CHARLESTON, S.C. -- In the spring heat of a championship evening, Will Holmes stood on the mound for The Citadel with everything on the line.

Earlier in the tournament, the graduate student had battled through a rocky outing, but as the Southern Conference Championship game unfolded against Samford, Holmes found himself exactly where he had always imagined -- center stage, baseball in hand and a season's worth of work reinforcing the moment.

He delivered.

Holmes spun 7.0 innings with 10 strikeouts, helping secure the Bulldogs' first conference title since 2010 and cementing another chapter in the program's storied postseason history.

Later that night, somewhere on the bus ride back to the hotel, the magnitude of it all finally hit him.

"I was sitting on the back of the bus on the way back from the game, and I just started smiling and I got a little teary eyed," Holmes said. "It was something we prayed for as a team, as a program. It was no fear, just excitement and grit and pure fight. This is exactly where we've worked for. It was great, we did the thing."

For Holmes, the victory represented far more than a trophy, but rather the culmination of years spent growing through adversity, injuries and relentless belief.

 


Finding His Edge

Holmes' journey at The Citadel began like many others -- full of promise, but shaped by the steep learning curve that comes with collegiate baseball.

"I would say I've grown in all areas, especially coming from the high school level," he said. "Competing at different levels means different expectations, and the big changes were learning how to work and what to focus on day to day. I really just centered on how to be able to make adjustments quicker."

That growth did not happen overnight.

"I think I made decent improvement from my sophomore to junior year," Holmes added. "Obviously I missed a lot from my junior year, and my senior year is where I really felt like I made a big jump physically and mentally. Then this year I've really been able to stay healthy and compete all season."

For Holmes, the biggest difference became consistency, learning how to adjust, improve and trust the process over time.


Staying the Course

Injuries tested Holmes' patience and resilience, but they also reshaped his perspective on leadership and team culture.

"I just continued to work," he said. "My whole life, I've known if I want something to change, I have to go out and change it myself. Obviously with guidance from people I trust, but I think the big thing was adjusting my mindset from trying to make myself better to helping the team."

That shift became foundational to the way Holmes approached the game.

"What has helped me the most is that I'm focused on not only what I need to do personally to provide value to the team, but also taking the next step and doing everything I can to make others around me better," Holmes continued. "Coach [Russell] Triplett says all the time, 'Celebrating the success of others will make the game so much more enjoyable and you'll experience more success.' I totally believe in that."

 


The Southpaw Connection

A major influence in Holmes' development has been pitching coach James Reeves, a former ace for the Bulldogs during the mid-2010s who understands both the pressure and nuance of pitching at a high level.

"He's been nothing short of extraordinary in the impact he's made on me and both teams that he's been a part of so far," Holmes said. "He was my number one supporter from the first phone call we had two summers ago. I could call him at any time of the day to talk about anything pitching related or non-pitching related."

"I just think the way he goes about everything, he's a pro guy," Reeves noted. "The style in which he works, he asks a lot of questions. He makes me better as a pitching coach because it's not waiting for me to tell him, 'You need to do this, this, this.' He's coming up with ideas. I think his overall maturity of how he goes about things, how he prepares. The care factor is obviously super high, he's always trying to learn, tinker, get better, and I think sometimes it can get him in trouble at times, but overall he's just a super work ethic, high maturity guy. I think he's going to play this game for a really long time."

Built on trust and honesty, the relationship allows Holmes and Reeves to collaborate openly on game plans and adjustments, a courtesy that extends to the entire pitching staff.

"He's super open to ideas, open to changing plans as far as what you think may benefit you," Holmes added. "The big thing that I like about him is if he disagrees with you, he'll tell you in a very respectful way. Obviously you want to give your players freedom, but there's a certain point where he knows way more about pitching and playing than we do."

Holmes credits Reeves for much of the success he and the Bulldogs' pitching staff have enjoyed this season, and their shared experience as left-handed pitchers only strengthens the connection.

"We were in some very similar roles," Holmes said. "Obviously, he's had a great career and a great start to his coaching career. He wants nothing more than for us to be very successful, and I think that makes it much easier to trust him and want to be around him all the time."


Finding the Zone

Early during the Bulldogs' Southern Conference Championship opener against VMI, Holmes joined elite company by becoming the 14th member of The Citadel's single-season 100-strikeout club, joining names such as Asher Wojciechowski, JP Sears and Reeves himself.

"I try not to chase strikeouts, but it's always something that's important looking down the stretch," Holmes said. "That's a cool accomplishment."

He laughed at the idea of eventually surpassing Reeves' top mark, who registered 115 punchouts during the 2015 campaign. Approaching the opening game of the upcoming Atlanta Regional, Holmes slots in three behind his mentor at 112.

"I'll definitely make a comment or two if I end up passing him," Holmes joked. "I'll have to mention that at some point down the road."

"To kind of bust him a little, I wish he'd walk a little bit less guys throughout the year, but no, but it's an incredible accomplishment," Reeves added. "I think it shows the quality of the stuff he throws, and I hope he passes me. I know he'll have a good showing at the NCAAs. He has and the ability to get swing and miss, and it's an important part of our game at times, when you're trying to make high leverage pitches in high leverage situations."

But before the championship celebration came adversity. After battling through his first SoCon tournament outing against the rival Keydets, Holmes made a promise in the dugout.

"I told Coach [Lex] Tuten at the end of the VMI game, 'You know, I let us down today, but if it comes back to me, I'm going to be ready.' He told me it's 100 percent going to come back to me. And you know what, it did."

When Saturday arrived, Holmes responded with one of the best performances of his career.

"There was definitely something in the back of my head after the first game, but I was more excited than anything because this is what we've dreamed of," Holmes said. "What all the teams in the past have dreamed of to be a part of. We finally got there. It just felt meant to be."

The championship atmosphere only added fuel.

"It was a great atmosphere, probably one of the most electric as far as The Citadel fans go," he said. "It's easy to get amped up in those moments, but I went back to all the times in the fall, the rehab and return to play where you prepared to perform in those moments. I think our whole team did exactly that in the championship game."

"He'd been on such a roll, and he's got a lot ahead of him," Reeves concluded. "He could easily have just packed in and said, 'Whatever, I'm feeling bad,' but he wanted the ball. He went out there. That's a legacy game for him, to go out there and become a champion. Be the ace of a SoCon championship team. I'm just incredibly proud of him. There's nobody that's worked harder or deserves success more than him, in my opinion."

 


Belief, Brotherhood and the Road Ahead

When the final out was recorded, Holmes joined his teammates in a celebration years in the making.

"It all just culminated with that win," he recalled. "Obviously not a final moment or anything because we're not done, not a long shot, but it was joyful. This is what we've wanted as a team and as a program for so long."

He echoed the words of team captain Aryan Patel from the postgame celebration.

"Nobody expected us or believed that we would do this, but every single one of us in that dugout believed," Holmes said. "I think it was special, especially for this group, to show everybody that we're not going anywhere."