stadium 5–4 K. Staats (4–2) T. Purus (1–8) M. Eagle (6) 202 18–17 7–5 April 18 at Richmond Malcolm U. Pitt Field 11–2 C. Johnston (3–0) L. Schipper (0–2) 298 19–17 – April 20 Furman Gray–Minor Stadium 12–1 J. Winder (3–4) N. Verbeke (4–3) 1,077 20–17 8–5 April 21 Furman Gray–Minor Stadium 13–7 Z. Kent (4–3) J. Beatson (1–2) 351 21–17 9–5 April 22 Furman Gray–Minor Stadium 1–19 J. Bertrand (4–1) K. Staats (4–3) 112 21–18 9–6 April 25 Virginia Tech Gray–Minor Stadium 9–7 N. Eaton (2–0) A. McDonald (1–6) 222 22–18 – April 27 at Mercer Claude Smith Field 4–1 J. Winder (4–4) A. Cox (6–3) 1,010 23–18 10–6 April 28 at Mercer Claude Smith Field 4–9 S. Gipson (4–0) M. Eagle (1–3) N. Spear (5) 811 23–19 10–7 April 29 at Mercer Claude Smith Field 3–11 C. Vann (4–2) K. Staats (4–4) 422 23–20 10–8
May (3–5) Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record SoCon record May 1 at Virginia Tech English Field 3–8 N. Enright (2–3) E. Byrd (1–1) A. McDonald (5) 485 23–21 – May 2 Old Dominion Gray–Minor Stadium 7–6 Z. Kent (5–3) H. Gregory (3–4) M. Eagle (7) 106 24–21 – May 11 Wofford Gray–Minor Stadium 12–4 J. Winder (5–4) A. Scott (7–5) 266 25–21 11–8 May 12 Wofford Gray–Minor Stadium 4–8 A. Higginbotham (6–3) Z. Kent (5–4) 577 25–22 11–9 May 13 Wofford Gray–Minor Stadium 10–12 A. Garcia (4–1) N. Eaton (2–1) 231 25–23 11–10 May 17 at Samford Joe Lee Griffin Stadium 2–9 J. Rich (4–5) J. Winder (5–5) 209 25–24 11–11 May 18 at Samford Joe Lee Griffin Stadium 6–10 H. Skinner (5–2) Z. Kent (5–5) W. Burns (10) 281 25–25 11–12 May 19 at Samford Joe Lee Griffin Stadium 8–2 B. Barbery (3–2) S. Jones (3–5) 331 26–25 12–12
Postseason
SoCon Tournament (0–2) Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record Tournament record May 23 No. 5 Mercer Fluor Field • Greenville, SC 0–19 (7) A. Cox (7–3) J. Winder (5–6) 219 26–26 – May 24 No. 1 UNC Greensboro Fluor Field • Greenville, SC 7–11 B. Hensley (6–2) B. Barbery (3–3) 212 26–27 –