Greenville, S.C. – Late Wednesday, Western Carolina baseball learned its first opponent as third-seeded Samford dropped No. 7-seeded UNC Greensboro into the loser's bracket at the 2026 Southern Conference Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
 
The Bulldogs powered to a 13-1 victory over the Spartans in seven innings, capping a long day at the ballpark and earning a date with the second-seeded Catamounts at 12:30 p.m. in Thursday's second game of the tournament's second day.
 
Riding an eight-game win streak, red-hot and top-seeded Mercer faces upset-minded No. 5-seeded The Citadel in the first game at 9 a.m. The Bulldogs scored 34 runs on 39 hits, including nine doubles and three home runs, in two games on Wednesday to advance out of the single-elimination portion of the event.
 
Samford got offensive in the opening day nightcap, pounding out five doubles and five home runs to knock off UNCG, which bounced No. 6-seeded ETSU from the tournament earlier in the day in their single-elimination meeting.
 
Western Carolina (35-21, 14-7 SoCon) closed the regular season by winning three of its final four games, including a road win over Presbyterian to avenge an earlier season loss, and took 2-of-3 from UNCG.
 
Each game of the 2026 SoCon Baseball Championship, presented by Holston Gases, will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with free, live streaming audio available and live stats available through links online at CatamountSports.com. Every game will also be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with Saturday night's championship game slated to air on ESPNU (check local listings).
 
Catamount Club Pregame Catamount Central:
Western Carolina's Catamount Club will host a special pregame Catamount Central event (click the event to register) just outside the stadium at Mac's Speed Shop (930 S. Main Street, Greenville, S.C. 29601). Each pregame event is scheduled 90 minutes before every game the Catamounts play in the tournament (excluding any games at 9 a.m.), with the first social scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 21. Additional Catamount Diamond Notes:

• The Catamounts have been one of the top two seeds 15 times since 1989. Most recently, WCU was the No. 1 seed after winning the 2013 and 2014 regular-season championships and the No. 2 seed in both 2016 and 2017, winning the conference crown by downing top-seeded Mercer twice in '16 for its most recent title.
• Western Carolina has 10 total conference tournament titles all-time, including THREE won as the No. 2 seed, most recently in 2016.
• Five times this season did WCU drop the first game of a weekend set, but managed to win the series – Morehead State (3-1), Samford (2-1), VMI (2-1), Wofford (2-1), and UNCG (2-1) … WCU only dropped ONE league series this season, losing 2-of-3 in the Lowcountry on March 27-29, with a one-run loss in the opener and a seven-inning mercer-rule victory in the series finale.
• WCU enters the Southern Conference tournament having secured back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since 2013 (37) and 2014 (39)… WCU has 35 wins this year, the most since winning 37 back in 2014 … the Catamounts also have three-straight winning seasons, the longest run for the storied program since 2012-14.
• Western Carolina recorded FOUR shutout wins this season, the most for a Catamount baseball team since blanking five opponents in 2011 ... WCU has shutout wins over Bowling Green (5-0), at East Carolina (2-0), vs. Radford (10-0, 7 inn.), and in the Friday win over Morehead State (11-0, 7 inn.)

Projected Pitching Match-Up:
Western Carolina is slated to start sophomore right-hander Carter Burnette (2-8, 6.33 ERA) against the Bulldogs. The Asheville, N.C., product looks to exact a little revenge from the regular season meeting with Samford, as Burnette was saddled with the lone series loss. He surrendered nine runs – seven earned – on nine hits over four innings in the start with a strikeout.
 
The hard-throwing righty is coming off a career-best performance, striking out 12 over a nine-inning, complete game performance in the tough-luck, 2-1 loss to UNCG a week ago in Thursday's series-opening defeat.
 
Burnette is set to make his second SoCon tournament appearance in his second season as the second-year hurler tossed 4.1 innings in the starting role in the loss to ETSU last spring, striking out three against three walks while allowing five runs on just two base hits, but did not factor into the decision.
 
Samford is slated to counter on the mound with redshirt junior RHP Noah Berry (5-2, 3.08 ERA) in their second game of the tournament. Berry did not throw against the Catamounts earlier this season or last year. His lone appearance against the Catamounts came in 2024, as he tossed 2.2 relief innings back in 2024, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts against a pair of walks.
 
Western Carolina vs. Samford – All-Time Series History:
Western Carolina trails in the all-time series against Samford, 27-34, though WCU has won four of the last six meetings and six of the last 10 of the head-to-head matchups. The Catamounts took the regular-season series this year in Cullowhee as the two raised the curtain on their SoCon schedules against one another back on March 20-22.
 
The Catamounts are 3-7 all-time against Samford in the Southern Conference tournament, meeting for the first time since 2023, when the third-seeded Bulldogs used an 11-run third inning to run-rule WCU 22-3 in seven innings. Samford has won five straight over the Catamounts in the conference championship, with WCU's last tournament win over the 'Dogs coming in the 2016 tournament championship run with a 7-4 win over the sixth seed.
 
2026 SoCon Baseball Championship Schedule | Bracket (PDF)
Presented by Holston Gases
 
Wednesday | May 20 (ESPN+)
9:00 a.m. – No. 5 The Citadel 21, No. 8 VMI 11 (8 inn.)
12:30 p.m. – No. 7 UNC Greensboro 6, No. 6 ETSU   
4:00 p.m. – No. 5 The Citadel 13, No. 4 Wofford 7         
7:30 p.m. – No. 3 Samford 13, No. 7 UNCG 1 (7 inn.) 
 
Thursday | May 21 (ESPN+)
9:00 a.m. – No. 5 The Citadel vs. No. 1 Mercer
12:30 p.m. – No. 3 Samford vs. No. 2 Western Carolina
4:00 p.m. – Loser Gm5 vs. Loser Gm3
7:30 p.m. – Loser Gm6 vs. Loser Gm4
 
Friday | May 22 (ESPN+)
9:00 a.m. – Winner Gm5 vs. Winner Gm7
12:30 p.m. – Winner Gm6 vs. Winner Gm8
4:00 p.m. – If Necessary (Game 11)
7:30 p.m. – If Necessary (Game 12)
 
Saturday | May 23 (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m. – Championship Game

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