After a great season in the field, at the plate, or on the mound, four VMI baseball players were recognized by the league coaches and received postseason All-Southern Conference awards for their efforts during the course of the 2026 season May 19, 2026.
For a second straight year, Grayson Fitzwater ’26 was named First Team All-Southern Conference. Cole Raile ’27, catcher, achieved Second Team All-SoCon recognition while Buddy Baker ’29, rookie pitcher, was named to the All-Freshman Team. Owen Prince ’26, outfielder, was named to the SoCon All-Defensive Team, and Fitzwater was also recognized for his glove on the All-Defensive unit.
“We’re proud of the recognition our players received,” said Sam Roberts ’11, VMI baseball head coach. “These honors are a reflection of the work and consistency our guys showed throughout the season. Our program takes a lot of pride in player development and in the way our team competes every day, and it’s great to see that recognized with these postseason awards.”
Grayson Fitzwater ’26 – Suffolk, Virginia
First Team All-Southern Conference (1B)
SoCon All-Defensive Team (1B)
- SoCon Preseason POTY (by Southern Conference and D1Baseball) and 12th-ranked first baseman in Division I
- Holds the career records for home runs (62), total bases, RBIs (221), and walks (144), and is near the record for slugging percentage (.634)
- Single-season record for home runs (21) and walks (49)
- 2x SoCon Player of the Week (back-to-back in March)
- Week 12 second-best first baseman among Mid-Major programs and the eighth-best first baseman among all Division I (by D1Baseball)
- 436 putouts on the season, including 27 double plays
- Season-high 13 putouts on three different occasions in 2026
- Third All-SoCon award (First Team in 2025, All-Freshman in 2023)
Cole Raile ’27 – Radnor, Ohio
Second Team All-Southern Conference (Catcher)
- Sixth-most career home runs (37) in program history
- Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watchlist
- First SoCon postseason award
- Week 12 Top 10 Mid-Major catcher and top 30 Division I catcher (D1Baseball)
- Starting catcher all 54 games
- In 198 at-bats, logged 54 runs and 69 hits
- 60 RBI for the season
- 16 home runs on the year, 12 doubles, two triples
- Walked 22 times and 12 HBPs
- .348 batting average
- 344 putouts on the season
Owen Prince ’26 – Roanoke, Virginia
SoCon All-Defensive Team
- SoCon Preseason Second Team
- All-time stolen base leader (103), including 29 this season
- Had an on-base streak of 43 games this season, matching the VMI single-season record
- Second Team All-SoCon in 2025
- 143 putouts for the season
- Zero errors in 2026
- Starting center fielder all 54 games
- Logged 62 runs and 62 hits for the season and recorded 22 RBI
- Seven doubles and three triples on the year
- Walked 38 times
Buddy Baker ’29 – Suffolk, Virginia
SoCon All-Freshman Team
- Pitched 36.1 innings as a true freshman
- 34 strikeouts
- Allowed 35 hits, 19 earned runs
- Faced 162 batters, threw 560 pitches for the season
- Earned five wins on the year
- Credited with two saves
- Finished season with a 4.71 ERA
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.
