CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel baseball team opens the 2017 season with the Charleston Crab House Challenge beginning Friday at Joe Riley Park.

The Bulldogs welcome Kansas, Virginia and Liberty to the three-day tournament. They will face Kansas on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by Virginia on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Liberty on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The tournament begins at 12 p.m. on Friday when Virginia faces Liberty. On Saturday, Kansas and Liberty open the day at 11 a.m. Virginia and Kansas will play on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Live video will be provided on the SoCon Digital Network for all three of The Citadel's games, while live stats will be available for the entirety of the tournament.

To purchase tickets, call The Citadel Athletic Ticket Office at 843-953-DOGS (3647) or visit CitadelSports.com/tickets. This season, The Citadel has a no-reentry policy for home games. Any fan who leaves Joe Riley Park after entering must purchase an additional ticket to return to the stadium.

• Friday's game will be the first meeting between The Citadel and Kansas. The Jayhawks finished 20-35-1 in 2016 and owned a 4-19 record on the road.
• The Bulldogs have faced Virginia four times in program history with the Cavaliers owning a 4-0 record. The last meeting between the two clubs came on Opening Day in 2006 when Virginia won 5-3.
• The Cavaliers finished 38-22 in 2016, earning a berth into the national tournament. In 2015, Virginia won the national championship over Vanderbilt.
• Liberty finished the 2016 season with a 31-28 record. The Bulldogs own a 3-2 record over Liberty, with all five games played in Charleston. The Flames won the last meeting 11-9 at The Citadel Memorial Challenge in 2012.
• The Citadel is 11-7 in when opening the season at home under Coach Jordan after winning last year's opener against Virginia Tech.
• Beginning in 2007, The Citadel has opened the past 10 seasons in Joe Riley Park.
• The 2017 Charleston Crab House Challenge will be the Bulldogs' first home tournament since 2014 when they hosted the Homewood Suites Tournament on opening weekend.
• First baseman Ben Peden was returns after being selected to the SoCon's All-Freshman team in 2016. Peden led the Bulldogs with eight home runs last season.
• Outfielder Clay Martin led The Citadel with a .274 batting average, recording four home runs and 18 RBI.
• JP Sears enters his junior season as the No. 1 starter for the Bulldogs. He posted a 5-7 record, 5.27 earned run average and 93 strikeouts in 82 innings in 2016.
• Sears was selected the SoCon Pitcher of the Week and Collegiate Baseball's National Pitcher of the Week twice in 2016.
• Shortstop William Kinney played in every inning of the 2016 season, starting all 59 games at short.
• The Bulldogs added four transfers over the offseason including graduate students Joe Sabatini (Baylor), Aaron Lesiak (Presbyterian College) and Marlin Morris (College of Charleston) and junior Jonathan Sabo (USC-Lancaster).
• The Bulldogs return 18 lettermen from last year's squad including seven position players and 13 pitchers. The team has 14 newcomers including 10 freshmen.

 
For more information on The Citadel baseball follow @CitadelBaseball or visit CitadelSports.com.