THE CITADEL MEMORIAL CHALLENGE
The Citadel will once again host their annual season-opening tournament at Riley Park in The Citadel Memorial Challenge presented by the Charleston Crab House. Gardner-Webb and Towson will visit Riley Park this season for the tournament.
Weekend Schedule:
Friday
Gardner-Webb vs. Towson - Noon
Gardner-Webb vs. The Citadel - 4 PM
Saturday
Towson vs. Gardner-Webb - 11 AM
Towson vs. The Citadel - 3 PM
Sunday
Towson vs. The Citadel - 11 AM
Gardner-Web vs. The Citadel - 2 PM
Towson is coming off a disappoint season in which they finished 19-36 overall and 11-13 in the CAA. The team hit .304 and had solid offensive numbers but posted a woeful team ERA of 8.14.
Gardner-Webb went 25-30 overall in 2010 and 10-17 in the Big South. The Runnin' Bulldog return all but one of their pitchers and 23 letterman from a season ago. GWU's offensive numbers were solid with a team average of .312 and hit 141 doubles. However, the team committed 99 errors for a fielding percentage of .953 and the team ERA was 6.29 as no pitcher posted an ERA under 4.00 for the season.
The Tigers were picked to finish 9th in the CAA in the preseason poll, out of 11 teams. Shortstop Nick Natolia and outfielder Ben Winter were named honorable mention to the preseason team for Towson.
The Runnin' Bulldogs was picked to finish seventh out of 10 teams in the Big South meanwhile.
BULLDOGS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND BY MEDIA, FIFTH BY COACHES
After winning both the Southern Conference regular season title and the tournament title in 2010, The Citadel was picked to finish second by the media and fifth by the coaches in the SoCon this season.
College of Charleston was the runaway preseason favorite in both polls as the Cougars collected 100 points and 10 of their 11 first place votes in the coaches poll. In the media poll, C of C collected 19 of the 22 first place votes and 239 total points.
The Bulldogs collected one first place vote and 196 points in the media poll, followed by Elon, Georgia Southern, Western Carolina and Appalachian State. In the coaches poll, Elon and Georgia Southern tied for second, followed by Western Carolina and The Citadel.
MATT TALLEY NAMED PRESEASON SOCON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Senior left-handed pitcher Matt Talley was selected as the SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Talley fashioned an 8-3 record with a 3.71 ERA in 16 starts a season ago. He held opponents to a .251 batting average on the season and led all returning pitchers in the SoCon with 85 strikeouts in 2010. Talley had a 20.1 scoreless innings streak that stretched from April 17 to May 1, and he recorded a pair of complete game shutouts in SoCon action. Talley was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA Regional in Columbia after limiting No. 16 Virginia Tech to two runs in seven innings as the Bulldogs topped the Hokies, 7-2, in the tournament opener.
FELDER, MACKERT AND ORVIN COLLECT SECOND TEAM HONORS
Designated hitter Brad Felder, first baseman Justin Mackert and outfielder Nick Orvin all collected second team preseason honors for the SoCon. Felder was second on the team last year in runs (57) and homers (11). The redshirt junior, who was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team, started 63 games in 2010.
Returning to play first base is the reigning SoCon Tournament MVP Mackert, who was second on the team last year with an average of .335. He also led the team with 24 stolen bases. A second team All-SoCon selection from 2010, Orvin returns to patrol centerfield for third consecutive season. The junior batted .335 and led the team with 66 runs and 41 walks while stealing 22 bases last season.
THE CITADEL IN SEASON OPENERS
The Citadel is 8-11 in season openers when under the direction of Fred Jordan. In 2010, The Citadel downed East Tennessee State , 4-1, in The Citadel Memorial Challenge behind Asher Wojciechowski's strong performance.
2010 East Tennessee State W, 4-1 H
2009 Indiana State L, 12-8 H
2008 Delaware L, 7-2 H
2007 East Tennessee State W, 13-6 H
2006 Virginia (Conway, S.C.) L, 5-3 N
2005 Charlotte L, 9-4 A
2004 Charlotte W, 5-0 H
2003 Tennessee L, 9-4 H
2002 North Carolina State W, 3-2 H
2001 Oklahoma State (Yuma, Ariz.) L, 6-1 N
2000 Maryland W, 7-2 H
1999 Virginia L, 5-1 H
1998 Coastal Carolina W, 11-7 A
1997 East Carolina W, 8-4 H
1996 UNC Greensboro W, 11-8 H
1995 Kentucky L, 3-2 H
1994 North Carolina (Savannah, Ga.) L, 3-1 N
1993 Armstrong State L, 10-9 A
1992 Coastal Carolina L, 9-3 A
THE CITADEL IN HOME OPENERS
Under the tenure of Fred Jordan, The Citadel has compiled a record of 12-7 in home openers. The Bulldogs are 8-5 in home openers at Riley Park and 4-2 at College Park. The Citadel has won eight of their last 11 home openers. Last season, the Bulldogs snapped a two-year home-opening skid by defeating ETSU, 4-1.
2010 East Tennessee State W, 4-1
2009 Indiana State L, 8-12
2008 Delaware L, 7-2
2007 East Tennessee State W, 13-6
2006 Richmond W, 6-0
2005 Old Dominion W, 6-5 (11)
2004 Charlotte W, 5-0
2003 Tennessee L, 9-4
2002 North Carolina State W, 3-2
2001 Richmond W, 7-5
2000 Maryland W, 7-2
1999 Virginia L, 5-1
1998 Richmond L, 9-4
1997 East Carolina W, 8-4
1996 UNC Greensboro W, 11-8
1995 Kentucky L, 3-2
1994 Charlotte W, 3-1
1993 UNC Greensboro L, 9-8
1992 UNC Pembroke W, 3-2
A FRESH LOOK
With 18 newcomers this season, The Citadel will feature a new look in several areas this season. The entire left side of the infield will be experiencing their first playing time in college as freshmen Calvin Orth has grabbed the spot at shortstop. Meanwhile, freshman Drew DeKerlegand and redshirt sophomore Damon Ardis will fight it out at third base this year. Two freshman are likely to see significant time in starting pitching roles as Justin Russell and Connor Hitchingham toe the rubber. With the loss of several seniors in the bullpen, several first-year players are expected to contribute in that area as well.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Citadel will play 20 of their first 21 games in the friendly confines of Riley Park to start the 2011 season. The Bulldogs don't leave Charleston until March 15 when they travel to Winthrop and don't leave for a weekend series until March 25-27 at Wofford. In addition, their first three SoCon series of the year will all take place at home.
SOCON STREAKIN'
Since May 2, 2009, The Citadel has gone on to post an impressive record of 32-6 (.842) in their last 38 conference games. Included in that streak are sweeps over seven different SoCon teams (Furman, College of Charleston, Western Carolina, Appalachian State, Elon, UNC Greensboro and Georgia Southern).
THE CITADEL RETURNS TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
After a five-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, The Citadel returned to the postseason in 2010 for the first time since 2004. The Bulldogs upset No. 16 Virginia Tech in their opening game, 7-2, before falling to eventual national champions South Carolina in game two. In an elimination game, The Citadel then dropped a tough 4-3 decision to the Hokies to end their season.
DOUBLE THE FUN
The Citadel was able to end their championship draught in 2010 by not only winning the regular season title, but also winning the SoCon Tournament title to give the Bulldogs an elusive sweep of both championships. That feat has only been accomplished one other time in school history (1999). The 43 wins for the Bulldogs in 2010 were the second most in school history. It also gave the Bulldogs their 13th regular season title, the most in league history. Combining that tile with the tournament title gives The Citadel 21 total championships, which is also more than any other school in the Southern Conference.
TALLEY LISTED IN TOP 50 SENIOR PROSPECTS BY BASEBALL AMERICA
Senior left-handed pitcher Matt Talley has been named to the Top 50 collegiate senior prospect list by Baseball America. The southpaw comes in at No. 25 and is the highest rated SoCon player on the senior list. Talley was drafted in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but chose to return for his senior season to complete his engineering degree at The Citadel.
NEW RECORD FOR JORDAN IN SIGHT
After breaking Chal Port's record for most wins in school history in 2010, Fred Jordan will now eye another milestone in 2011. The head coach, now in his 20th season, sits at 666 career wins. He needs 34 wins to reach the 700 win milestone for his collegiate career.
TWO MEMBERS OF THE 200-HIT CLUB ON STAFF
Two members of the Bulldog coaching staff are on the elusive 200 hit club list. David Beckley racked up 257 hits from 1993-1996 and ranks in the top ten in Bulldog history in that category while Zach Brown gathered 207 hits from 2004-2007. In addition, both coaches won a SoCon Championship while playing for The Citadel.
WARM WEATHER BRINGS STRONG FINISH
Late season has been kind to The Citadel the last two seasons. In 2009, the Bulldogs won 12 of their final 16 games to carry momentum into 2010. After a hot start to 2010, the Bulldogs cooled off in mid-season before heating back up again last May when they won 13 straight games, which was the longest active winning streak in the nation at the time.
All games over the weekend will be available on Bulldog Insider and video streamed with live audio. Live stats will be available for all games as well. A full recap and stats will be posted shortly after the conclusion of each game. For more information, visit the official website at CitadelSports.com.
