CHARLESTON, S.C. – Fifth-seeded The Citadel (30-24) opens the 2026 Southern Conference Baseball Championship against No. 8 VMI (28-26) at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., with first pitch set for 9 a.m.

Game Notes (PDF)
 
Probable Starting Pitchers
Wednesday, May 20 | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Radio
Will Holmes (6-4, 4.19) vs. Clark Driscoll (3-3, 4.02)
 
ESPN+
Every game of the 2026 Southern Conference Baseball Championship will be broadcast via ESPN+.
 
Radio
Brian Giffin, the voice of The Citadel Bulldogs, will call each of the Bulldogs' games during the SoCon Championship on 102.1 FM and 1450 AM.
 
Series History vs. VMI
The Bulldogs and the Keydets have met 129 times on the diamond, with The Citadel leading the all-time series 84-44. The Citadel swept VMI to conclude the regular season. The last time the Bulldogs and the Keydets met in the Southern Conference Championship was in 2023, when The Citadel won 5-2 over VMI.
 
Scouting VMI
The Keydets are 28-26 overall and finished the SoCon schedule with a 3-18 record. Less than a week ago, the Bulldogs swept VMI on the road to conclude the regular season. The Keydets are batting .272 as a team with 461 hits, 97 doubles, 10 triples, 58 home runs, and 344 RBIs.
 
Cole Ralie leads the team with a .348 batting average, and Grayson Fitzwater has 21 home runs and 62 RBIs. Fitzwater earned first-team All-SoCon honors.
 
The Keydets' pitching staff posted a team ERA of 6.04 over 447.0 innings, allowing 503 hits and 300 earned runs while striking out 377 batters.
 
Six Bulldogs Earn Postseason Honors
Aryan Patel earned the Golden Glove Award (Defensive Player of the Year) and made the All-Defensive team, and Will Holmes earned first-team All-SoCon honors. Michael Gibson, Andrew Buffkin and Zane Davis garnered second-team All-SoCon accolades as well, and Jayden Williams secured placement on both the SoCon All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams.
 
Bulldogs Sweep the Keydets
The Citadel swept VMI this past weekend, marking the second straight season the Bulldogs have taken the three-game series from the Keydets. The Citadel is currently on a six-game winning streak against VMI.
 
Holmes Named SoCon Pitcher of the Week
Will Holmes was recognized as the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week following a dominant outing against VMI on Thursdaty, May 14, scoring his sixth win of the season against the Keydets behind a 7.0-inning performance. For the game, he allowed three hits, zero runs and one walk while striking out 10 batters.