In the 13th round of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft held in Philadelphia during All-Star Weekend, last weekend, the Chicago White Sox selected Virginia Military Institute first baseman Grayson Fitzwater.
On Sunday, Fitzwater became the 37th Keydet to be drafted and the first position player drafted since 2018. This marks the third player drafted in the era of fourthyear head coach Sam Roberts (Will Riley – 2024, Holden Wilkerson – 2024.
“The whole thing has been surreal,” says Fitzwater. “It has been truly a blessing from the beginning, just having the opportunity.”
After donning the VMI uniform for four seasons, Fitzwater ends his tenure ranked first in program history with 62 home runs, 483 total bases, 223 RBIs, 214 games played, 145 walks, 1,492 putouts, and a .989 fielding percentage. He is second in program history with a .636 career slugging clip, 57 doubles, 194 runs and 1,599 total chances, and ranks third with 760 at-bats. He also stands in the top 10 with a .432 on-base percentage, 232 hits, and 34 hit by pitches.
The Suffolk native capped off his glorious career with a stellar 2026 campaign, being named Preseason Southern Conference player of the year (SoCon & D1Baseball.com) and Preseason All-So-Con first-team, while being ranked as the 12th-best first baseman by D1Baseball. He landed on the postseason All-SoCon first-team after setting a new single-season record of 21 home runs, ranking top 25 nationally, while slashing .325/.753/.470 for a stunning 1.223 on-base plus slugging, with 63 hits. His offensive abilities made him an end-of-season top-10 first baseman by D1Baseball.
Fitzwater drew a record-setting 50 walks and drove in a team-best 64 RBIs for the third most in a single season at VMI. He posted the second-highest single- season slugging clip with a .753 and totaled 146 bases, which is the second most in a season. The newly minted VMI alumnus led the team with 20 multi-hit and 19 multi-RBI outings.
Fitzwater’s biggest outing came in a non-conference series in March, where he set a new single-game home run record with three against Western Illinois, making him the D1Baseball Mid-Major LOUD! Performer of the Day. After his performance against the Leathernecks, he was named to the Baseball America National College Team of the Week and garnered back-to-back SoCon player of the week honors.
In the field, the first baseman secured a .994 fielding percentage, standing in fourth in a single season, with 469 chances and 442 putouts, which are both top 10. He helped VMI go 28-27 overall this season and 3-18 in the SoCon.
Off the field, Fitzwater graduated from VMI with a degree in economics and business and was a member of the Ducks Unlimited Club and a leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
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