The Citadel baseball team is set to open its 2026 season with a home series against the Liberty Flames from February 13 to 15 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, South Carolina. The games are scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Friday’s matchup will feature left-handed pitcher Will Holmes for The Citadel against Liberty’s right-hander Ben Blair. On Saturday, right-handed pitcher Bryce Coulter will start for the Bulldogs, facing Liberty’s Jaxon Lucas. Sunday’s starting pitcher for The Citadel has not been announced; Liberty will start Jake Potts.
The weather forecast predicts partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s on Friday and Saturday, with a slight chance of showers on Saturday. Sunday is expected to be cloudy with rain likely and southeast winds at 12 mph.
All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The broadcast team includes RJ Taylor, Travis Lott, and Asher Wojciechowski on Friday; Taylor and Lott will cover Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets can be purchased through CitadelSports.com/tickets or by calling the box office at 843-953-DOGS. Tickets are also available at the stadium one hour before each game.
Liberty holds a 3-0 all-time record over The Citadel in baseball, including a 9-1 win in their last meeting in 2017. Last season, Liberty finished with an overall record of 30-27 and went 10-17 in Conference USA play. They entered the CUSA Championship as the eighth seed but lost both games they played. Ben Blair was named Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while shortstop Tanner Marsh made the CUSA Preseason All-Conference team.
For The Citadel, four players—Will Holmes, Andrew Stanley, Phillips Daniels, and TJ Anderson—earned spots on the Preseason All-Southern Conference Second Team. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference Coaches’ Preseason Poll, their highest ranking since 2014.
Head coach Russell Triplett enters his second season leading The Citadel. In his first year, he guided the team to a 31-26 overall record and a 12-9 conference mark—the program’s first time reaching 30 wins since 2010. Under Triplett’s leadership last season, The Citadel recorded several milestones such as achieving 105 stolen bases—the most since their total of 127 in 2010—and Aryan Patel finishing perfect with a 22-for-22 stolen base record.
Six Bulldogs received Southern Conference honors last year: Maddox Webb (First Team), TJ Anderson (Second Team), Phillips Daniels, Garrett Dill, Travis Elliott, and Lane Tobin (All-Defensive Team). Travis Elliott was also named an ABCA & Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Finalist.
The team now trains at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park with newly renovated facilities that include upgraded locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and a modern training area.
Following this weekend series against Liberty, The Citadel will host Marshall on February 20 and 21 before facing Army on February 22 at Joe Riley Park.
