The Citadel announces Russell Triplett as new baseball head coach
June 20, 2024
After conducting a nationwide search throughout the offseason, The Citadel announced Russell Triplett as the Bulldogs’ new baseball head coach. A former standout at Clemson University, Triplett has served as the head coach at Newberry College for the last 14 seasons, amassing an overall record of 418-278-1.
“The opportunity to take the helm of a program with as much history, tradition and pure grit as The Citadel is a dream come true,” Triplett said. “The entire process of interviewing for this position has been incredibly fulfilling, and I’d like to personally thank The Citadel’s president, Gen. Walters, The Citadel Director of Athletics Mike Capaccio and every member of the search committee for putting their faith in my background, my experience and my vision. The Citadel ranks as one of those ‘special places’ within the college baseball community, and my entire family and I are thrilled to embrace the unique culture and dedicated alumni base that makes this institution exceptional.”
The Citadel Director of Athletics Mike Capaccio led the coach search committee that reviewed more than 60 applicants, interviewed leading candidates and selected Coach Triplett.
“Following a comprehensive search over the past few weeks, I’m proud to welcome Russell Triplett as the new head baseball coach for The Citadel,” Capaccio said. “Triplett has a proven track record of success throughout his career and I look forward to watching him construct a culture of excellence, focused around the development of our cadet and student athletes, in the search to reestablish the deep-rooted, winning tradition of the storied baseball program here at The Citadel.”
Throughout his tenure, Coach Triplett garnered honors as the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year on three occasions (2015, 2019, and 2023) while also mentoring three SAC Players of the Year, two SAC Freshmen of the Year and two SAC Conference Scholar Athletes of the Year.
Under his leadership, the team secured its first-ever South Atlantic Conference regular-season title in 2019. Further, the Wolves clinched both the SAC regular-season championship and the tournament championship just two seasons ago during the 2023 campaign, setting a new single-season school record behind 43 victories.
Beyond the program win mark, the 2023 season also featured a slew of broken records for the Wolves, including stolen bases, total hits, team batting average, on-base percentage, total runs scored, RBIs, hit-by pitches and sacrifice flies.
Notably, Newberry secured the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2019, ranking third nationally and hosting an NCAA Regional. Later in 2023, the Wolves registered their first NCAA Tournament win over UNC Pembroke.
Before joining the Wolves, Triplett served as the head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at USC Upstate from 2008-2010, and prior to that as a volunteer assistant at Clemson University.
The Citadel President Gen. Glenn Walters, USMC (Ret.), ’79, was briefed Wednesday morning on the Committee’s deliberations and endorsed their selection.
“I am extremely confident in the decision to bring on Russell Triplett as our new baseball head coach,” Gen. Walters said. “The powerful heritage of this program dates back decades with triumph after triumph serving as the guideposts for the future, and I view this addition to our athletics staff as yet another marker we will look back on with pride.”
As a player, Triplett was a four-time letterman and a two-time second-team All-ACC shortstop at Clemson from 2000-04. He played in 222 total games for the Tigers, finishing with an overall batting average of .312. A two-time team captain, Triplett guided Clemson to four NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regionals and a College World Series appearance in 2002.
Following graduation, Triplett competed as part of the New York Mets organization from 2004 to 2005. He played for the Brooklyn Cyclones (Short Season A) and the Kingsport Mets (Rookie League) in 2004 before moving up to the Binghamton Mets (Double-A) and Hagerstown Suns (Single-A) in 2005.
A native of West Columbia, S.C., Triplett earned his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Clemson. Triplett and his wife, Ciria, are proud parents of three sons.
The Citadel will host a press conference on Monday introducing Coach Triplett to The Citadel family.
