World Baseball Network sat down with Coastal Carolina Pitching Coach Matt Williams and Director of Analytics Matt Pepin to discuss everything surrounding the Chanticleers heading into the 2026 college baseball season.
Reliving the Historic 2025 Season
In 2025, Coastal Carolina finished the season as Sun Belt regular season champions, Sun Belt tournament champions, and national runners-up during the College World Series.
The Chanticleers made it to the College World Series for the second time in program history and had 56 total wins.
Williams talked about the historic season for his team.
“It was an awesome run,” Williams told World Baseball Network. “I spent more time with the pitching staff and just being with those guys day in and day out — they were a lot of fun. It was a tremendous group.”
Williams also brought home the D1 Baseball and American Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award. His Chanticleers’ pitching staff had the second-best team ERA in the country (3.20).
He talked about what it meant to bring home that award and how the support staff around him played a factor.
“It is a great honor. However, you need good players to be able to do that. And you need good support around you, and I’m very fortunate to have that.”
A Look at Cam Flukey and Hayden Johnson
Williams and Pepin discussed some key Chanticleer pitchers returning for the 2026 season.
Cam Flukey is returning after a season where he threw 101 2/3 innings, had 118 strikeouts, and allowed an opposing batting average of .209.
Williams talked about Flukey as he heads into 2026 as one of the best pitchers in all fo college baseball.
“He does a tremendous job of preparing himself day in and day out. And I think if you look at what he does from a preparation standpoint, you see why he is probably the best pitcher in the country.”
Hayden Johnson is also returning to Coastal Carolina after a great season of relief pitching. In 2025, the left-hander had a 2.84 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings of work.
Coach Pepin discussed the aspects of Johnson’s game that stand out analytically.
“Building up his workload and being able to take on a full season while pitching deep into games will be the key,” Pepin stated regarding Johnson. “If he has the ability to do that — which I fully believe he will — he is a top draft pick. He is unbelievable, like Flukey from an ability standpoint, where his fastball is ahead of the rest.”
Pepin also mentioned that Johnson’s curveball looked great during the Chanticleers’ fall practices and that it will be something to keep an eye on in the spring.
A Look at Dominick Carbone and Darin Horn
Dominick Carbone was also a great reliever for Coastal Carolina last season. In 41 innings of work, he had a 2.36 ERA with 52 strikeouts. He also had an undefeated record of 6-0.
Williams talked about Carbone’s sinker and how deadly and fast it was during last season.
“I think he was up to 96 last year,” Williams said regarding Carbone. “It’s a power sinker. He’s got some swing-and-miss in there. He was really effective against left-handed hitters — he did a tremendous job of getting them out.”
The final pitcher that was discussed during World Baseball Network’s interview with the Coastal Carolina coaches was Darin Horn.
Horn was a redshirt junior last season who pitched 26 1/3 innings. He had a 2.73 ERA and 34 strikeouts. Horn also allowed a .196 opposing batting average.
Pepin talked about how good Horn has been with Coastal Carolina during his collegiate career.
“His sinker whiff rate was first in the country in 2023,” Pepin said. “He missed 2024. Then last year, his sinker’s whiff rate was first again. So, he’s done it twice now — a ton of swing-and-miss, a ton of depth and arm-side run on that thing.”
Expectations for 2026, A Look at the 2026 Bruce Bolt College Classic
Williams talked about the mindset of his Coastal Carolina team heading into 2026. Safe to say, the Chanticleers want to be competitive enough to return to the College World Series again.
“We’re going at it the same way — just as hungry as we were last year — and the expectations couldn’t be higher,” the Chanticleers’ pitching coach said.
A key portion of Coastal Carolina’s schedule is from February 27 through March 1. They will play in the 2026 Bruce Bolt College Classic and face off against the Texas Longhorns, UTSA Roadrunners, and Ole Miss Rebels.
The event will take place at Daikin Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros.
With two SEC teams on their slate, Pepin talked about the preparation that Coastal Carolina goes through when facing off against these tough lineups.
“Obviously, it’s always a challenge, but the approach doesn’t change whether we’re playing Fairfield or Texas,” Pepin said to World Baseball Network. “We’re going in and going about it the same way. We are really excited to get down there in Houston and play in that ballpark. But for our guys, we’re trying to do the same thing week in and week out and put together the best product out on the field.”
Coastal Carolina will begin the 2026 college baseball season against the Fairfield Stags on February 13. The game will be at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
The Chanticleers played the Stags during the 2025 NCAA Tournament in the Conway regional and won that game 10-2.
NCAA news: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
