SoCon baseball delivered a packed and competitive opening to conference play, paired with continued non-conference success.
This past weekend offered a blend of non-conference series and the opening slate of SoCon matchups. Wofford and VMI remained outside league play, while Samford traveled to Western Carolina, The Citadel faced Mercer, and ETSU battled UNCG in three series that set the tone for what should be a highly competitive conference race.
SoCon Non-Conference Performance Snapshot
The SoCon is posting a cumulative 118–62 (.656) record in non-conference play so far this season. Here’s how the SoCon has performed against other conferences so far:
| Conference | Record |
|---|---|
| AAC | 1–2 |
| ACC | 0–12 |
| AEC | 1–0 |
| ASun | 1–0 |
| A-10 | 6–2 |
| Big East | 2–1 |
| Big South | 5–5 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| CAC | 4–0 |
| C-USA | 2–5 |
| Ivy | 10–3 |
| MAAC | 13–2 |
| MAC | 5–3 |
| MVC | 12–2 |
| NEC | 14–1 |
| OVC | 12–5 |
| Patriot | 1–0 |
| SEC | 2–14 |
| Sun Belt | 10–4 |
| SWAC | 7–0 |
SoCon Conference Standings
The first weekend of league play is in the books; VMI and Wofford will join in the fun this weekend.
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| ETSU | 2–1 |
| Mercer | 2–1 |
| Western Carolina | 2–1 |
| VMI | 0–0 |
| Wofford | 0–0 |
| The Citadel | 1–2 |
| UNC Greensboro | 1–2 |
| Samford | 1–2 |
Wofford at Xavier (RPI 134)
Wofford delivered one of the more complete and telling series wins of the weekend, bouncing back from a one-sided loss to take two straight from Big East opponent Xavier. The Terriers showed both power and late-game execution, flipping the tone of the series after a quiet opener and reinforcing their ability to adjust across a weekend.
Game 1 – Loss, 8–1
There was little for Wofford to build on in the opener outside of the setting, as Xavier’s Hayden Field provided the lone bright spot.
The game remained scoreless through two innings before a costly Wofford error in the third opened the door for Xavier to plate two runs and seize early control. The Musketeers extended that advantage in the fourth, erupting for six runs, highlighted by a two-run home run to left field. Wofford struggled to establish any offensive rhythm against Xavier junior starter Ryan Piech—who, with that name, must transfer to Georgia next year—while he dominated across 5.0 scoreless innings. The Xavier bullpen carried the shutout into the seventh before the Terriers finally pushed across a run, but the outcome was already well out of reach as the game settled into an 8–1 final.
Game 2 – Win, 14–2 (7 innings)
Wofford responded emphatically in game two, overwhelming Xavier with a power display that completely shifted the series. The Terriers launched five home runs, with Marc Quarrie hitting two and Logan Tribble, Ben Timblin, and Niko Brini each adding one.
The offense set the tone immediately with three runs in the first inning, and although Xavier answered with a run in the bottom half, Wofford continued to apply pressure. Another three-run frame in the second stretched the lead to 6–1, and the game quickly got out of hand from there. A six-run fourth inning, followed by two more runs in the fifth, extended the advantage to 14–1.
Xavier managed a solo home run in the seventh, but it was not enough to avoid the run-rule finish at 14–2. On the mound, Alec Bouchard continued his steady season, working five innings while allowing five hits and just one run, striking out three and maintaining control throughout.
Game 3 – Win, 8–5
The rubber match delivered a back-and-forth battle early before Wofford created separation in the later innings. The game opened at a fast pace, with both teams trading runs to sit tied 2–2 after the first inning. Xavier edged ahead in the second with a run to make it 3–2 and held that lead until the fifth inning.
Cade Collins shifted momentum with a two-run home run, giving Wofford a 4–3 advantage, but Xavier quickly responded to tie the game again at 4–4. The Terriers regained control in the sixth inning when Hunter Herndon drew a walk, and Tanner Hardin followed with a single. Brady Gold then delivered a two-RBI single to put Wofford ahead 6–4.
Wofford added insurance in the eighth inning, beginning with a single from Lucas Manning that brought in James Layman for a 7–4 lead. Brini followed with a double to score Manning and extend the margin to 8–4. Xavier managed a sacrifice fly in the bottom half for its only run against Champ Davis, who was fantastic in closing out the game. Davis worked four innings out of the bullpen, striking out four and stabilizing the game during its most critical stretch.
Samford at Western Carolina
This series started drinking in the parking lot and was drunk before the first pitch of the game on Friday and stayed that way until the last strike…err…whatever that last pitch was on Sunday. The entire weekend carried the same unpredictable energy, with constant momentum swings, relentless power hitting, and pitching staffs struggling to establish control. Western Carolina ultimately claimed the series 2–1, doing enough on the mound while capitalizing on timely offensive moments.
Game 1 – Samford 11, Western Carolina 0 (7 innings)
Entering the weekend, Samford had not looked sharp, while Western Carolina had appeared to be one of the more balanced teams in the conference. With Carter Burnette on the mound, expectations pointed toward the Catamounts controlling the opener. Instead, the game quickly flipped. But that’s baseball for you.
Burnette was hit hard, surrendering nine runs over four innings as Samford took control early and never relented. Joseph Lee delivered the defining performance, throwing a one-hit shutout over 7.0 innings while striking out seven. He had been steady throughout the season, but this outing stood apart.
Trey Higgins led the offensive surge, going 3-for-4 with two home runs. His two-run shot in the second inning created early separation, and his three-run home run in the third effectively put the game out of reach as Samford rolled to an 11–0 run-rule win.
Game 2 – Western Carolina 11, Samford 9
Game two followed a similar offensive pattern but introduced late-inning volatility. Western Carolina built an 11–4 lead entering the eighth inning, with Mason Snyder—one of the top bullpen arms in the country—on the mound. That advantage quickly became unstable.
Samford continued its power display as Parker McDonald hit a two-run home run in the eighth to cut the deficit to 11–7. Then, with two outs in the ninth inning, Cade Carr hit another two-run shot to bring the Bulldogs within two. Owen Austin eventually secured the final out, getting Higgins to ground out to shortstop Jackson Lyda.
Samford finished with five home runs, with Jake Souders hitting two and Carr, McDonald, and Higgins each adding one. Western Carolina matched the offensive output. Lyda, Trent Turner, and Marshall McGowan all recorded three-hit games, while Noah Quarless added a home run.
On the mound, Davis Wright worked through 5.0 innings despite allowing three home runs, providing needed length for a heavily used bullpen. Snyder and Austin were both tagged for home runs as well.
Game 3 – Western Carolina 10, Samford 9
The finale captured the tone of the entire weekend. Samford struck first with three runs in the opening inning, knocking Western Carolina starter Evan Myers out after just two-thirds of an inning. James Fordham entered and stabilized the situation, limiting further damage and allowing only one run over the next three innings.
Walker Fox helped shift the momentum with a two-run home run in the second inning, cutting the deficit to 3–2. Western Carolina added two more runs in the third to take a 4–3 lead, as Samford starter Andrew Marble struggled to retire hitters early in the inning and was replaced by the aptly named, for this chaotic series, Drew Druckenmiller.
The back-and-forth continued as Samford tied the game in the fourth, only for Western Carolina to respond with two runs in the bottom half to take a 6–4 lead. With Fordham on the mound, the Catamounts appeared to have regained control before the game shifted again.
In the fifth inning, Samford surged ahead with five runs. A sequence of singles, a walk, a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch, and an RBI single forced multiple pitching changes. Ryan White was unable to record an out, prompting a move to Bryant Kimbrell, who immediately changed the tone of the game. Kimbrell delivered 4.1 scoreless innings and provided much-needed stability.
Trailing 9–6 entering the eighth, Western Carolina mounted its decisive rally. After a walk to Yates Sikes—what a great name—Jaylen Jones singled, and Lyda walked to load the bases. Wyatt Stanley drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Trent Turner followed with a three-run home run to give the Catamounts an improbable 10–9 lead.
In the ninth, Kimbrell was well on his way to closing out the game, recording two outs, and facing Jeffrey Ince. He quickly jumped ahead 0-1 on a called strike, but after the pitch, he began wincing in pain and grabbing his right elbow. It was a difficult scene to watch as a reaction like that to the elbow puts unfortunate thoughts in your head, but there has been no update as of this post to the severity of the injury. We wish Bryant the best in his recovery and look forward to providing any update when available. At this point, pitching coach Dusty White had to make a call to the bullpen, where no one was warming because of Kimbrell’s dominance. In a shrewd move, White called on Owen Austin, who had struck out Ince on Saturday on 4 pitches. Austin got to two strikes quickly, and then, on a horrendous bad strike three call, punched out Ince to end the game. It was so bad that it would’ve hit a lefty in the knee and even made Austin cringe.
But that’s baseball for you. Give credit to Tony David, who handled it with class, restraining his players and realizing this is just the beginning of a long conference season. You can say the same thing about a lot, if not all, of the SoCon coaches. They are decent human beings and not national embarrassments like the Kevin O’Sullivans of the world.
VMI at Radford (RPI 161, Big South)
VMI showed clear bounce-back ability against a Radford team that has proven to be gritty and underrated. Western Carolina had already experienced that earlier this season, and the Keydets entered the weekend knowing they would be tested. After dropping the opener, VMI regrouped and secured the series with back-to-back wins, carrying momentum into the heart of conference play with a chance to impact the standings.
Game 1 – Radford 9, VMI 4
VMI struck first in the opening inning on a Grayson Fitzwater home run, continuing what has been an exceptional start to his season. After this series, Fitzwater is batting .413 with nine home runs and a 1.494 OPS, and if that pace continues, his name should at least enter the Golden Spikes conversation.
Radford responded in the second inning with a solo home run from Devin Parks to tie the game at 1–1. The score held until the fourth inning when Parks delivered again, launching his second home run of the day to give Radford a 2–1 lead. That swing opened the door for a larger rally, as Radford added four more runs in the inning to take control at 6–1.
VMI chipped away in the fifth inning to make it 6–2, but Radford answered with two more runs in the sixth to extend the lead to 8–2. The Keydets made another push in the eighth, scoring two runs with Fitzwater once again in the middle of the action, driving in a run with a triple. Radford added one final run in the bottom of the eighth to close out a 9–4 win.
Game 2 – VMI 11, Radford 6
The Keydets responded with a much more complete offensive performance in game two. VMI built a 4–2 lead through three innings before breaking the game open in the fourth inning with six runs, stretching the advantage to 10–2 and taking firm control.
Cole Raile led the way, going 3-for-5 with a home run, while Cole Cook added a 3-for-4 performance with a home run of his own. Fitzwater continued his strong weekend, going 2-for-4 and remaining a consistent problem for Radford pitching.
With the early offensive surge creating separation, VMI maintained control the rest of the way and secured an 11–6 win to even the series.
Game 3 – VMI 9, Radford 1
The finale quickly turned chaotic and decisive in VMI’s favor. Radford starter Breckin Nace struggled from the outset in the first inning, as a sequence of hit-by-pitch, hit-by-pitch, an error on a pickoff attempt, a single, a walk, a sacrifice fly, and another walk somehow resulted in only two runs for VMI.
The second inning unraveled even further. Andrew Steinhaus entered in relief and immediately ran into trouble, as the inning spiraled through a sequence of walk, single, intentional walk, sacrifice fly, double, combined with an error in center field, walk, passed ball, wild pitch, walk, and another walk before he was replaced by Joshua Millville. Millville allowed a double and then uncorked a wild pitch, and by the time the inning ended, VMI had built an 8–0 lead that effectively decided the game.
From there, VMI’s pitching took over. Hunter Sipe was once again dominant out of the bullpen, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings. Over the course of the series, Sipe logged 4.1 shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 1.20 with a 0.77 WHIP across 30 innings of work.
VMI closed out a 9–1 win and a series victory, responding to an opening loss with two decisive performances and carrying momentum forward.
The Citadel at Mercer
After the first two games of the series, Mercer looked dominant while The Citadel appeared to be losing control of its early-season footing. Sunday shifted that tone. The Citadel regrouped to secure a much-needed win, while Mercer still walked away with a strong series victory and continued national recognition, including a rise to No. 8 in 11point7’s mid-major power rankings.
For The Citadel, the finale served as a reset point that could provide some needed confidence moving forward.
Game 1 – Mercer 11, The Citadel 0
Last week, The Citadel led Georgia 5–0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but from that point through the completion of Friday’s game against Mercer, they were outscored 28–3 over the next 19 innings.
Garrett Lambert delivered a dominant performance, throwing six hitless innings and continuing to challenge our prior evaluations, which placed him only the fifth-best Friday night starter in the conference. Mercer controlled the game throughout, but the decisive moment came in the sixth inning when Devyn McEachron hit a grand slam to break it open.
Logan Shepherd added his seventh home run of the season, tying Braydon Kersey for the team lead—until Kersey went out and smacked three homers on Saturday. The Citadel struggled to generate any offense, with the only bright spot being that the game was over in just two hours and 20 minutes.
Game 2 – Mercer 8, The Citadel 4
With another controlled performance, Mercer became the first team in the SoCon to secure a conference series victory. The Bears once again leaned on both power and pitching to separate themselves.
Kersey led the offensive effort with a 4-for-5 performance that included three solo home runs. He was supported by additional power, as Michael Graziano and Brant Baughcum each added home runs of their own.
On the mound, Miguel Hugas was highly effective, working 5.2 innings while allowing just one hit and one earned run, striking out five. Through two games, Mercer looked to be operating at a level above the rest of the conference. If Lambert and Hugas maintain this level of consistency, their combination with an already potent offense creates a difficult standard for any SoCon opponent to match.
Game 3 – The Citadel 3, Mercer 2
The Citadel responded with a disciplined, well-executed performance to close out the series. In a smart move by pitching coach James Reeves, Michael Gibson got the start and delivered, going 5.1 innings while allowing four hits and two earned runs, with seven strikeouts.
The bullpen followed with a composed effort, as Trip Brown and CJ Van Slooten combined for shutout relief against what has been the most productive lineup in the SoCon. Together, Gibson, Brown, and Van Slooten held Mercer to its lowest run total since Valentine’s Day against Troy and prevented the Bears from hitting a home run.
The performance not only secured a 3–2 win but also demonstrated a formula for competing against Mercer’s offense, giving The Citadel a measure of stability after a difficult stretch.
ETSU at UNC Greensboro
Both teams had stretches of control throughout the weekend, but ETSU’s offensive firepower ultimately dictated the outcome as the Buccaneers left Greensboro with a 2–1 series win. At the center of it all was Tristan Curless, whose all-around impact stood out in every phase of the series.
Game 1 – UNCG 6, ETSU 3
ETSU opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first, but UNCG responded in the second inning when Luke Holland and Brody Gardner hit back-to-back solo home runs to take a 2–1 lead. ETSU answered in the third, as Curless launched a two-run home run to put the Buccaneers back in front, 3–2.
From there, UNCG starter Noah Chapman settled into a rhythm and controlled the game. He finished with seven innings and eight strikeouts, outdueling ETSU’s Taden Bell.
The Spartans reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning when Jacob Dilley delivered a three-run home run to make it 5–3. UNCG added another run in the seventh to extend the lead to 6–3. JT Weaver handled the final two innings out of the bullpen, retiring the last six batters in order to secure the win.
Curless was a constant presence for ETSU, finishing 3-for-4 and a triple shy of the cycle, with a home run and three RBIs.
Game 2 – ETSU 8, UNCG 2
ETSU responded with a steady offensive buildup that turned into a decisive middle-inning surge. The Buccaneers scored once in the first inning and added two more in the second to take early control.
UNCG trimmed the deficit to one with runs in the second and third innings, but the game shifted in the sixth. ETSU sent ten batters to the plate and scored five runs on three hits, breaking the game open. The defining swing came from Luke Matlock, who hit a three-run home run to create separation.
From there, ETSU maintained control and evened the series with an 8–2 win.
Game 3 – ETSU 15, UNCG 8
The finale showcased the full force of ETSU’s offense. The Buccaneers hit four home runs and produced throughout the lineup, with Matlock going 4-for-5, Curless finishing 3-for-5 with four runs scored, a home run, and three RBIs, and Nate Conner hitting two home runs. Ian Guanzon also added a home run, while Henry Ferguson (2-for-4, two RBIs), Axel Melendez (2-for-5, three RBIs), and Jamie Palmese (2-for-5, two RBIs) contributed to the sustained pressure.
Conner set the tone immediately with a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game. An inning later, Guanzon added another to give ETSU a 3–0 lead. UNCG responded in the second with a bases-loaded RBI single from Luke Jenkins and a sacrifice fly from Ethan Brittain, but Palmese answered with a two-run double to push the lead back to three.
ETSU continued to build in the fourth, with an RBI single from Curless followed by two sacrifice flies to make it 8–2. Conner’s second home run of the game in the fifth extended the lead to 10–3.
UNCG mounted a push in the seventh, scoring five runs, highlighted by a three-run home run from JJ Parsons, but ETSU maintained control. In the eighth, with runners on and momentum threatening to shift, pitching coach Jamie Pinzino turned to Curless on the mound. After issuing a four-pitch walk to Jake Barbour, Curless induced a ground ball from Tanner Berry, fielded it himself, and started a 1–2–3 double play with catcher Mason Ault completing the turn. A long flyout from Parsons ended the inning with ETSU still in front.
In the ninth, run-scoring hits from Curless, Ferguson, and Melendez extended the lead and put the game out of reach, securing both the win and the series for ETSU.
Ranking the SoCon Weekend Performances
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mercer |
| 2 | ETSU |
| 3 | Western Carolina |
| 4 | Wofford |
| 5 | VMI |
| 6 | Samford |
| 7 | UNC Greensboro |
| 8 | The Citadel |
