The Citadel begins their longest road swing of the season - an eight-game road trip - as the Bulldogs head across the Ravenel Bridge to face the College of Charleston Cougars.
Broadcast Information
CNN 1450AM in Charleston will carry the entire series at the College of Charleston. Live Audio of the entire series against the College of Charleston will be carried on Bulldog Insider at CitadelSports.com. Darren Goldwater, who enters his fourth season as “Voice of the (Baseball) Bulldogs,” will call the play-by-play. Live Video will also be available, courtesy of the College of Charleston.
Scouting College of Charleston
The Citadel faces an offensive juggernaut when the Bulldogs take on the Cougars this weekend. The College of Charleston leads the nation in scoring (10.7), runs (429), hits (491), doubles (117), home runs per game (2.03), home runs (81) and slugging percentage (.594).
Series History
The Citadel's 13-1 win over the College of Charleston on March 11 at Riley Park snapped a five-game losing streak to the Cougars - all at Riley Park. The Citadel holds a 31-24 advantage in the all-time series against CofC but hte Cougars hold a 7-6 advantage at Patriot's Point. However, The Citadel has an 11-9 all-time series lead at the College of Charleston's home facility, including a 5-2 advantage over CofC at Remley's Point, the Cougars' home prior to Patriot's Point.
Not So Fast, My Friend!
Opponents beware on the base paths - The Citadel holds the national and Southern Confernece lead in pickoffs with 22. Western Carolina is tied for second with William & Mary with 19 pickoffs as the top five schools in pickoffs nationally all reside in the Carolinas.
Take a Walk
Chris Swauger's bat is such a threatening force that opposing pitchers would rather put the senior team captain on the base paths rather than face him. That's no surprise as Swauger carries a career .391 batting average.
As The Citadel faces the College of Charleston this weekend, Swauger has freely reached the base paths more than most. The senior outfielder is tied for fourth in the nation in walks this season (39) and 14th in walks per game (0.98).
In fact, Swauger has been walked more times this season in only 40 games than he has been walked in any other season of 59 games or more.
Swauger is currently on pace for 58 walks this season, a mark that would put him fourth in school history in walks in a season and fifth in Southern Conference history.
Kevin Costner Joins The Citadel Baseball for Batting Practice
The Citadel Baseball team had a distinguished guest join the Bulldogs as actor Kevin Costner hit batting practice Thursday afternoon at College Park. Costner, a big baseball fan, hit batting practice and then talked to the team for several minutes.
Costner hit both left and right handed off assistant coach Stuart Lake, ripping two balls off the outfield wall at The Citadel's practice park.
“I hate to tell you but all of your coaches are old men,” said Costner. “As old men, all they can do is give advice. They can't play for you. The coaches are coaches but they can't perform. Go out and seize the moment. Do what's fun.”
Costner has starred in several baseball movies including Bull Durham, For Love of the Game and Field of Dreams.
Costner is in Charleston filming a movie and was on Moultrie Street next to College Park shooting some scenes.
Matt Reifsnider Named to Midseason Watch List for the 2008 Stopper of the Year Award
The Citadel's Matt Reifsnider was one of 45 pitchers across the country to be included on the midseason watch list for the fourth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in Division I college baseball.
Reifsnider is one of two Southern Conference pitchers to be named to the list as Elon's Thomas Girdwood was also highlighted.
The 2008 midseason watch list features teams representing 19 athletic conferences as well as one independent team. The Atlantic Coast Conference leads the way with six pitchers on the honor squad.
Wes Wrenn Named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week
Behind a performance where he pitched a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Wes Wrenn was named the Southern Conference's Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 13. Wrenn is the fourth Bulldog hurler to earn the honor this season, a first since 1998.
Wrenn threw 6.1 innings of no-hit ball on Saturday, recording a 9-1 win over visiting Davidson. Wrenn went 7.0 innings in all, allowing only one run in a masterful performance on the mound. Davidson only scored one run in that time as Wrenn struck out four Wildcats in the win.
This marks only the second time The Citadel has had four different pitchers receive the weekly honor from the Southern Conference. The only other time that has happened was in 1998 when Brian Rogers (March 16), Rodney Hancock (March 23), Tom Martin (April 20) and Brian Wiley (April 27) all earned the conference accolade.
Wrenn is the fourth Bulldog to earn the Pitcher of the Week honor this season. Freshman Asher Wojciechowski earned the honor on Feb. 25 after his 12-0 win over Delaware. Matt Reifsnider earned the honor on March 3 while Matt Crim was awarded the accolade on March 17.
Holy City Domination
The Citadel had history on its side when Davidson visited Charleston on April 11-13. The Bulldogs have now amassed a 64-19 all-time record against the Wildcats when playing in Charleston. That includes a 6-0 mark in the Southern Conference Tournament and an 21-1 record when playing the Wildcats in Riley Park.
Wojo Nationally Ranked
In addition to being atop the Southern Conference leaderboard in several categories, freshman RHP Asher Wojciechowski is ranekd 42nd in the nation in strikeouts (61) and 57th in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (9.98).
Wrenn Tosses Southern Conference's First Nine-Inning Complete Game
The Citadel's Wes Wrenn notched a 2008 first for the Southern Conference on March 22 when the junior RHP threw a nine-inning complete game for the Bulldogs in a 10-1 win over arch-rvial Furman. While four other pitchers across the Southern Conference had thrown complete games, none of them had done so in nine-inning games and none had done so with such efficiency as Wrenn.
In his nine innings of work on the mound, Wrenn allowed only one run on nine hits and struck out six while not allowing a walk. The most impressive number of Wrenn's performance against the Paladins was his pitch count of only 100 pitches in his nine innings on the mound.
Steadfast Swauger
Chris Swauger came close to ending a streak he has been quietly building throughout the season when The Citadel faced Appalachian State on Saturday, March 29. Heading into that game, Swauger had reached base in every game this season. Thanks to the Mountaineers, Swauger safely reached first due to an error by ASU's Jason Altenhof in Swauger's only appearance on the basepaths during the game. Swauger continued his streak in Sunday's rubber game against the Mountaineers with a pair of hits.
Swauger remains the only Bulldog to reach base in every Citadel game this season entering this weekend's series at the College of Charleston. That streak has lead Swauger to be ranked third in the Southern Conference in on-base percentage wtih a .513 mark heading into the College of Charleston series. That .513 mark also ranked Swauger 29th in the nation in on-base percentage.
Chris McGuiness has a similar streak going, reaching base in every game he has batted in. McGuiness did not bat in The Citadel's Feb. 27 game against UNC Wilmington but did start the game on the mound.
Reifsnider Near the Top of the SoCon
Matt Reifsnider has been a tough competitor on the mound this season and his seven saves entering this weekend's series at the College of Charleston is second in the Southern Conference, only two saves behind Thomas Girdwood, the SoCon saves leader. His save mark is not just an impressive mark regionally as Reifsnider is also ranked 23rd in the nation in saves. Both Reifsnider and Girdwood were recently named to the Watch List for Stopper of the Year.
Wrenn's Non-Walk Streak Ends
Wes Wrenn's had an impressive streak come to a close on Saturday, March 29 against Appalachian State when he walked David Rubinstein iwth two outs in the first inning. That brought to a close a streak of 29.2 consecutive innings pitched where the junior RHP had not walked a batter. Wrenn had not walked a batter since the seventh inning of The Citadel's Feb. 24 game against Delaware. Wrenn's efficiency was highlighted on March 22 against Furman where he gathered his second win of the season and became the first Southern Conference pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game. Wrenn only thew 100 pitches in that game against the Paladins.
Jordan - The Younger One - Turns Unassisted Double Play
Kyle Jordan recorded a season first on March 23 in The Citadel's 5-2 win ove Furman. Kyle Jordan turned an unassisted double play in the first inning when Ryan Lee hit a line drive straight to the Bulldogs' short stop with two runners on. Kyle Jordan then easily stepped on second to force Campbell Lewis out before Lewis could get back to the bag to tag, notching the team's first unassisted double play of the season.
Standard Bearers
One of the pleasant aspects of the 2008 season to date has been the effectiveness of The Citadel pitching staff. Entering the SoCon series against Appalachian State, The Citadel has fielded one of the top pitching staffs in the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs lead the SoCon with a 3.09 ERA and the team is in the top part of the conference in several other pitching categories.
Simonelli Injured
In The Citadel's March 21 game against Furman, sophomore Matt Simonelli was sidelined after getting hit by a pitch on his left hand in the first inning. Simonelli, who saw action in 38 games last season, has an injured left hand and his return is unknown at this point.
Swauger Switches to Leadoff
After sophomore Matt Simonelli was sidelined with an injury after getting hit by a pitch, The Citadel's batting order took a drastic change, but it might have been for the better. Senior Chris Swauger moved to the leadoff position in the batting line-up and excelled in his two games atop the order.
Great Start Means Great Finish
Striking first can be just as important as striking last for The Citadel in 2008. Entering the series at the College of Charleston, The Bulldogs are 16-4 when scoring first but only 7-13 when the opposing team gets on the scoreboard first.
Climbing the Charts
Chris Swauger has steadily climbed The Citadel's all-time charts in several offensive categories during his four years as a Bulldog. Swauger set the school record for triples in a career earlier this season and is in the Top-10 in several other categories.
Crim Earns SoCon Pitcher of the Week Honors
Following a six inning performance where he did not give up any earned runs, The Citadel's Matt Crim has been named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week. Crim becomes the third Bulldog pitcher a season that is only four weeks old to earn the honor.
Crim pitched 6.0 innings in The Citadel's 5-4 win over Elon and earning his second win of the season. Crim struck out five and gave up only two runs both unearned on seven hits.
Time Out ... Game On!
The Citadel was in an unfortunately familiar position when the Bulldogs' March 15 game at Elon was halted due to weather. That marked the second time this season The Citadel has had to stop midway through a game only to resume action the next day. The first instance occurred on March 4 when heavy rains halted The Citadel's game against USC Upstate. Play was completed in that game on March 5 and the Bulldogs won, 10-1. In both instances where play has been halted and resumed the next day, The Citadel has recorded wins as the Bulldogs topped Elon, 5-4.
Whoa Wojo
Asher Wojciechowski didn't let the implications of a cross-town rivalry get the best of him on March 11 as the freshman tied a then-career-high nine strikeouts in The Citadel's 13-1 win over the College of Charleston in a non-conference game at Riley Park. In four appearances (three starts) and 21.0 innings pitched to that point, Wojo had amassed a stellar 0.86 ERA and a 2-0 record. The Beaufort High School product had struck out 29 and only allowed two runs to score. Wojo had limited opposing batters to a team-best .114 average.
Swauger's Safe Streak
Chris Swauger has had a propensity to safely reach base lately but saw his streak come to an end on Wednesday, March 12 in a 4-3 loss to Indiana State. Swauger's fly out to left field in the seventh inning against the Sycamores ended a streak of 13 consecutive plate appearances where he safely reached base. That streak dates back until his final at bat of the March 8 game against Wright State where Swauger struck out in his final at bat in the sixth inning. Swauger had also safely reached base in 15 of his last 16 appearances to that point as well.
It's a Record Bull Market
Brett Bull recorded a career outing Wednesday, March 12 when he came in for Chris McGuiness in relief. Bull pitched a career-long 6.0 innings and struck out a career-high five as he did not allow a run. Bull only allowed two hits out of 21 batters faced and did not allow a Sycamore batter to reach base in the final three innings he pitched.
Go The Distance
The Citadel has not been afraid to give Bulldog fans “Free Baseball” early on in 2008.The Bulldogs have played four extra-inning games and are 3-1 when going past nine innings. The Bulldogs won a 2-1, 10-inning contest against North Carolina A&T on Feb. 29 in the Charleston Firefighter Memorial Challenge presented by the Charleston Crab House. The next day, March 1, The Citadel and No. 23 Louisville went 10 innings with the Bulldogs recording the 1-0 win over the Cardinals.
On March 5, The Citadel gutted out a 4-3 win over USC Upstate in 12 innings. That 12-inning game made for a long day as the two teams started play at 1:30 p.m. as they continued the halted game from March 4 in the top of the third. The Citadel and Upstate ended up with a 19-inning, almost five and a half hour marathon day of baseball. The lone extra-inning loss of the season came as the Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaking 6-5 decision in 10 innings at Wofford.
