The Citadel, Mercer advance in the 2025 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament

No. 3 The Citadel 11, No. 5 Western Carolina 10

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Citadel rallied from an early deficit to defeat Western Carolina 11-10 in a high-scoring matchup in the 2025 Southern Conference Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon at Fluor Field. The Bulldogs overcame a 6-1 deficit with a five-run fifth inning to advance to the championship game.

Anthony Hausner led The Citadel's 15-hit attack with three hits and three RBIs, including a two-run home run in the third inning. Matthew Lively contributed three hits and two RBIs with a pair of doubles, while Travis Elliott collected three hits to help fuel the offensive explosion.

Western Carolina jumped out to an early lead behind strong performances from Brayden Corn and Jack Spyke. Corn went 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks, and three runs scored, while Spyke drove in two runs including a solo home run in the fourth inning. The Catamounts rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to make it close but fell just short.

The pivotal fifth inning saw The Citadel score five runs to take a 9-6 lead. The rally was highlighted by Lively's two-run double and Aryan Patel's two-RBI single. Western Carolina answered with three runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at 9-9, but The Citadel responded with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to secure the victory.

George Derrick Floyd earned the win for The Citadel, pitching eight innings and allowing 11 hits while striking out five.

No. 4 Mercer 8, No. 7 Wofford 6

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Mercer defeated Wofford in an 8-6 victory on Friday night at Fluor Field. The Bears jumped out to a commanding 7-0 lead in the first inning and held off a late Terriers rally to claim the conference title.

Mercer's explosive first inning featured home runs by Brant Baughcum and Ely Brown, with Brown's two-run blast capping a seven-run outburst that put the Bears in control early. Baughcum led off the scoring with a solo home run to left center, while Brown followed later in the frame with his three-run homer after Titan Kamaka had walked and reached base.

The Bears collected 12 hits in the victory, with Brown leading the offensive attack with a 3-for-4 performance and three RBIs. Parker Lester contributed two hits including an RBI double, while Michael Graziano added two hits and drove in one run.

Wofford battled back throughout the game, getting home runs from Tyler Hare in both the second and eighth innings. Hare's two solo shots accounted for three of the Terriers' six runs. The Terriers scored twice in the fifth inning and added two more in the eighth to make it a two run contest but could not complete the comeback.

Colton Cosper earned the victory for Mercer, pitching the Bears’ first tournament complete game since 2015 and allowing eight hits while striking out seven batters. Cosper threw 140 pitches in the championship effort.