Offensive Explosions, Bullpen Struggles, and a Clear Standout Performance Across the SoCon
The latest weekend of SoCon baseball delivered a mixture of dominant sweeps, frustrating collapses, and competitive games against strong non‑conference opponents. Across the league, SoCon teams went 12–13 for the weekend, bringing the conference’s overall non‑conference record to 84–47 (.641).
SoCon Non‑Conference Performance Snapshot
Despite a losing weekend overall, the Southern Conference continues to hold a strong collective record outside the league.
| Conference | Record |
|---|---|
| AAC | 1–2 |
| ACC | 0–10 |
| AEC | 1–0 |
| ASun | 1–0 |
| A‑10 | 6–2 |
| Big South | 1–3 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| CAC | 2–0 |
| C‑USA | 1–4 |
| Ivy | 6–0 |
| MAAC | 13–2 |
| MAC | 5–3 |
| MVC | 5–2 |
| NEC | 13–1 |
| OVC | 4–0 |
| Patriot | 1–0 |
| SEC | 1–13 |
| Sun Belt | 8–4 |
| SWAC | 5–0 |
Weekend Sweeps
VMI Sweeps Western Illinois.
VMI delivered the most complete performance of the weekend, sweeping Western Illinois (RPI 224) in four games while making multiple insane comebacks. The Keydets proved this weekend that, no matter how far they fall behind, they are hard to kill.
Game 1 – VMI 8, Western Illinois 7 (Friday DH)
Bradley Garner powered the offense with five RBIs and a grand slam, while Grayson Fitzwater’s eighth‑inning homer provided the decisive lead. VMI’s Friday guy, Peyton Dhein, delivered a quality start, and Buddy Baker secured the save.
Game 2 – VMI 10, Western Illinois 7 (Friday DH)
After falling behind 7–2, VMI mounted a dramatic rally. Fitzwater tied the game with a home run before Seth Buchanan blasted a walk‑off homer.
Fitzwater’s doubleheader performance alone was remarkable, producing four home runs and seven RBIs in two games, a showing that drew attention from the national media, including the good fellas at D1Baseball.
Game 3 – VMI 16, Western Illinois 6
Cole Cook recorded one of the most productive games of the weekend, going three‑for‑three with five RBIs, including a grand slam.
Game 4 – VMI 9, Western Illinois 8
The finale produced the most improbable comeback. VMI trailed 7–0 and did not record its first hit until the sixth inning before rallying to take the lead in the eighth on Cole Cook’s RBI triple. Baker came in to nail down the comeback and had a tremendous weekend, closing out Games 1 and 4.
Mercer Sweeps Alcorn State
Mercer produced the most lopsided series win of the weekend, sweeping Alcorn State—a team with an RPI of 304 out of 308 that may actually be overrated. In fact, Alcorn State is easily the weakest opponent any SoCon team has faced this season. Our good friends at 11point7.com still love the Bears, keeping them at No. 12 in their popular Mid-Major Power Rankings.
Game 1 – Mercer 16, Alcorn State 4
Mercer erupted for 11 runs in the second inning. The Bears’ Friday night guy, Garrett Lambert, struck out nine over four innings, while Eli Stephens, Braydon Kersey, and Chris Katz all homered.
Game 2 – Mercer 10, Alcorn State 5
Alcorn State errors helped Mercer jump out to a 3–0 lead, and Kersey added another home run to extend the advantage.
Game 3 – Mercer 25, Alcorn State 2
Alcorn State ran out of pitching for the finale—tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Weekend Series Winner
Wofford Wins Series at Belmont
Wofford secured a strong road series victory against Belmont (RPI 229) from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Terriers needed a series win this weekend in the worst way, and they got it.
Game 1 – Wofford 11, Belmont 8
Belmont jumped ahead early off the Terriers’ Friday guy, Kenny Michaels, but Wofford answered with a five‑run sixth inning. Michaels settled in for five innings, while striking out six batters. Champ Davis took over in the sixth and closed the game with four strong innings, also recording six strikeouts. Andrew Mannelly paced the offense with a home run and four RBIs.
Game 2 – Belmont 3, Wofford 2
Belmont evened the series behind home runs from Charlie Davis and Mike Sprockett. Niko Brini and Logan Tribble each collected two hits for Wofford.
Game 3 – Wofford 11, Belmont 1
The Terriers dominated the rubber match. Ben Timblin’s two‑run homer started the scoring, and Wofford steadily built the lead before adding five runs in the seventh.
Weekend Series Loser
ETSU Drops Series at James Madison
ETSU lost two of three against James Madison but salvaged the weekend with a convincing finale. Despite the series loss, the strong closing performance and flashes of effective pitching provided some momentum moving forward.
Game 1 – James Madison 11, ETSU 1:
The opener was suspended on Friday due to fog and resumed Saturday as part of a doubleheader. ETSU had led 1‑0 when play stopped, and their Friday guy, Taden Bell, appeared on track for another quality start before the conditions forced the suspension. When the game resumed in the bottom of the fourth, a three‑run home run off ETSU reliever Reid Brosnan erased the lead. James Madison would go on to score nine runs in the inning to pull away for the 11‑1 win.
Game 2 – James Madison 6, ETSU 4:
James Madison built a 5‑2 lead by the fifth inning and held on for the 6‑4 victory. Tristan Curless hit two home runs for ETSU, and Nate Conner also homered.
Game 3 – ETSU 13, James Madison 0:
ETSU salvaged the finale with an eight‑inning run‑rule win. JMU starter Tyler Lutz held the Bucs scoreless until the fifth inning when Luke Matlock homered to make it 1‑0. ETSU then exploded for seven runs in the sixth and five more in the eighth. Conner also homered. ETSU used four pitchers, with Cooper Jones making his first career start and throwing 4.1 shutout innings with four strikeouts. Andrew Cotten added 2.1 scoreless frames, while Thomas Costarelli and Evan Rollison completed the shutout.
Western Carolina Struggles Across Two Opponents (vs Radford, vs Charlotte)
Western Carolina finished 1–3 on the weekend, with both the starting pitching and situational hitting falling short.
Game 1 – Radford 7, Western Carolina 1:
Coming off a midweek 10–9 win over SEC power Georgia, the Catamounts looked to carry that momentum into the weekend. Instead, their Friday guy, Davis Wright, struggled again, his third ineffective outing in four starts this season, pushing his ERA to 8.10. Western Carolina also wasted several opportunities at the plate, stranding an astonishing 16 runners. Jackson Lyda went 4‑for‑4, while Trey Spees finished 2‑for‑4 and Cole Jones added a 2‑for‑5 performance.
Game 2 – Western Carolina 10, Radford 0:
Cameron Murray hit a two‑run double in the seventh inning to secure a 10‑0 run‑rule victory. Cole Jones went 3‑for‑4 at the plate, Lyda finished 2‑for‑3, and Jaylen Jones was also 2‑for‑3. Trent Turner hit a grand slam. Mason Snyder continued his dominant run, striking out seven over four scoreless relief innings. He now has 18 innings pitched with a 0.00 ERA and 22 strikeouts against three walks.
Game 3 – Charlotte 4, Western Carolina 0:
Western Carolina could not generate any offense against Charlotte starter Drew Munn, who threw eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts. Catamount starter Carter Burnette allowed six hits and three runs while striking out two over five innings, but with only two Western Carolina hits on the day, the result was largely decided.
Game 4 – Charlotte 7, Western Carolina 4:
Charlotte, now winners of 10 of its last 11 games, controlled the game throughout and led 7‑0 entering the eighth inning. Dominic Robinson hit a solo home run in the eighth, and Brody Raleigh added a three‑run shot in the ninth, but the outcome was never seriously threatened. Turner remains in a difficult 2‑for‑32 slump, while Noah Quarless is 2‑for‑18.
UNC Greensboro Drops Series to Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac came into the series with just 2 wins on the season, but the Spartans’ pitching instability ultimately turned what looked like a comfortable series win into a difficult series loss.
Game 1 – UNC Greensboro 13, Quinnipiac 3:
The Spartans took the opener decisively. Jake Mueller drove in five runs, and Brody Gardner homered in the victory. UNC Greensboro’s Friday guy, Noah Chapman, went 5⅔ innings with seven strikeouts.
Game 2 – Quinnipiac 14, UNC Greensboro 11:
UNC Greensboro held a 7‑1 lead heading into the fifth inning, but Quinnipiac answered with a five‑run fifth to pull within one. The Bobcats then erupted for an eight‑run seventh. Luke Jenkins homered for the Spartans, and Jacob Dilley went 4‑for‑5. UNCG used five pitchers, none of whom were able to slow the Quinnipiac offense.
Game 3 – Quinnipiac 5, UNC Greensboro 3 (11 innings):
Quinnipiac took an early 1‑0 lead in the third inning before Gardner doubled in two runs to give the Spartans a 2‑1 advantage. The Bobcats tied the game in the fifth, and Jake Barbour’s solo homer in the sixth made it 3‑2 for UNCG. Quinnipiac forced extra innings on a throwing error by Mueller that allowed the tying run to score. The Bobcats then plated two runs in the 11th, and the Spartans could not respond in the bottom half.
Swept
Samford Swept at Kennesaw State
Samford endured one of the toughest weekends in the conference, getting swept by Kennesaw State (RPI 58) while the pitching staff continued to struggle with the long ball.
Game 1 – Kennesaw State 8, Samford 3:
The game began Friday but was suspended due to inclement weather, with Samford leading 3‑2 in the bottom of the seventh. When play resumed Saturday morning, Kennesaw State scored two runs in the seventh and four in the eighth to claim the win. The Bulldog’s Friday guy, Mason Blasche, started and pitched six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits.
Game 2 – Kennesaw State 9, Samford 8:
Kennesaw State hit five home runs as Samford’s pitching continued to struggle with keeping the ball in the yard. The staff has allowed 29 home runs in just 14 games this season, the most in the SoCon. Samford led 8‑6 entering the bottom of the eighth when Avery Wilson opened the inning with a home run. The Owls then rallied with an infield single, an RBI double to tie the game, and a sacrifice fly from Wesley Alig to take the 9‑8 lead. It was Kennesaw State’s first series victory of the season.
Game 3 – Cancelled
The Citadel Swept by No. 21 Kentucky
The Citadel faced the toughest opponent of the weekend in No. 21 Kentucky and ultimately suffered a three‑game sweep. Despite the losses, the Bulldogs were competitive and held mid‑game leads in each contest before Kentucky’s offense surged late.
Game 1 – Kentucky 10, The Citadel 5:
The Bulldogs gave their Friday guy, Will Holmes, an early two‑run lead in difficult twilight shadow conditions. In the first inning, Jayden Williams singled, stole second, advanced to third on a tag‑up, and scored on a fielder’s choice. Rhyder Poppell added a home run in the second. Holmes struggled with control, walking five and hitting a batter while throwing 74 pitches in two innings, though Kentucky managed only one run in that span. The Citadel responded with three runs in the third, again sparked by Williams with a stand‑up double. However, Kentucky scored nine unanswered runs as the Bulldogs’ pitching faltered. Williams finished with three hits, two runs scored, a double, and a stolen base.
Game 2 – Kentucky 12, The Citadel 7:
The Bulldogs trailed 6-1 through six innings before rallying for four runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to take a surprising 7-6 lead on a rainy Saturday night. Needing only six outs to upset No. 21 Kentucky, the Bulldogs instead saw the Wildcats erupt in the bottom of the eighth. Tagger Tyson — what a great baseball name — hit a two-run double, Jayce Tharnish followed with a three-run home run on the next pitch, and Ethan Hindle capped the inning with a 415-foot blast.
Game 3 – Kentucky 13, The Citadel 5:
For the third straight game, The Citadel held a lead into the fourth inning or later before the bullpen surrendered it. The Bulldogs hit better than they had the previous weekend in Tallahassee, but the pitching staff—which had been the team’s strength earlier in the season—struggled throughout the series.
Ranking the SoCon Weekend Performances
- VMI
- Mercer
- Wofford
- ETSU
- Western Carolina
- UNC Greensboro
- The Citadel
- Samford
The Point After
The Southern Conference remains in a strong position with an 84–47 non‑conference record, but the weekend demonstrated the wide range of results across the league. VMI, Mercer, and Wofford handled their series convincingly. At the same time, bullpen instability and inconsistent hitting prevented several teams from converting competitive games into series wins.
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