VMI Pitchers Riley, Wilkerson Drafted

A pair of Virginia Military Institute baseball pitchers heard their names called during the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft in Arlington, Texas last week.

Pitchers Will Riley and Holden Wilkerson were selected on Monday and Tuesday of last week, days two and three of the draft, marking the first time multiple Keydets were drafted in the same class since 2018. Since 1980, 36 Keydets have been drafted to the league, and last week was the first time VMI has had a draftee since 2019.

“I am super excited for both Will and Holden,” said VMI head baseball coach Sam Roberts. “They both battled through adversity at different points during their time at VMI, and seeing their hard work pay off as they fulfill their dreams is amazing. I am looking forward to seeing how they continue to evolve as they continue their baseball careers in the professional ranks.”

The first Keydet off the board was Riley, a righthanded pitcher out of Midlothian. Riley was selected in the eighth round by the Seattle Mariners, making him the 243rd pick and the firstever Keydet to be drafted by Seattle. By the end of his VMI career, he ranked number one in career strikeouts per nine innings with 10.95 and is sixth all-time in career strikeouts with 213. This year, with VMI going 27-29 overall and 7-14 in the Southern Conference, Riley was named an All-SoCon Second-Team starting pitcher after earning five wins while making a careerhigh 14 starts on the mound. He went on to toss 78.1 innings with 84 punch outs, both being career highs, and ranked in the top five in the league in innings pitched, games started, strikeouts and strikeouts looking.

The second hurler selected from VMI was Wilkerson, a right-handed pitcher out of Roanoke. Wilkerson was picked in the 18th round by the Toronto Blue Jays, making him the 547th overall pick and the third Keydet to be selected by the Toronto organization. Despite his 2024 campaign being cut short due to injury, Wilkerson made four straight starts, throwing 18.1 innings with 29 strikeouts. He tallied his lone win on March 10 against Binghamton after going 6.2 innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts. In his three years with VMI, Wilkerson tallied five wins on the bump and 87 punchouts.

For more information, visit www.vmikeydets.com or follow VMI sports on social media at VMI Athletics.