2026 The Citadel Bulldogs baseball team represents The Citadel in the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bulldogs play their home games at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, South Carolina. The team is coached by Russell Triplett, in his 2nd season at The Citadel.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 30–24 record, finishing fifth in the SoCon at 11–10. They then swept the SoCon tournament, defeating top seeded Mercer twice and Samford 3–1 in the final to earn an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. This was their ninth conference tournament title, and first since 2010, and marks their 14th NCAA Regional appearance. The Bulldogs lost a pair of games to Oklahoma in the Atlanta Regional and recorded their first win in Regional play since 2010 against .
Previous season
In Triplett's first season, the Bulldogs completed the regular season with a 12–9 conference record, good for third place on the SoCon. The team won 30 games for the first time since 2013. They finished 1–2 in the SoCon Tournament.
Personnel Roster 2026 The Citadel Bulldogs baseball roster Pitchers 7 - Ben Brash - Junior 11 - Andrew Buffkin - Junior 12 - Trip Brown - Junior 13 - Jackson Bottar - Freshman 14 - Stephen Platte - Freshman 17 - Jackson Cole - Redshirt Sophomore 19 - Bryce Coulter - Junior 22 - Rylee Gibson - Freshman 23 - Will Holmes - Graduate Student 24 - Andrew Bowers - Junior 27 - Michael Gibson - Senior 28 - Cohen Parker - Freshman 29 - Aryan Patel - Senior 33 - CJ Van Slooten - Graduate Student 34 - Josh Davis - Graduate Student 35 - Zane Davis - Senior 36 - Andrew Stanley - Graduate Student 39 - Steven Trone - Senior 40 - Riley Ballard - Freshman 41 - Harrison Keels - Freshman 43 - Liam Foley - Junior 44 - Jacob Deacon - Freshman 50 - Jackson Cooper - Freshman 52 - Kaden Kiser - Junior 55 - Jack Thunberg - Graduate Student Catchers 4 - Garrett Fulmer - Junior 9 - Hank Aeppli - Freshman 21 - Phillips Daniels - Senior 31 - Noah Cadiz - Redshirt Junior 37 - Nathan Landeck - Sophomore 38 - Mason Yokum - Redshirt Freshman
Infielders 0 - Miles Barbrey - Freshman 1 - Lane Tobin - Graduate Student 3 - Sam Dansky - Redshirt Sophomore 6 - Landon Kahl - Junior 8 - Zach Snead - Freshman 16 - Kaine Baber - Freshman 25 - Zach Hunt - Junior Outfielders 2 - Jayden Williams - Freshman 18 - Matthew Lively - Senior 20 - Christian Stratis - Redshirt Sophomore 30 - Rhyder Poppell - Sophomore - Maddox Floyd - Sophomore
Utility 10 - Carson Hodges - Freshman 15 - Jackson Proctor - Junior 32 - TJ Anderson - Senior
Coaches 2026 The Citadel Bulldogs baseball coaching staff Russell Triplett – Head coach – 2nd year David Beckley – Assistant coach – 18th year James Reeves – Assistant coach (Pitching) – 2nd year Lex Tuten - Assistant coach - 1st year
Schedule Legend The Citadel win The Citadel loss CancellationBoldThe Citadel team member * Non-Conference game
2026 The Citadel Bulldogs baseball game log (36–25)Regular season (30–24)February (4–4) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SoCon Record Feb 13 Liberty* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 3–7 Blair (1–0) Holmes (0–1) None 687 0–1 Feb 14 Liberty* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 4–3 Gibson (1–0) Decker-Petty (0–1) None 739 1–1 Feb 15 Liberty* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 4–5 Zayac (1–0) Brown (0–1) None 523 1–2 Feb 20 * Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 4–3 Holmes (1–1) Blevins (1–1) Gibson (1) 935 2–2 Feb 21 Marshall* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 10–6 Brash (1–0) Albright (1–1) None 735 3–2 Feb 22 * Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 14–8 Ballard (1–0) Penswick (0–2) None 1,115 4–2 Feb 28 (DH Game 1) at No. 21 Florida State* Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium • Tallahassee, FL L 2–6 Mendes (3–0) Holmes (1–2) Abraham (1) — 4–3 Feb 28 (DH Game 2) at No. 21 Florida State* Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium • Tallahassee, FL L 1–2(10) Mebil (1–0) Brash (1–1) None 6,214 4–4 March (8–11) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SoCon Record Mar 1 at No. 21 Florida State* Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium • Tallahassee, FL L 0–2 Moore (1–0) Bowers (0–1) Knier (1) 4,627 4–5 Mar 4 * Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 7–1 Ballard (2–0) Kenty (0–1) None 757 5–5 Mar 6 at No. 21 Kentucky* Kentucky Proud Park • Lexington, KY L 5–10 Mattison (2–0) Gibson (1–1) Bennett (3) 2,962 5–6 Mar 7 at No. 21 Kentucky* Kentucky Proud Park • Lexington, KY L 7–12 Bounds (2–1) Brown (0–2) None 2,166 5–7 Mar 8 at No. 21 Kentucky* Kentucky Proud Park • Lexington, KY L 5–13 Bennett (1-0) Bottar (0-1) None 2,392 5–8 Mar 10 South Carolina* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 8–3 Buffkin (1–0) Philpott (0–1) Gibson (2) 4,329 6–8 Mar 13 at * Skyhawk Park • Martin, TN L 2–3 Wright (1–2) Trone (0–1) Little (4) 279 6–9 Mar 14 at UT Martin* Skyhawk Park • Martin, TN W 22–3 Brash (2–1) King (0–3) None 339 7–9 Mar 15 at UT Martin* Skyhawk Park • Martin, TN W 8–4 Brown (1–2) Schumacher (1–1) Gibson (3) 188 8–9 Mar 17 at No. 7 Georgia* Foley Field • Athens, GA L 5–8 Jameson (1–0) Davis (0–1) None 1,037 8–10 Mar 18 No. 19 Clemson* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 3–9 Simpson (4–1) Bowers (0–1) None 5,298 8–11 Mar 20 at OrthoGeorgia Park • Macon, GA L 0–11 Lambert (2–0) Holmes (1–3) None 845 8–12 0–1 Mar 21 at Mercer OrthoGeorgia Park • Macon, GA L 4–8 Hugas (6–0) Ballard (2–1) None 1,500 8–13 0–2 Mar 22 at Mercer OrthoGeorgia Park • Macon, GA W 3–2 Gibson (2–1) Johnson (1–1) Van Slooten (1) 345 9–13 1–2 Mar 25 * Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 9–4 Brash (3–1) Williams (0–1) None 457 10–13 Mar 27 Western Carolina* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 4–3 Buffkin (2–0) Fordham (2–2) None 623 11–13 2–2 Mar 28 Western Carolina* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 13–9 Ballard (3–1) Budd (1–1) None 606 12–13 3–2 Mar 29 Western Carolina* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 3–16 Myers (3–1) Deacon (0–1) None 711 12–14 3–3 Mar 31 No. 14 Coastal Carolina* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 2–3 Richardson (3–1) Van Slooten (0–1) Doran (2) 2,259 12–15 April (10–7) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SoCon Record Apr 2 * Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 6–3 Holmes (2–3) Garland (3–2) Van Slooten (2) 1,387 13–15 Apr 3 Longwood* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 8–4 Gibson (3–1) Gray (0–2) Brown (1) 903 14–15 Apr 4 Longwood* Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 1–5 Seigner (2–0) Buffkin (2–1) Fordham (5) 633 14–16 Apr 7 * Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 14–6 Bowers (1–2) Stichweh (1–1) None 1,019 15–16 Apr 8 at * Winthrop Ballpark • Rock Hill, SC W 10–8 Van Slooten (1–1) Tompkins (2–1) Buffkin (1) 683 16–16 Apr 10 at Russell C. King Field • Spartanburg, SC L 0–2 Bouchard (6–2) Holmes (2–4) None 637 16–17 3–4 Apr 11 at Wofford Russell C. King Field • Spartanburg, SC L 5–6 Condon (4–1) Gibson (3–2) Davis (5) 874 16–18 3–5 Apr 12 at Wofford Russell C. King Field • Spartanburg, SC L 3–5 Fitzpatrick (2–4) Buffkin (2–2) Little (2) 473 16–19 3–6 Apr 14 at Charleston Southern* CSU Ballpark • North Charleston, SC W 15–5 Ballard (4–1) Stephenson (0–1) None 234 17–19 Apr 17 at East Tennessee State Thomas Stadium • Johnson City, TN W 11–8 Bowers (2–2) Scott (2–3) Gibson (4) 762 18–19 4–6 Apr 18 at East Tennessee State Thomas Stadium • Johnson City, TN L 4–5 Curless (1–1) Brown (1–3) None 727 18–20 4–7 Apr 19 at East Tennessee State Thomas Stadium • Johnson City, TN L 1–12 Cooper (3–1) Coulter (0–1) None 889 18–21 4–8 Apr 22 at Georgia Southern* J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 10–3 Davis (1–1) Robbins (0–3) None 1,738 19–21 Apr 24 Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 2–1 Holmes (2–1) Chapman (2–6) Gibson (5) 729 20–21 5–8 Apr 25 UNC Greensboro Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 10–1 Buffkin (3–2) Weaver (0–4) None 835 21–21 6–8 Apr 26 UNC Greensboro Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 4–9 Horton (3–2) Foley (0–1) None 543 21–22 6–9 Apr 28 at South Carolina* Founders Park • Columbia, SC W 4–0 Davis (2–1) Gunther (2–4) Gibson (6) 6,530 22–22 May (8–2) Date Opponent Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SoCon Record May 1 at Presbyterian* Presbyterian Baseball Complex • Clinton, SC W 7–2 Holmes (4–4) Williams (1–3) None 204 23–22 May 3 (DH Game 1) Presbyterian* Presbyterian Baseball Complex • Clinton, SC W 3–0 Buffkin (4–2) Bowery (0–1) Gibson (7) 307 24–22 May 3 (DH Game 2) at Presbyterian* Presbyterian Baseball Complex • Clinton, SC W 2–1 Brown (2–3) McGregor (1–6) Davis (1) 243 25–22 May 8 (DH Game 1) Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 10–4 Holmes (5–4) Lee (3–2) None 482 26–22 7–9 May 8 (DH Game 2) Samford Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC W 8–0 Buffkin (5–2) Blasche (3–7) None 829 27–22 8–9 May 9 Samford Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC L 4–5 Spurrier (2–3) Davis (2–2) None 1,167 27–23 8–10 May 12 at No. 20 Coastal Carolina* Springs Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC L 3–5 Bosch (3–0) Coulter (0–2) Lynch (5) 3,314 27–24 May 14 at VMI Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VA W 9–2 Holmes (6–4) Spiegel (1–5) None 145 28–24 9–10 May 15 at VMI Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VA W 7–4 Gibson (4–2) Sipe (5–4) None 150 29–24 10–10 May 16 at VMI Gray–Minor Stadium • Lexington, VA W 12–7 Coulter (1–2) Jones (1–3) None 312 30–24 11–10Post-Season (6–2) (5–0) Date Opponent Seed Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record SoConT Record May 20 (8) VMI (5) Fluor Field at the West End • Greenville, SC W 21–11 Davis (3–2) Spiegel (1–6) Gibson (8) 403 31–24 1–0 May 20 (4) Wofford (5) Fluor Field at the West End • Greenville, SC W 13–7 Buffkin (6–2) Bouchard (9–3) Bowers (1) 526 32–24 2–0 May 21 (1) Mercer (5) Fluor Field at the West End • Greenville, SC W 9–2 Brown (3–3) Lambert (5–1) Gibson (9) 419 33–24 3–0 May 22 (1) Mercer (5) Fluor Field at the West End • Greenville, SC W 14–4 Coulter (2–2) Johnson (3–4) None 440 34–24 4–0 May 23 (3) Samford (5) Fluor Field at the West End • Greenville, SC W 3–1 Holmes (7–4) Berry (5–3) Gibson (10) 2,391 35–24 5–0 (1–2) Date Opponent Seed Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Record NCAAT Record May 30 (2) Oklahoma (3) Russ Chandler Stadium • Atlanta, GA L 3–8 Rager (4–3) Buffkin (6–3) Mercurius (1) 3,213 35–25 0–1 May 30 (4) (3) Russ Chandler Stadium • Atlanta, GA W 9–8 Gibson (5–2) Jakubowski (1–2) None 3,177 36–25 1–1 May 31 (2) Oklahoma (3) Russ Chandler Stadium • Atlanta, GA L 5–15 Wesloski (1–1) Coulter (2–3) None 3,280 36–26 1–2
References