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GREENVILLE, S.C. — Carried by a 7.0-inning performance from starter Will Holmes and solidified courtesy of closer Michael Gibson over the final 1.1 frames, fifth-seeded The Citadel (35-24) edged No. 3 overall Samford (31-25) in the Southern Conference Championship final, topping the opposing Bulldogs via a 3-1 decision Saturday evening at Fluor Field. With the victory, the Bulldogs cemented the program’s 22nd SoCon title and first since the 2010 campaign, securing the league’s automatic bid into the upcoming NCAA DI Baseball Championship.
CHAMPIONSHIP VIBES 🏆⚔️
The Citadel cements the program's first @SoConSports baseball title since 2010, knocking off third-seeded Samford behind a 3-1 decision!
Victory in hand, the Bulldogs have officially punched their ticket into the @NCAABaseball Tournament 🎟️👊#jOURney pic.twitter.com/oZnq7WmXzS
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
“I don’t think we got here by luck because we’ve been playing good baseball,” head coach Russell Triplett said. “We played our best this week and we’ve been getting better and better over the last 20 games. To see it all come together was so satisfying. I thought we pitched, we played good defense and probably having a little out-of-body experience offensively. We got contributions throughout our lineup and I think you need that to win a tournament. We had guys step up when we really needed them to. I’m so happy for them.”
𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐦 👑🏅
Michael Gibson is your SoCon Tournament MVP 🏆#jOURney pic.twitter.com/Xgm0FkDfIz
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
Following the conclusion of the game, the Southern Conference named Gibson the winner of the Walt Nadzak Award, annually given to the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Further, five additional Bulldogs garnered placement on the All-Tournament team, including the battery of Holmes and Phillips Daniels, first baseman Zach Hunt, shortstop Lane Tobin and outfielder Christian Stratis.
An unreal performance from Michael Gibson throughout the 2026 @SoConSports Championship garnered the senior the Walt Nadzak Award, given annually to the tournament's Most Outstanding Player 🏅🏆
A champion through-and-through, congrats to Michael…a well-deserved honor!… pic.twitter.com/zcGe265Rvn
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
“Michael [Gibson] is a high character individual and that’s part of his success on the field,” Triplett continued. “He’s elevated the people around him with his character and his play on the field.”
Core memory unlocked 🏆🔓 https://t.co/6Qf7iKebIP
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
Offensively, Jayden Williams paced the squad at the plate with three hits while both Hunt and Stratis wrapped up the day boasting a pair of knocks for an RBI apiece. TJ Anderson managed three appearances on the base paths, collecting one hit with two walks and crossing home on one occasion, while Gibson tallied a hit and a run scored as well.
SAMMY!!!!
RBI double down the line, scoring Hunt from second!
T8 | CIT 3, SAM 1#jOURney pic.twitter.com/HnzCYeKEfV
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
On the mound, Holmes battled through 7.0 innings en route to his seventh victory on the year, setting down 10 batters on strikes while surrendering just two hits, one walk and one run. Andrew Buffkin handled a pair of outs during the eighth while giving up two hits before Gibson shut the door across 1.1 frames of action, allowing zero hits with two strikeouts as the senior logged his conference-best 10th save of the campaign.
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
“Will [Holmes] was special tonight,” Triplett added. “He wanted the ball. It’s hard for me to tell him no. I feel confident when he’s out there. He pitched really well and got some big outs in big moments.”
𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 🫡
Congrats to Aryan Patel who won the SoCon Pinnacle Award with his 4.0 GPA, which goes to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on a championship-winning team 👏#jOURney pic.twitter.com/dmMPsT2LXn
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
For Samford, four Bulldogs posted one hit apiece on the night with Pierce Dutton notching the lone RBI. Noah Berry suffered the loss after pitching the initial 1.2 innings, giving up five hits and two walks for a pair of runs with one strikeout.
𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲 🙅♂️🤫
7 IP, 2 H, 1 R and 10 Ks in an incredible championship performance 🫡🔥#jOURney pic.twitter.com/fXuuMERgl2
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
The full bracket for the NCAA DI Baseball Championship releases on Monday, May 25 at noon courtesy of the annual selection show via ESPN2.
HOW ABOUT THEM DOGS! 🏆#jOURney pic.twitter.com/qmK1yFAja7
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
“As long as they let us in, and I think they have to now, we’ll go wherever they send us,” Triplett concluded.
The wait is over…
Join us tomorrow, May 25 at the Kickin’ Chicken downtown for the NCAA Baseball Selection Show as we watch where the Bulldogs are headed next! #jOURney pic.twitter.com/ppBPqav3tm
— The Citadel Baseball (@CitadelBaseball) May 24, 2026
https://citadelsports.com/sports/baseball
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