Below is a full recap of each team’s weekend, along with a ranking of the best performances
It was a good weekend for several SoCon baseball teams, as the league turned in a solid overall performance. The SoCon posted a 12–9 record, with Mercer, ETSU, Western Carolina, and Samford standing out in their respective matchups. VMI and Wofford wobbled at times but still managed to secure their series wins. Meanwhile, The Citadel faced a ranked opponent in a tough environment but came away without a victory, and UNC Greensboro struggled, to say the least, against a mid-tier ACC foe in Pitt.
The SoCon’s cumulative non-conference record now stands at 59–30 (.663). The conference has always been, is now, and likely will remain a hitters’ league — Mercer features five players with an OPS above 1.033, while ETSU has six. Yet the early storyline of 2026 centers on the bullpen. Four relievers — VMI’s Hunter Sipe (15 IP), Western Carolina’s Mason Snyder (12.1 IP), and Mercer’s Collin Ewaldsen (7 IP) and Aiden Hayes (6.2 IP) — have each thrown more than six high-leverage innings without allowing an earned run. If the season ended today, Sipe and Snyder would be right there with Logan Shepherd in the SoCon MVP conversation.
Record vs. Other Conferences
| Conference | Record |
|---|---|
| AAC | 1–0 |
| ACC | 0–9 |
| AEC | 1–0 |
| ASun | 1–0 |
| A-10 | 6–2 |
| Big South | 0–1 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| CAC | 1–0 |
| C-USA | 1–2 |
| Ivy | 6–0 |
| MAAC | 12–0 |
| MAC | 5–3 |
| MVC | 3–1 |
| NEC | 13–1 |
| Patriot | 1–0 |
| SEC | 0–8 |
| Sun Belt | 6–2 |
| SWAC | 2–0 |
The Sweeps
Mercer vs. Penn (Ivy League, RPI 170)
In every game, Mercer struggled to separate from a scrappy Penn Quakers team, but Shepherd and Titan Kamaka were relentless and secured the three-game sweep.
- Game 1 (W 5–4): Devyn McEachron and Nathan Rowland sparked the early offense, while Braydon Kersey delivered the go-ahead RBI double.
- Game 2 (W 5–3): Rowland’s two-run homer and Kaleb Huffman’s clutch two-RBI single highlighted a balanced offensive attack.
- Game 3 (W 10–5): The Bears erupted for six runs in the third inning, capped by Shepherd’s fifth home run off the season and Kamaka’s four-RBI performance.
Mercer’s sweep was both complete and convincing, reinforcing their place at the top of the SoCon hierarchy. Ivy doesn’t thrive in Macon.
ETSU vs. Quinnipiac (MAAC, RPI 129)
ETSU delivered an emotional and dominant sweep against Quinnipiac.
- Game 1 (W 8–2): Starter Tadan Bell, sporting his Top Ten All-Time SoCon Mustache, delivered 6.2 strong innings with five strikeouts.
Bell wore No. 19 in lieu of his usual No. 30 to honor the late Joey Raccuia. Raccuia, 19, was killed in a single-vehicle crash last week. He played second base and wore No. 30 for Radford University and was the son of former Radford head baseball coach Joe Raccuia. - Game 2 (W 4–3, 10 innings): Trailing for most of the game, the Bucs mounted a late rally and Jamie Palmese walked it off after Mason Ault tied the game in the eighth.
- Game 3 (W 16–5): The Bucs exploded for 11 runs in the final two innings, with Tristan Curless finishing a triple shy of the cycle.
ETSU’s offense was relentless, and Henry Ferguson continues to stand out. The sophmore infielder is now hitting .450 for the season with a 1.210 OPS.
The Series Winners
Samford vs. Bowling Green (MAC, RPI 144)
Samford dropped the opener but stormed back to take the series. This was a quality series win. Bowling Green is a scrappy, pain-in-the-ass MAC team. Look for them to surprise in their conference and/or make a run in their conference tournament. Vinny Salvione is an almost impossible out, and Sam Seidel and Zack Horky are always in the middle of a rally.
- Game 1 (L 7-1): Bowling Green ambushed Samford with two runs in the first inning and crused to a 7-1 victory.
- Game 2 (W 7–4): Jake Souders, Jeffrey Ince and Jackson Harris led the way offensively.
- Game 3 (W 11–2): The Bulldogs erupted for 11 runs on 16 hits, including four home runs. Gus Gandy hit two of them, and Joseph Lee set the tone with four strong innings.
Samford’s bats came alive when it mattered most, and their bullpen delivered quality innings down the stretch.
Wofford vs. Saint Joseph’s (A-10, RPI 165)
Wofford took the series but this is the second consecitive Sunday the bullpen has collasped. This time it was against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks out of the A-10.
- Game 1 (W 12–2): Kenny Michaels dominated with seven innings of one-run ball.
- Game 2 (W 10–6): Andrew Mannelly’s six-RBI performance, including a three-run homer, sealed the win.
- Game 3 (L 10–6): The bullpen faltered again, surrendering five unanswered runs.
The Terriers’ starting pitching remains elite, but Sunday bullpen issues could haunt them in conference play.
VMI vs. Stonehill (NEC, RPI 291)
VMI took three of four from Stonehill in a series that highlighted both their pitching depth and their aggressiveness on the basepaths.
- Game 1 (W 8–2): Cole Cook hit his 5th home run of the season and Carson Taylor was once again brilliant in relief. The 6’5″ freshman replaced Peyton Dehein, who had an uneven start, going 3-1/3 innings with four strikeouts.
- Game 2 (W 3–0): Bradley Garner hit a two-run homer and Trace Monroe, Clark Driscoll, and the extinguisher Sipe combined for a shutout.
- Game 3 (L 16–5): A bullpen collapse spoiled the doubleheader sweep.
- Game 4 (W 7-0): Grayson Fitzwater homered and Roberto Velasquez dazzled with 7.1 innings of one-run ball as VMI ran wild on the base paths and stole 12 bases.
The Keydets’ pitching and base stealing continue to impress.
Western Carolina vs. Troy, Rutgers, and East Carolina
Western Carolina faced the toughest slate of the weekend and emerged looking like a contender. Troy carried an RPI of 47 in 2025, Rutgers an RPI of 86 out of the P4 Big Ten, and East Carolina an RPI of 55.
- Game 1 (W 4–3 vs. Troy): Walker Fox hit two home runs, including a game-winner, while Snyder retired all 12 batters he faced on 53 pitches. Snyder has been amazing; no one looks comfortable against him. Owen Austin needed only seven pitches to close out the ninth. Snyder and Austin have combined for 16-2/3 innings, allowing zero runs while striking out 20 and walking only two.
- Game 2 (L 9–3 vs. Rutgers): The Catamounts gave up six home runs as Rutgers built a 9–0 lead through seven innings, before Trey Spees connected on a three-run blast to make the final score 9–3.
- Game 3 (W 2–0 vs. East Carolina): The Catamounts would gladly trade a loss to Rutgers for wins over Troy and ECU. Trent Turner homered in the third inning, while freshman Evan Myers and relievers James Fordham and Austin combined for a six-hit shutout. Austin needed only nine pitches to close out the ninth, giving him two weekend saves on just sixteen pitches.
Western Carolina’s pitching staff has now logged 18 consecutive scoreless innings in Sunday games—a staggering stat. Who does that on Sundays?
The Struggles
The Citadel vs. Florida State (Ranked 21)
The Bulldog staff pitched their ass off, and Noah Sheffield did everything he could in the outfield to help The Citadel pull out a win against the 21st-ranked Seminoles, but the staff got no support as the offense disappeared—managing just eight hits across three games while committing seven errors.
- Game 1 (L 6–2): Hits 3, errors 1.
- Game 2 (L 2–1, 10 innings): Hits 3, errors 4.
- Game 3 (L 2–0): Hits 2, errors 2.
UNC Greensboro vs. Pitt
UNC Greensboro’s weekend was a clunker from start to finish, losing all three games by a combined 35–9 margin. The Spartans were never competitive. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Pitt. The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
- Game 1 (L 14–6): ‘Stink,
- Game 2 (L 7–1): stank,
- Game 3 (L 14–2): stunk’!
Ranking the Weekend
| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercer | |
| 2 | ETSU | |
| 3 | Western Carolina | |
| 4 | VMI | |
| 5 | Samford | |
| 6 | Wofford | |
| 7 | The Citadel | |
| 8 | UNC Greensboro |
The Point After
As long as Mercer keeps sweeping, Mercer keeps holding the top spot. An ETSU sweep is an automatic two-spot jump. Western Carolina is not effin’ around—the sample size of their pitching is now big enough to call it scary. VMI isn’t going away; the schedule has been weak, but the eye test can’t be ignored. Samford is a good club, but they’ve got some warts. Wofford appears to lack the bullpen depth of everyone in the SoCon except UNCG. It remains to be seen whether this weekend was a The Citadel hitting problem or simply Florida State’s pitching excellence. Really down on UNC Greensboro right now.
