This Week in VMI Athletics - Nov. 10

Another gut-wrenching loss for football...Let's try to move on past that and discuss the remainder of This Week in VMI Athletics.

The Keydet gridiron squad will head to West Point this weekend to take on Army in VMI's lone FBS game of the year. Unfortunately, no live video will be available for the contest. However, Wade Branner and Cal Murray will be in attendance to call the game and the contest will be televised by CBS College Sports on a tape-delay basis. Get the gameday central page, as well as full information on how you can see the contest, here.

Strangely, that's not the only time the Keydets will face a Black Knight squad this coming weekend. Friday night brings Army basketball to Cameron Hall for VMI's 2009-10 season opener. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and Christian Hoffman will, for the second-consecutive season, call the first contest of the year on the VMI Radio Network. That brings us to a couple of interesting tidbits about basketball...

1) The 2009-10 media guide is scheduled to be put on the web site later today, as the covers are being sized for that operation as I type this.

2) Former VMI standouts Reggie Williams and Travis Holmes have been drafted by teams in the NBA Development League (NBDL) in Nov. 5's eight-round D-League Draft. Williams was taken by the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the third round, and Holmes was snatched by the Utah Flash in the sixth round. Rosters for the D-League teams now sit at 15 players apiece, but must be trimmed to 10 by Nov. 25. If Holmes and Williams both end up on the active, regular-season roster, VMI fans should take note of the scheduled Feb. 17 matchup between the Skyforce and the Flash, the only regular-season meeting between the clubs.

Back to current VMI news...

Women's soccer gave it a great run, didn't they? The thrilling game with Coastal Carolina was one of the most exciting moments for Keydet athletics in some time...Although the ladies came up short against Winthrop, it was a great season and one all VMI supporters should be proud of.

Men's soccer is seeded eighth for Thursday's Big South Tournament, with top-seeded Coastal Carolina the opponent. The Chanticleers come in on a four-game winning streak, while VMI has dropped six straight, but the regular season game between the clubs was a battle. Coastal pulled it out, but it took nearly 100 minutes to arrive at the 1-0 victory. There should be a preview available tomorrow.

Cross Country is back in action this weekend, traveling to Louisville for the regional meet. Coach Spangler stated at last week's football lunch that his goal for the women was to finish the year as the top team in the Big South, which will be a tall order and would involve beating Liberty at this meet. He also stated he believes the Keydet women could end up as one of the top 15 teams in the region, despite running four freshmen (sometimes five!) in their top six. High praise indeed!

Speaking of the mid-week lunches that are put into 'Roo-Tube, I'm hearing talk that Wednesday's luncheon at Salerno's will feature both Coach Woods and Coach Baucom...Not sure if that's official, but it should be fun if so. Both are engaging and certainly good with the question-and-answer format.

The 2010 baseball roster has now been posted online. Not really sure what else to say about that, but it's certainly an intriguing one with a lot of talented newcomers.

Work has begun on doing some minor revamping to the track and field pages, with their season opener right around the corner (Dec. 2-3). Old links have been pulled, while an "Away Meet Central" has been worked up, featuring everything available about VMI's meets on the road this season.

Make sure to check out the Photo Store as well on VMIKeydets.com, as we've added a considerable number of photos from the past year in all sports, from men's soccer to women's swimming.

We'll be back with you next week to prepare for the season finale of the football team, as well as another home basketball game.