Two of his mainstay moments including eight shutout frames at Longwood (March 22) in VMI’s first 1-0 win in 25 years, and a run of four straight starts (March 29-April 19) in which he went at least 6 2/3 innings while allowing no more than two earned runs.

Bach will be accompanied in the rotation by junior Reed Garrett. Garrett struggled at times last year, finishing with a 3-8 mark, but appeared to rediscover his form in the late going. That was no more evident than on May 11, when he fired a complete-game shutout of Winthrop, in which he struck out a career-high nine and did not allow a runner to get past first base until the ninth inning.

The third spot in the rotation could be an interesting one, with a battle underway to determine it. The early leader in said battle is junior Andrew Woods. Woods comes off a year in which he went 2-1 with a 4.58 ERA but like Garrett, seemed to figure things out later in the year. Woods held Big South hitters to a .169 average, including five one-hit innings against Winthrop on May 11 and 2 1/3 one-hit frames for a win against Coastal Carolina March 30.

The other member of that rotation duel is senior Campbell Henkel. Henkel appeared in 18 games last season, making 12 starts with a 5.20 ERA, but did have some notable efforts that including 6 1/3 shutout inning performances against both VCU and Longwood. The senior also enjoyed a quality effort this summer, making the Valley League’s All-Star game and going 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA in the process. The Keydets will be able to mix and match their four starters, depending on needs, and will look to that flexibility throughout the season.