OMAHA, Neb. – Asked what they thought of the LSU Tigers, what they liked about them, what they respected about them, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers were somewhat dismissive of the question.
“Not a whole lot,” said starting pitcher Jacob Morrison, who dazzled over 7 2/3 innings, allowing a run on five hits in a 6-2 win against Coastal Carolina on June 15.
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It’s not because they don’t respect the Tigers, and not because they’re ignorant about who they’re facing off against for the National Championship.
“We’re not really worried about the Tigers. We’re more of just self-oriented team. We’re just focused on our team and our team only,” said second baseman Blake Barthol.
The Chanticleers have three things they focus on each game: scoring first, scoring seven runs, and winning what head coach Kevin Schnall calls “the big inning war,” meaning they want to have more big innings than their opponent.
If they can do those things, generally, they’re going to win.
“So, scoring first is a big part of our offense, absolutely. We’re 37-2 when we score first. When we get to seven, we’re 37-1. And when we win the big-inning war we’re 42-1,” Schnall said. “As a collective unit, that’s what we’re trying to do every single day.”
Achieving those three objectives are what has made Coastal Carolina roll to a marathon winning streak that started on April 25 with a 9-2 win in 11 innings at James Madison and continued through the Sun Belt Conference tournament, into the NCAA tournament, through the Conway regional and Auburn super regional and three games in Omaha at Charles Schwab Field.
Schnall, a bearded, intense coach who doesn’t smile much and is at times blunt yet thoughtful simultaneously, tries to keep the team focused on “playing Coastal baseball,” a phrase repeated by his players after nearly every game.
To wit, at Friday’s media day press conference, catcher Caden Bodine said, “We’re really just focused on playing Coastal baseball, honestly. I think our preparation gives us that confidence to go out there and win. So I think that really stems from that.”
But what is “Coastal baseball?”
“I think just playing short game, playing quality at-bats, throwing competitive strikes and just having timely hitting,” Bodine said I think that’s the biggest way and going out there and owning every single thing on the baseball field. And that’s Coastal baseball for us.”
“You have to have a certain type of energy level to play at Coastal Carolina,” Schnall elaborated. “Two pillars of Coastal Carolina are the words ‘relentless’ and ‘selfless.’ And ‘relentless’ is basically doing everything to the best of your ability every single day. And ‘selfless’ is having an others-centered mindset versus a self-centered mindset. And that is non-negotiable in our program.”
Schnall named Cam Flukey, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound righty from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., his Game One starter. The sophomore has been stellar for the Chanticleers, making eight starts during the win streak, averaging 5.25 innings, 3.875 hits and just two runs allowed in that span.
He’ll have the eyes of the college baseball world on him tomorrow evening, especially those rooting against LSU, which would seem to be most college baseball fans who don’t live in Louisiana.
Asked what he thought of the idea that college baseball fans in 49 states are behind his team, Kevin Schnall didn’t hesitate to respond with how fans can help get behind his team, saying, “The Chanticleer Athletic Foundation, it’s a great opportunity to give back and donate and all the support matters.”
Addressing the media, the Chanticleers’ head coach recalled big moments in the history of the program, from their first NCAA tournament berth, to hosting their first regional, to their 2016 national championship. He was there for all of them.
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Schnall was an assistant on Gary Gilmore’s staff at Coastal Carolina when the Chanticleers won the 2016 College World Series, and before that, was a player at Coastal Carolina. His whole life, from college and beyond, has led to this moment, with the first-year coach and his team two wins away from a national championship.
“It all started with a chance. Coach Gilmore gave me a chance back in 1997 to play Division I baseball at Coastal Carolina. And then in 2000, he gave me a chance to be a coach on his staff,” Schnall said.
“If it wasn’t for those chances, I’m not sure where I’m at today. And just to see, not only Coastal baseball, but Coastal Carolina University, grow into what it is today is really special.”
And if they could win a second national title in their second trip to Omaha?
“That would be two national championships in nine years. That would put Coastal Carolina baseball on a different planet,” he said, the national championship trophy sitting to his left on the desk. “That would put Coastal Carolina University in a really good position, and again that’s really special.”
“But it’s not about winning a national championship at this point; it’s about winning today’s practice, and that’s what’s really important, at 12:00, we have to win the next hour and a half. We’ve got to have a great session today, and then we’ve got to win tomorrow’s BP. And then it’s about just winning pitches, not worrying about outs, winning pitches. If you win pitches, you’ll start getting outs. And before you know it, you hold that [trophy] up.”
Coastal Carolina By The Numbers
Record – 56-11
Streak – Won 26
How the Earned An NCAA Berth – Won Sun Belt Conference Championship
Team Triple Slash Line – .290./.410/.447
Team OPS – .857
Team ERA – 3.22
Run Differential – +270 (506/236)
The Chanticleers’ Run In The NCAA Tournament
Conway Regional
May 30 – Beat Fairfield 10-2
May 31 – Beat East Carolina 18-7
June 1 – Beat East Carolina 1-0
Auburn Super Regional
June 6 – Beat Auburn 7-6
June 7 – Beat Auburn 4-1
Men’s College World Series
June 13 – Beat Arizona 7-4
June 15 – Beat Oregon State 6-2
June 18 – Beat Louisville 11-3
Photo: Coastal Carolina pitcher Cameron Flukey (2) throws a pitch during an NCAA College World Series baseball game on Friday, June 13, 2025 in Omaha, Neb. Flukey will start game one of the best-of-three championship series for the Chanticleers. (AP Photo/Cory Eads)
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
