JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 16, 2026) – After about two weeks on the road, the ETSU baseball team will return home to Johnson City this weekend for a three-game series against The Citadel. The series between the Buccaneers and Bulldogs is set to run from Friday through Sunday. Game one of the three-game set is set for Friday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Probable Pitching Matchups
LHP Will Holmes (CIT) vs. LHP Tadan Bell (ETSU) – Friday @ 5 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
RHP Andrew Buffkin (CIT) vs. RHP Michael Harpster (ETSU) – Saturday @ 2 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
TBA (CIT) vs. TBA (ETSU) – Sunday @ 1 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Promotions for this weekend's series can be found HERE.
Last Time Out – The Bucs dropped a close game on the road at No. 5 Georgia on Tuesday night, 12-10. Tuesday's loss pushes ETSU's record to 23-11 on the 2026 campaign.
First Baseman on Fire – A major part of ETSU's offense on Tuesday was first baseman
Tristan Curless. Curless launched two three-run home runs against the Bulldogs. Curless is up to 13 home runs and 50 RBI this season in just 34 games. Curless is one of 13 Division players that have driven in 50 runs or more this season. The Bucs' first baseman has pulled off all this offensive production while drawing more walks than strikeouts (23 walks, 22 strikeouts).
Rocks at the Top of the Rotation – Like Curless has been offensively, the Bucs have had two steady performers leading their starting rotation in
Tadan Bell and
Michael Harpster. The duo of Bell and Harpster has started every weekend series for ETSU. In the games that either Bell or Harpster start, the Bucs are 15-3 this season. Furthermore, of their combined 18 starts, 14 of them lasted five innings or longer.
Ferguson Finding a Way to Get on Base – Counting the last game of 2025, ETSU shortstop
Henry Ferguson has reached base successfully 35 consecutive games. This streak is the sixth-longest active streak in the country and the second-longest among SoCon players (Owen Prince – VMI – 45 games).
Bucs Back Home at the Thom – ETSU will be glad to be back home at Thomas Stadium this weekend after an eight-game road swing. The Bucs are 16-2 at home this season and they have outscored their opponents by over 100 runs (175-67). ETSU has also won seven consecutive series at home dating back to last season with its last series defeat at the Thom coming against UNC Greensboro.
About The Citadel – The Bulldogs will come to Johnson City sporting a 17-19 record overall (3-6 in SoCon play). Citadel is coming off a run-rule victory over crosstown rival Charleston Southern on Tuesday, 15-5. Citadel is a team that relies heavily on small ball as its ranks second in all of Division I baseball with 44 sacrifice bunts behind only Coastal Carolina's 45. A player to watch for the Bulldogs is their projected starting pitcher on Friday night Will Holmes. Holmes enters his start against the Bucs ranked second in the SoCon with 56 strikeouts.
Series Rewind vs. The Citadel – ETSU and The Citadel have met 115 times over the years on the diamond. The Bulldogs hold the historic edge on the Bucs winning 67 of those contests. Two of those wins came last season in Charleston as the Bulldogs won two of three from ETSU in the final regular season series of 2025. Citadel will be looking for its first series win in Johnson City since 2018.
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