The Southern Conference kept stacking wins in a strong non-conference stretch
All SoCon teams were in action during the midweek slate, with The Citadel playing twice, and the league finished 6–3 overall. The Southern Conference has now compiled a 133–74 record in non-conference play, good for a .643 winning percentage.
SoCon Non-Conference Record
| Conference | Record |
|---|---|
| AAC | 1–2 |
| ACC | 1–12 |
| AEC | 1–0 |
| ASun | 4–0 |
| A-10 | 8–2 |
| Big East | 2–1 |
| Big South | 14–12 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| CAC | 6–0 |
| C-USA | 4–5 |
| IND | 0–3 |
| Ivy | 10–3 |
| MAAC | 13–2 |
| MAC | 5–3 |
| MVC | 12–2 |
| NEC | 14–1 |
| OVC | 12–5 |
| Patriot | 1–0 |
| SEC | 2–16 |
| Sun Belt | 12–5 |
| SWAC | 7–0 |
Wofford continues to set the pace at 5–1, with Mercer close behind at 4–2 and ETSU sitting at 6–3. Western Carolina and The Citadel remain tied in the middle of the pack, while VMI and Samford are both still searching for more consistency. UNC Greensboro has the toughest climb at 2–7.
SoCon Standings
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Wofford | 5–1 |
| Mercer | 4–2 |
| ETSU | 6–3 |
| Western Carolina | 3–3 |
| The Citadel | 3–3 |
| VMI | 2–4 |
| Samford | 2–4 |
| UNC Greensboro | 2–7 |
Ranking the SoCon Midweek Team Performances
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Citadel |
| 2 | UNC Greensboro |
| 3 | Mercer |
| 4 | Wofford |
| 5 | VMI |
| 6 | ETSU |
| 7 | Western Carolina |
| 8 | Samford |
ETSU at Radford: 4-3 Loss
The Bucs were on the road against a Radford team carrying a 110 RPI and coming in with real confidence after consecutive Big South series wins. Radford is not a soft midweek opponent; it’s a quality Big South team with victories over several top-100 RPI opponents, but this was a game ETSU should have won and simply failed to convert its opportunities.
Radford scored single runs in each of the first two innings to build an early 2–0 lead, putting immediate pressure on ETSU to respond. The Buccaneers answered in the top of the third: with the bases loaded and nobody out, Nate Conner lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home a run, and Tristan Curless followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game. It was a productive sequence, but with the bases loaded and no outs, ETSU would have wanted more than just two runs.
Radford regained control over the next couple of innings and stretched the lead back to two runs. The Bucs got a run back on Tyler Fetterman’s RBI infield single in the eighth, cutting the deficit to 4–3, creating a one-run game heading into the final inning.
Radford handed the ball to Hunter Howard in the ninth, and he responded by retiring the bottom third of ETSU’s lineup in order to secure the save and close out the Highlanders’ 4–3 win.
The Buccaneers now turn their attention to Friday, when they open a three-game series at Belmont.
Western Carolina vs. USC Upstate: 18-11 Loss
USC Upstate arrived with a 68 RPI and a proven track record of beating up Western Carolina, and it happened again. The Spartans had already shut out the Catamounts 17-0 on a Fat Tuesday, February 17th, massacre, and they have shown themselves to be SoCon killers, adding a 5-2 win over Wofford on March 10. Over the two-game season series, USC Upstate outscored Western Carolina 35-11.
USC Upstate opened by scoring five runs in the first inning, as the Catamounts continued their issue of slow starts this season. Tyler Lang launched a three-run home run, Trey Bentley added a solo shot, and a triple off the top of the wall brought home the final run of the frame. It would be the first of three five-run innings for Upstate.
The Spartans added two more runs in the second, making it 7-0. Western Carolina answered in the bottom half with a two-run single from Jaylen Jones and an RBI groundout from Trey Spees, trimming the lead, and they continued to close the gap in the third when Mason Holton blasted a three-run home run to pull Western Carolina within a run.
Then in the fourth inning, USC Upstate took advantage of an inexplicable four Western Carolina errors in the frame and turned the inning into another five-spot. That sequence was the turning point, and it was the most damaging part of the Catamounts’ night.
With the score now at 12-6, Kaden Fuller took the mound to begin the fifth and gave Western Carolina some stability. Fuller worked three innings and allowed only one run, giving the Catamounts a chance to chip away. They did just that, narrowing the score to 13-10 and creating a real possibility of a late comeback.
The game effectively ended in the eighth inning when Fuller was lifted after reaching his limit, and it took three relievers to escape USC Upstate’s third five-run explosion. That inning included back-to-back home runs from Wylie Waters and Preston Lucas off James Fordham. Over the last 14 batters Fordham has faced, 11 have reached base, including 10 hits, three of them doubles and three home runs. By the time the top of the eighth was over, the outcome was effectively decided. Western Carolina tacked on one run in the bottom of the inning, but that only moved the final score to 18-11.
Western Carolina now turns its attention to a difficult home series against heavily favored Mercer this weekend, and that matchup will demand better pitching and a sharper defensive performance from the start.
VMI vs George Washington: 10-7 Win
George Washington came into Tuesday night as a bottom-half Atlantic 10 team with an RPI of 282, but it still managed to make VMI work for everything it got. The Revolutionaries swung the bats well and actually outhit the Keydets’ vaunted lineup 14-11. Even so, VMI did enough in the key moments to secure a 10-7 win at home and complete the season sweep after already defeating George Washington 8-5 on March 24 in Washington, D.C.
The final result was another positive mark for VMI, but it also offered a clear reminder that the Keydets are still living on the edge in too many games. They produced enough offense to win, and they responded to every major George Washington push, yet they also allowed too many innings to become tense. That is the difference between a solid midweek win and a dominant one.
George Washington struck first in the opening inning with a run on an RBI groundout, but VMI answered immediately in the bottom half. A bases-loaded walk tied the game, and Cole Cook followed with an RBI single to put the Keydets ahead 2-1.
VMI extended the lead in the second inning when Owen Prince delivered a sacrifice fly to score Kazuya Jordan and make it 3-1. That cushion did not last, though, because George Washington’s lineup kept applying pressure. In the third, the Revolutionaries hit a two-run home run to tie the game and then followed with a solo shot to grab a 4-3 lead.
George Washington kept the pressure on in the fourth inning, plating two more runs to push the advantage to 6-3. However, the Keydets did not let the game drift away. Instead, Cook delivered a two-RBI double to cut into the deficit, and Ayden Schnarrs followed with another two-RBI hit to give VMI a 7-6 lead.
The Keydets added a valuable insurance run in the sixth when Cook walked with the bases loaded to make it 8-6. In the seventh inning, Cole Raile launched a two-run home run to cap VMI’s scoring and stretch the lead to 10-6. That was the swing that gave the Keydets a little breathing room, but the Revolutionaries did tack on another run in the ninth, and VMI escaped with the 10-7 final to complete the season sweep.
The Keydets now travel to Birmingham this weekend to face Samford, and that series will provide a different kind of test against a conference opponent with its own urgency.
Mercer vs West Georgia: 12-1 Win
Mercer handled a West Georgia team that entered with a 230 RPI and sits in the top half of the ASUN standings. The Bears made the game feel out of reach almost immediately, rolling to a 12-1 run-rule win in seven innings.
The only real mistake in the first inning came early, when West Georgia got on the board with a Patrick McCullough home run in the top half. That was a brief moment of momentum for the visitors, but it did not last long. In the bottom half of the frame, Mercer got three doubles from Michael Graziano, Titan Kamaka, and Brant Baughcum to build a four-run response.
The Bears kept adding in the second inning when Chris Katz launched a home run to plate two more runs. Mercer continued the onslaught in the fourth inning when Eli Stephens hit a three-run home run. Later, Logan Shepherd added another major swing with a three-run home run of his own, setting Mercer up for the run-rule finish.
The win also gives Mercer useful momentum heading into a major road trip, as the Bears now prepare for a weekend series at Western Carolina beginning Friday. That trip will carry a different level of difficulty, but Mercer’s offensive form in this game offered a clear message: when the lineup gets into rhythm early, the Bears can separate quickly and force opponents into survival mode.
UNC Greensboro at Campbell: 11-4 Win
UNC Greensboro delivered one of the strongest midweek statements in the SoCon with an 11-4 win at Campbell, a result that carried real weight given the level of the opponent the Spartans faced. Campbell entered the game with a 62 RPI and a 14-1 conference record, along with notable wins over Duke, No. 11 Coastal Carolina, and North Carolina State, plus a 14-inning loss to No. 6 North Carolina. That profile made the Camels a serious challenge, and UNCG did not just compete with them. It controlled the back half of the game and left no doubt by the end.
The Spartans opened the scoring in the first inning when Jacob Dilley delivered an RBI double to put UNCG ahead 1-0. Campbell responded in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs to take the lead, then added another run in the third on a sacrifice fly to move ahead 3-1. At that point, the game looked like it might follow the script many expected.
Jacob Colucci changed that outlook. He stabilized the game for the Spartans by allowing only one inherited run over five and a third innings while giving up just two hits. That outing deserves the most credit in shaping the result because it kept UNCG close when Campbell had started to edge ahead. Instead of allowing the game to unravel after the early deficit, Colucci gave the offense time to work and prevented the Camels from turning a one-run edge into a safe cushion.
UNCG then exploded over the final five innings, scoring 10 unanswered runs and effectively putting the game away before the ninth even became relevant. The seventh inning was the turning point. Jake Barbour opened the frame with an RBI double that advanced Luke Jenkins to third, and Jenkins later scored on a balk by Campbell’s Zach Sabers.
From there, the Spartans kept pushing. Holland traded places with Barbour with a triple down the left field line to stretch the lead, and Jake Mueller followed with a bloop RBI single over the shortstop to cap the inning with UNCG ahead 6-3.
The offensive surge continued with two more runs coming off a Campbell fielding error, pushing the score to 8-3 heading into the ninth. UNCG then added three more insurance runs, with the last two coming on a two-RBI single from Tanner Berry, making it 11-3 before the final half-inning.
Mayson Dear took over to close the game and allowed one run in the final half-inning, but he finished the job after a flyout ended things. The result was an emphatic road win for UNCG.
The Spartans now leave conference play behind for the weekend as they travel to Northern Kentucky for a series that will give them another chance to build momentum outside the SoCon.
The Citadel vs Charleston Southern: 14-6 Win
Charleston Southern came in with a 105 RPI and opened the game strong, as Chandler Tuupo delivered a three-run homer in the first inning. The Citadel answered immediately as Michael Gibson sparked the response in the bottom of the first with the first of his two home runs, cutting the lead to 3-1. From there, the Bulldogs kept stacking damage. Christian Stratis hit a solo home run in the second, and Gibson added his second solo blast in the third. TJ Anderson then broke the game open further with a two-run shot, giving The Citadel a 5-3 lead.
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the fourth using a bunt, two throwing errors, and a sacrifice fly. Then Charleston Southern briefly re-entered the contest in the fifth when Alex Marot hit the Buccaneers’ second three-run homer of the game, narrowing the gap and forcing The Citadel to respond again.
The sixth inning was the knockout. The Citadel erupted for seven runs and turned a competitive game into a runaway. Matthew Lively drove in a run with a single. Gibson added a two-run single to continue his huge night. Philips Daniels followed with an RBI single, Anderson added a sacrifice fly, and Zach Hunt finished the inning with a two-run homer. That flurry pushed the score to 14-6 and ended the game’s meaningful suspense.
The Citadel hit five home runs in all, with Gibson accounting for two and Stratis, Anderson, and Hunt each adding one.
The Citadel at Winthrop: 10-8 Win
Winthrop entered Wednesday with a 6-0 Big South record and an RPI of 83. The Eagles scored first with an RBI single in the opening inning, but The Citadel answered fast in the second. Sam Dansky’s two-run homer started a five-run frame, followed by a sac bunt from Lane Tobin that brought in another run and a Phillips Daniels double that drove home two more. That inning gave The Citadel a 5-1 lead and put the Bulldogs in control early.
Winthrop responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, tightening the game and keeping the pressure on. The Citadel answered again in the fifth, scoring twice on an RBI single by Christian Stratis and a sac bunt by Dansky.
The sixth inning featured more insurance from the same key hitters. Stratis and Dansky each struck again, picking up bases-loaded RBIs, with Stratis getting his on a hit-by-pitch and Dansky drawing a walk. That pushed The Citadel to a 9-4 lead, but Winthrop refused to go away. The Eagles scored once in the sixth and then three more in the seventh to trim the margin to one run.
The decisive insurance run came when TJ Anderson scored from second on a Winthrop error to finish the night’s scoring at 10-8. Andrew Buffkin was phenomenal, closing out the game, covering the final 2.2 innings, and allowing only one hit.
The Citadel heads next to SoCon front-runner Wofford for what should be a very interesting series.
Wofford at Georgia State: 7-4 Win
Wofford went on the road to face Georgia State, an RPI 120 Sun Belt team that sits near the bottom of its conference standings, and left with a controlled 7-4 win.
Wofford scored first in the top of the second inning when Lucas Manning lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Andrew Mannelly. Georgia State answered in the bottom half with a double, then an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. Another single and a fielder’s choice followed, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead.
Niko Brini, who has been a remarkably consistent hitter all year, ignited the third inning with a double to left field. Marc Quarrie—emerging as the X-factor in the Terrier lineup—followed with a run-scoring double, driving Brini home to tie the game at 2–2.
Wofford kept building in the fourth inning by loading the bases and scoring on a wild pitch to go ahead 3-2. Brini then added a groundout that brought in another run and extended the lead to 4-2.
The Terriers kept applying pressure in the fifth inning when Hunter Herndon delivered an RBI single to make it 5-2. Tanner Hardin then added a sacrifice bunt that brought home another run and pushed the lead to 6-2.
In the sixth, Quarrie added a sacrifice fly to make it 7-2, giving the Terriers even more breathing room. Georgia State cut into the gap with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but by then Wofford had already built enough separation to absorb the rally. John Gray handled the final two innings and closed out the Panthers to seal the 7-4 win.
The Terriers now turn to an intriguing weekend series against The Citadel, which should provide a strong Southern Conference test and another good measuring stick.
Samford at No. 8 Alabama: 16-2 Mercy-Rule Loss
Samford ran into a red-hot Alabama team and got hit hard from the start in a 16-2 loss that ended by 10-run mercy rule. Alabama’s win was its 18th straight at home, the longest such streak in the country, and the Crimson Tide looked every bit like a team in complete control. Samford did show a brief response in the second inning, but the game was largely decided by Alabama’s early pressure and relentless run production.
Alabama scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to seize command immediately. Samford answered in the top of the second with two runs, and for a moment it looked like the Bulldogs might stabilize the game. Jackson Harris doubled home Gus Gandy, and then Parker McDonald singled to bring Harris in, cutting the deficit to 4-2. That rally was the one bright spot for Samford.
Any momentum from that response disappeared quickly. Alabama added four more runs in the bottom of the third to push the lead to 8-2 and effectively put the game out of reach. The Crimson Tide then tacked on four more in the fifth to stretch the margin to 12-2, turning the contest into a rout. The sixth inning brought another blow, as a two-run home run pushed Alabama ahead 14-2. A two-run double later made the final 16-2 and ended the game early under the mercy rule.
Samford now returns home for a three-game Southern Conference series against VMI this weekend, where the Bulldogs will look to reset quickly and regroup in conference play.
