Cullowhee, N.C. – Two of the most storied programs in Southern Conference baseball renew acquaintances this weekend as Western Carolina travels to Charleston, S.C., and Joseph Riley Park on the banks of the Ashley River for a three-game league series against The Citadel.
The series opens on Friday at 5 p.m., and continues with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.
Each game is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available through links online at CatamountSports.com.
The two schools have combined for 26 regular-season SoCon championships – 13 apiece – and 18 combined tournament titles, with WCU winning 10 and The Citadel eight. WCU has 23 total championships, while The Citadel has won 21 combined.
Western Carolina (17-9, 2-1 SoCon) concludes its string of eight-straight games against teams with "Bulldog" monikers, facing Gardner-Webb, Samford, UNC Asheville, and now The Citadel. WCU dropped its midweek road tilt at mountain-rival UNCA after taking 2-of-3 to win the series over preseason favorite, Samford, in Cullowhee last weekend. The Cats were unable to get anything going offensively against Asheville, held to just three hits.
The Citadel (10-13, 1-2 SoCon) salvaged a game-three win at Mercer last Sunday after dropping the first two of their conference-opening weekend, before making it two wins in a row with an out-of-conference win over Presbyterian on Wednesday.
Around the Southern Conference:
For the second-straight weekend, six of the eight SoCon teams square off in head-to-head meetings with two – the preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams, Samford and Mercer – stepping out of league. VMI opens its league slate when it visits ETSU (2-1), UNCG (1-2) visits Wofford for the first SoCon series for the Terriers, and WCU (2-1) is at The Citadel (1-2) in conference play. Samford hosts Presbyterian, and Mercer visits Oregon State for three in nonconference action.
Projected Starting Pitching Matchups:
Friday, March 27 – 5 p.m.
WCU – So. RHP
Carter Burnette (6 app., 6 GS – 2-3, 5.52 ERA – 31.0 IP, 34K, 9BB)
CIT – Gr. LHP Will Holmes (6 app. 6 GS – 1-3, 5.34 ERA – 28.2 IP, 36K, 19BB)
Saturday, March 28 – 2 p.m.
WCU – Sr. LHP
Davis Wright (6 app., 6 GS – 2-1, 7.42 ERA – 26.2 IP, 24K, 4BB)
CIT – Sr. RHP Michael Gibson (8 app., 1 GS – 2-1, 6.75 ERA – 20 IP, 30K, 8BB)
Sunday, March 29 – 1 p.m.
WCU – Fr. LHP
Evan Myers (6 app., 6 GS – 2-1, 4.52 ERA – 21.2 IP, 17K, 12BB)
CIT – TBA
Scouting The Citadel:
The Bulldogs enter the weekend at 10-13 overall on the season, with seven of their 10 victories coming at home. The Cadets have played a difficult nonconference schedule, including a pair of three-game road series against teams ranked No. 21 – dropping three games at Florida State and a trio at Kentucky in weekend series. They've also fallen at nationally-ranked Georgia and Clemson, but scored a road win over SEC foe South Carolina.
The Citadel enters the weekend batting .242 collectively as a team. Playing in a weather-sensitive, minor-league ballpark, the 'Dogs have 32 doubles, 5 triples, and just 11 home runs on the season, which ranks the squad at or near the bottom of the SoCon in many offensive categories. They average 5.65 runs on 7.57 hits per game – but are only surrendering an average of 5.78 runs on 8.43 hits per game, with opposing teams batting just .259 against.
Phillips Daniels and Miles Barbrey lead the Bulldog regulars with matching .284 batting averages, just ahead of Jayden Williams at .282. Barbrey leads the team with five doubles. Three players have hit three home runs in TJ Anderson, Zach Hunt, and Ryder Poppell
Western Carolina vs. The Citadel – Series History:
Entering Friday's series opener, the two programs have played 175 times previously on the diamond, with WCU carrying a 103-75 edge over The Citadel all-time. The Catamounts took 2-of-3 in Cullowhee a year ago, but the Bulldogs edged the Purple & Gold in the SoCon Tournament, 11-10, to earn the even four-game split in 2025, and have a two-game win streak that halted WCU's six-consecutive victories in the series.
In Charleston, the series edge is razor thin with The Citadel leading by a game, 41-40, all-time. The Catamounts swept the most recent three-game set at "the Joe," back in 2024, including an eight-inning, 17-2, decision in the opener.
On Deck for Western Carolina:
The Catamounts are amidst a stretch where seven of their next eight games will be played on the road, beginning with the three-game set at The Citadel. WCU returns home on Tuesday, March 31, for the lone home date during that time to host Presbyterian at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium with a 5 p.m. start. The Catamounts then open April with a three-game series at Winthrop that runs Thursday through Saturday, April 2-4, ahead of the Easter holiday on April 5.
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