The Citadel was 'right fit' for former Clemson baseball standout (2024)

Russell Triplett was perfectly happy coaching the baseball team at Newberry College.

The former Clemson shortstop had been at the Midlands school for 14 seasons and all three of his sons — Cal, Cruz and Cane — had been born while he was at Newberry.

But five years ago, in the midst of a great personal tragedy, Triplett fell in love with his future home.

His father, Calvin Russell Triplett, Jr., suffered a stroke and was rushed to MUSC hospital for treatment. Triplett spent nearly a week at the downtown hospital and when he wasn’t by his father’s bedside, he took long walks that included visits to The Citadel’s campus.

“This place just takes you in, it has a different feel about it,” Triplett said. “I was kind of in awe of the place, its buildings, the barracks and I wasn’t even thinking about the baseball part of it and the tradition they have here.

“I kept thinking that if Iever got the chance, this was the place I’d love to coach at. It just felt right. For me, it was the right fit.”

The feeling was mutual.

The military school announced last week that Triplett, who played at Clemson from 2000-2004, will succeed Tony Skole as the Bulldogs' baseball coach.

Triplett, who met with the media on June 24, just finished his 14th season at Newberry. He is the winningest coach in that Division II school's history with a record of 418-278-1, a winning percentage of .599.

“I love his drive, his passion, he’s a baseball guy,” said Citadel athletic director Mike Capaccio. “Russell is a meat and potatoes kind of coach, he wants to coach baseball and win games. It’s what he’s all about. He has tremendous energy and drive and I think that’s what college athletics is all about nowadays.”

The Citadel has nothad a winning baseball season in more than a decade, since former head coach Fred Jordan led the Bulldogs to a 35-25 mark and an 18-11 record in the Southern conference in 2013.

The Bulldogs' last SoCon title and NCAA regional appearance came in 2010 under Jordan.

“We have a long way to go and there are a lot of obstacles,” Capaccio said. “I do think we have the right gentlemen to get the job done. He understands and loves The Citadel.”

Triplett said his top priority will be to evaluate the current roster. More than a half-dozen current players have entered the NCAA’s transfer portal, including pitcher Sam Swygert, who verbally committed to play at Georgia Tech next season.

Infielder Thomas Rollauer entered the transfer portal after Skole was let go, but announced on social media that he will return to The Citadel.

“It’s so early, so I’m in the process of evaluating our roster,” Triplett said. “I don’t even know what the numbers are right now or where we stand. The only guys in the portal that I’m worried about now are the ones that have been here. They know what this place is all about, so we want to get them back.”

Triplett saidhe will concentrate most of his recruiting efforts at the high school level.

“This state has a richbaseball tradition with a lot of talent,” Triplett said. “We want to win the state. Because of the portal, there are a lot more high school players that are available these days.”

Skole, a Citadel Hall of Famer in football and baseball, was the Bulldogs' coach for seven years with a record of 123-216, including a 32-108 mark in the Southern Conference.

He could not revive the fortunes of a baseball program with a proud history, including the famed 1990 team that went to the College World Series under coach Chal Port; eight SoCon tournament crowns and 13 regular-season titles; and 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament.