GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium is a 1,400-seat facility home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets baseball team in Lexington, Virginia. It is named after Elmon T. Gray and Gil Minor, graduates of VMI in 1946 and 1963, respectively.
Before the construction of GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium, Patchin Field was the home of VMI baseball. Nicknamed "The Patch", VMI played there up until the end of the 2006 season. Then, in the off-season of 2006, construction would begin for Gray-Minor. It was five years after the field was renovated, but Patchin Field would serve VMI baseball for another trio of seasons. The project cost around $1.1 million, and was funded by Gray and Minor, along with Bill Paulette, VMI graduate in 1969.
The 2007 VMI baseball season was the inaugural season for GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium. The Keydets opened up playing Florida for three games, in which the underdog VMI surprisingly took 2 of those 3 games. VMI came back to Lexington on February 20 and defeated Bucknell 10âÂÂ2 in the inaugural game of GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium. Through the rest of the year, VMI would finish 23âÂÂ7 at Gray-Minor, which included arguably the biggest win in school history, as the Keydets beat then #3 Virginia 5âÂÂ2 that April. The squad would end the regular season 34âÂÂ19 and 10âÂÂ11 in the Big South, but finished 34âÂÂ21 overall with a loss to Liberty and Coastal Carolina in the Big South tournament to end the season.
In 2008, VMI fell to a 4âÂÂ12 start, and would lose to Virginia 6âÂÂ5 in eleven innings on May 13. However, the Keydets would end the year going 25âÂÂ12, to finish up 29âÂÂ24, 14âÂÂ7 in the Big South, and 21âÂÂ14 at GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium, gaining only 8 road victories. In the 2008 Big South Tournament, they were swept by Winthrop and Coastal Carolina again, being out-ran a combined 10âÂÂ3 to end the season at 29âÂÂ26.
VMI had its first losing season in the Gray-Minor era, going 17âÂÂ33 and 10âÂÂ15 in Big South play. They went just 11âÂÂ13 at home, the lowest number of home wins in a season still to this date. VMI did get their first Big South Tournament win in the Gray-Minor era, however, as they defeated Gardner-Webb 13âÂÂ4. In their second and third games, they lost to Coastal Carolina and Winthrop by scores of 9âÂÂ4 and 8âÂÂ4. It would send their season down to 18âÂÂ35.
After twenty-two games in the 2010 season, the Keydets were off to their best start in school history at 19âÂÂ3, 3âÂÂ1 Big South. On April 14, VMI defeated Virginia 12âÂÂ3, as Virginia was #1 in the nation at that time. GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium was sold out, and at that point, VMI was 29âÂÂ5, 10âÂÂ2 in the Big South. The final 21 games of the season the Keydets would go 3âÂÂ18, beating Radford, Winthrop, and Presbyterian College just once each. They would end the year 32âÂÂ20, 13âÂÂ14 Big South. In the tournament, a 7âÂÂ4 win over UNC-Asheville would be followed by losses to Coastal Carolina and Winthrop, ending their year at 33âÂÂ22.
The 2011 squad started off with a sweep at the hands of then #10 Florida State. The season went up and down from there, the biggest win an 8âÂÂ2 defeat over James Madison, ranked #27 at the time on March 8. The Keydets went 2âÂÂ2 in a three-team tournament hosted by Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon. In the closing days of the regular season, VMI went 5âÂÂ1 in the Big South with a sweep of UNC Asheville and 2 more wins over High Point.
The 2011 Big South Conference baseball tournament was held in Lexington, and VMI opened with Radford in the opening single-elimination game, although they played as the road team. They lost 3âÂÂ1, ending their year at 27âÂÂ24âÂÂ1.
The construction of Gray-Minor had numerous new features and facilities for VMI baseball. Patchin Field had small seating composed of aluminum bench seats. GrayâÂÂMinor Stadium holds 1,400 seats, over 700 of which are seat-backed with cup holders for everyone. In addition to that are new and rebuilt dugouts, a new scoreboard with a video-board, handicapped seating, elevators, enlarged restrooms, concession stands, and a glass press box with a new audio system. Gray-Minor also gives players expanded locker rooms, including a visitors' locker room and a trainer's room. Locker rooms had new audio and visual equipment.
VMI currently has 7 alumni in the minor leagues, 2 of which are playing in Double-A.