Cullowhee, N.C. – Following Saturday evening's conclusion of the 2024 regular season, Western Carolina has earned the No. 4 seed in next week's 2024 Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. Into the double-elimination portion of tournament play, the Catamounts await the winner of Wednesday's single-elimination matchup between fifth-seeded Wofford and eighth-seeded The Citadel.
 
WCU's first game of the tournament is slated for 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 23. A win would propel the Catamounts into a Friday morning meeting with the top seed while a loss puts the Catamounts into the loser's bracket and Friday's nightcap slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
 
Each game WCU plays is scheduled to be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with live streaming audio (free) available online at CatamountSports.com. Every game of the SoCon Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online at SoConSports.com.
 
WCU finished the regular season tied for third with mountain-rival ETSU in the conference standings with matching seasonal league records of 13-8. The Buccaneers earned the higher seed after winning 2-of-3 in the SoCon-opening series back on March 22-24 in Cullowhee. The Catamounts claimed the opener 8-4 before the Bucs evened the series with a 12-3 win on Saturday. In the deciding rubber match game, WCU erased a three-run deficit in the home half of the ninth inning to tie the game at seven before trading runs in the 10th before the visitors found the game-winner in the 12th inning.
 
Western Carolina (28-24) enters the postseason having won at least one game against every SoCon team in the regular season. The Catamounts swept Mercer at home and The Citadel in Charleston. WCU additionally won the road SoCon series at both Wofford and VMI. The Catamounts dropped 2-of-3 against the top three teams in the conference, UNCG, Samford, and ETSU. The squad's 28 regular-season wins in 2024 are its most since winning 28 back in the 2017 season.
 
Idle in SoCon play on the final weekend, UNCG secured a share of the regular season championship with Wofford's win over Samford on Friday. The Spartans claimed the 2024 regular-season crown outright and the tournament's top seed after the Terriers completed the series win on Saturday in Birmingham. ETSU and WCU garnered the remaining single-elimination byes as the third and fourth seeds, respectively.
 
Wofford finished the regular season fifth with VMI earning the sixth seed after Mercer dropped 2-of-3 to eighth-seeded The Citadel in finishing as the No. 7 seed
 
The 2024 Southern Conference Baseball Championship runs May 22-26, and the winner earns the league's automatic bid to a NCAA Baseball Regional. Click HERE to buy tickets.
 
All eight SoCon teams will participate in the tournament with seeds No. 5 and No. 8 participating in the first single-elimination game on Wednesday, May 22, at 3 p.m., and seeds No. 6 and No. 7 playing in a single-elimination game later that day at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket. The championship game will take place Sunday, May 28, at Noon with a second game, if necessary, to begin 40 minutes after the completion of the first contest.
 
The postseason All-Southern Conference team will be announced next Tuesday, May 21, before the tournament action opens on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22.
 
Priced at $15 per day, tickets for the 2024 SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases are available in advance through the Greenville Drive's website and at the Drive ticket office at the entrances of Fluor Field. A variety of paid parking lots are available around the stadium area with FREE parking at the County Square, approximately a 10-minute walk from the stadium. For the convenience of fans, a complimentary shuttle service runs from County Square to the Field Street Gate on game days.
 
The Catamount Club will host a special Catamount Central at Mac's Speed Shop (930 S. Main Street; Greenville, S.C., 29601) ahead of each game WCU plays in the SoCon tournament. The pregame gathering is scheduled for two hours prior to the scheduled first pitch of each game, beginning at 1 p.m., on Thursday before the WCU's first tournament game.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb). 
 
 
2024 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases (BRACKET)
May 22-26 – Fluor Field at the West End – Greenville, S.C.
 
Wednesday, May 22
Game 1: No. 5 Wofford vs. No. 8 The Citadel – 3 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 VMI vs. No. 7 Mercer  – 7 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 23
Game 3: Game 1 winner (WOF/CIT) vs. No. 4 Western Carolina – 3 p.m.
Game 4: Game 2 winner (VMI/MER) vs. No. 3 ETSU – 7 p.m.
 
Friday, May 24
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. No. 1 UNCG, 9 a.m.
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. No. 2 Samford, 12:30 p.m.
Game 7: Game 4 Loser vs. Game 5 Loser, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 6 Loser, 7:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 25
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, Noon
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Loser Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 26
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner, Noon
Game 13: If Necessary – 40 minutes after Game 12