The Citadel, Samford Remain Undefeated After Day Two

GREENVILLE, SC – The Citadel won its third game in two days, racing past top-seed Mercer, and Samford knocked off Western Carolina to remain undefeated heading into Friday’s semifinals at the 2026 SoCon Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases.

Mercer bounced back with two home runs to eliminate Wofford and Western Carolina followed suit to eliminate UNC Greensboro in the nightcap.

GAME ONE: #5 The Citadel 9, #1 Mercer 2

Michael Gibson continued his torrid SoCon Championship performance Thursday morning, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and picking up the save in The Citadel’s 9-2 upset of regular season champion Mercer in the early game.

Gibson drove in a run with an RBI double in the third for a 1-0 lead and helped the Citadel out of a jam with two outs in the seventh. Gibson needed only two pitches to end the inning and scored an insurance run on an error by the Bears in the eighth.

The Citadel exploded for seven runs in the top of the ninth, getting RBI knocks from Jayden Williams and Gibson to go up 4-0 and taking advantage of another error to forge a 5-0 lead. Zach Hunt roped a two-run home run down the right field to put the game out of reach. Phillips Daniels closed the scoring with a two-run single for a 9-0 lead.

Mercer came alive for two runs in the ninth – on solo home runs by Chris Katz and Titan Kamaka – for the final margin.

Trip Brown stifled one of the country’s top offenses for the win, pitching 6.0 scoreless frames with seven strikeouts and three walks. CJ VanSlooten worked the first two outs in the seventh, before Gibson came on for his ninth save of the season, scattering four hits and allowing the two late runs in 2.1 innings of relief.

The Citadel had 11 hits, giving the Bulldogs 50 hits over three games this tournament. UNC Greensboro set the SoCon Championship record with an eye-popping 90 hits in their 2022 title run.

In addition to Gibson’s torrid effort – the Rock Hill native has 11 hits himself through three games – The Citadel got two hits Hunt, TJ Anderson, and Sam Dancy.

Mercer collected 10 hits, with Eli Stephens and Brant Baughcum both going 2-for-5 to lead the charge. The Bears stranded 12 runners in the game.

The Citadel advanced to Friday’s semifinal game and will play Mercer again at 9:00 am after the Bears’ rally over Wofford.

GAME TWO: #3 Samford 9, #2 Western Carolina 5 

Samford stayed hot at the plate Thursday, using a steady effort to get past No. 2 seed Western Carolina Thursday afternoon.

Jeffrey Ince went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, Jake Souders went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, and two other Bulldogs had a pair of hits in the win.

Samford went up 1-0 in the first and never trailed, adding two runs each in the fourth and the sixth for a 5-0 advantage. Western Carolina cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of a fielding error, and the two teams traded volleys over the next three innings for the final margin.

Western Carolina pulled closer in the late innings, getting a two-run home run from Mason Holton in the seventh and a two-run blast from Noah Quarless in the eighth.

Samford used its bullpen heavily after starter Noah Berry exited after only 0.2 innings of work, with John Whitney getting the win after 3.1 scoreless frames.

Trent Turner led Western Carolina’s 11-hit offense, going 3-for-5, while Quarless and Holton each had two hits.

Samford advanced to Saturday’s semifinals and will face Western Carolina at 12:30 pm.

GAME THREE: #1 Mercer 9, #4 Wofford 8

Mercer used a pair of late home runs to rally past Wofford Thursday night and stay alive for rematch with The Citadel on Friday morning.

Trailing 8-6 in the seventh, Mercer got a leadoff walk from Brant Baughcum but needed some heroics from pinch hitter Kaleb Huffman with two outs in the frame to even the score. The senior from Locust Grove, GA, stepped into the box and pounded a 2-1 fastball high and deep over the fence in right field to tie the game – giving the Bears a heavy momentum swing.

Lawson Cole retired Wofford in order in the top of the eighth, setting the stage for the final blow. With one out in the inning, SoCon Player of the Year Chris Katz came through, ripping a ball off the base of the wall in right field and hustling all the way around for an inside-the-park home run and what proved to be the game winner. It was the 22^nd home run of the season for Katz.

Wofford got a one-out single to right from Lucas Manning in the ninth, but Braydon Kersey the hit and a two-out walk with a strikeout and ground ball to end the game.

Mercer had nine hits in the game, led by Katz (2-for-2) and Eli Stephens (2-for-5). Wofford managed 12 hits, with Niko Brini (3-for-5), Cade Collins (2-for-4), Manning (2-for-5), Raul Feliz (2-for-4), and Tanner Hardin (2-for-5) leading the effort.

Lawson picked up the win with his scoreless inning out of the pen and Kersey picked up his sixth save of the season.

Mercer advances to face The Citadel on Friday morning. If the Bears win, the two teams will play again later in the day for the right to play in Saturday night’s championship game.

GAME FOUR: #2 Western Carolina 4, #7 UNC Greensboro 3

Western Carolina rallied with two runs in the fifth and a big hit in the bottom of the eighth to get past UNC Greensboro in Thursday night’s finale, 4-3.

After Jackson Lyda led off the eighth with a walk, the Spartans’ Hunter Shuey recovered with a pop fly, but Catamounts’ standout Trey Turner blistered an RBI double off the Fluor Field Green Monster in left and Lyda sprinted in under the tag after a great relay throw for what proved to be the game winner.

UNC Greensboro led 3-1 after four innings, using a two-run blast from Jacob Budzik in the top of the first and a bases loaded walk in the fourth. Wyatt Stanley got the Cats on board with a solo home run in the second. Western Carolina tied the score in the bottom of the fifth after Jaylen Jones hit a solo home run and Cameron Murray scored from second on an error one out later.

After Turner’s heroics, which was only the Catamounts’ third hit of the game, Davis Wright marched back to the mound and recorded a strikeout and foul pop up to put the Spartans’ backs against the wall. Wright followed with another strikeout on three pitches to end the game.

The southpaw picked up the win, tossing 5.0 scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts and no walks. He scattered three hits.

Stanley, Jones, and Turner had all three of Western Carolina’s hits in the win. Jake Mueller collected a pair of UNC Greensboro’s six hits.

Western Carolina advances for a rematch with No. 3 Samford on Friday at 12:30 pm. Should the Catamounts win, the two teams will play again at 7:30 pm for the right to play in Saturday’s championship game.

2026 SoCon Baseball Championship

Presented by Holston Gases

Wednesday, May 20

Game 1: #5 The Citadel 21, #8 VMI 11 (8 innings) 

Game 2: #7 UNCG 6, #6 ETSU 5

Game 3: #5 The Citadel 13, #4 Wofford 7

Game 4: #3 Samford 13, #7 UNCG 1

Thursday, May 21

Game 5: #5 The Citadel 9, #1 Mercer 2

Game 6: #3 Samford 9, #2 Western Carolina 5

Game 7: #1 Mercer 9, #4 Wofford 8

Game 8: #2 Western Carolina 4, #7 UNC Greensboro 3

Friday, May 22

Game 9: #1 Mercer vs. #5 The Citadel, 9:00 AM

Game 10: #2 Western Carolina vs. #3 Samford, 12:30 PM

Game 11: If Necessary (Game 9), 4:00 PM

Game 12: If Necessary (Game 10), 7:30 PM

Saturday, May 23

Championship Game, 7:30 pm (ESPNU)