College World Series Preview: Coastal Carolina

I’ll say it over and over again, I love this Coastal Carolina team. I have all year, and that was amplified after I saw them in person in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament. 

Head Coach Kevin Schnall is in his first season and took over right where former Hall of Fame Head Coach Gary Gilmore left off. 

This is just a team that is top to bottom good. It has been wild to me that all season long and during their entire postseason run, people have been calling Coastal a Cinderella team. They are far from that.

Although they are a mid-major, this program boasts a storied history of success and winning. They have 21 NCAA tournament appearances, four NCAA regional championships, and a College World Series championship they won in 2016. This is no Cinderella story. 

Coastal comes to Omaha with a 53-11 overall record and a 23-game winning streak. The Chants have been hot and will look to continue to roll their way through the College World Series. 

Journey to Omaha 

The journey to Omaha for the Chants has been a dominant one. We just talked about their massive winning streak and overall record, but Coastal dominated the Sun Belt Conference to the tune of 26-4 record. 

This is a team that lost just ONE series all season long. It was to Troy back in March where they lost two of three. 

That momentum continued into the Sun Belt Conference tournament, where they swept their way to another championship. Then they went on to their Regional and Super Regional and did the same thing. 

Coastal’s journey has been driven by incredible pitching and an offense that does not quit and wears down pitchers. We will talk about the individual players at length below, but this rotation of Jacob Morrison, Cameron Flukey, and Riely Eikhoff might be the best in college baseball.

The three-headed monster has been a big reason this team made it to Omaha. I mean, the entire pitching staff is as they’ve posted a team ERA of 3.26. 

The offense led by Caden Bodine, Sebastian Alexander, and Blake Barthol has made enough noise to power the Chants to Omaha. It is just a team that gets on base and works up pitch counts which can be frustrating to opposing pitchers. 

Their run to Omaha started in the Conway Regional. Coastal Carolina dominated their home stadium, Springs Brooks Stadium, posting a perfect 3–0 record. 

They opened with a commanding 10–2 win over Fairfield, then obliterated East Carolina 18–7 in a high-powered offensive display. In the regional final, the standout pitching staff delivered a gem in a tight 1–0 victory over ECU, sealing their bid to the Super Regionals without a loss.

It was more of the same in the Auburn Super Regional. Coastal faced off with Auburn in a best-of-three series. In Game 1, Coastal pulled off a 7–6 walk-off win in extra innings. In Game 2, they broke through again in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to take a 4–1 lead and shut down Auburn en route to a series sweep and their first College World Series trip since 2016. 

Expectations in the College World Series

I talked about this on our podcast just yesterday, but I feel that Coastal Carolina is well-suited to make a massive run on their side of the bracket and is the one team that could challenge an LSU or Arkansas in the championship. 

You need pitching to really find your way through the double-elimination style gauntlet and as we discussed, Coastal might have the best pitching staff and most depth in the entire country.

Their game one vs. Arizona will be tough. The Wildcats are another team that is red-hot and they had to go through the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels to punch their ticket to Omaha. This will make for a real fun game one matchup. 

These are two very similar teams. Both run primarily on their pitching staffs, while the Wildcats may have a slight upper hand on Coastal in terms of the offense. Coastal has more firepower and reliable arms on the mound. 

If Coastal were to win game one, they’d face the winner of Oregon State and Louisville. Oregon State would probably be the biggest test for Coastal, but again, Coastal likely has the better arms. 

Coastal’s side of the bracket makes it feel like they could make an easy run to the championship, but anything can happen in Omaha. Regardless, I love the Chants here, and they would be my easy favorite to make it to the College World Series Championship.

This is a team I feel can give an LSU or Arkansas fits, and I would not be surprised if the Chants pulled off another 2016-type run. 

Players to Watch

C Caden Bodine

Stud. That is the easiest way to define Bodine. He has been a staple behind the plate and at the top of the order for this Coastal Carolina team. A highly touted prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft, Bodine is one of the best catchers in the country and calls an incredible game. His pitch framing, arm, and blocking abilities behind the dish are all elite. At the plate, he has an easy plus hit tool and boasts some of the best contact rates in the entire sports—just an absolute dude. 

3B Blake Barthol

We talked about how the Coastal lineup doesn’t have a ton of thump, but Barthol is the one guy who does supply the power for the Chants. He’s hit 11 doubles, 12 home runs, and has 50 RBI this season and has been a steady producer when they’ve needed it. The junior can strikeout a bit too much, but overall, has been a force for this team. Look to him to be an X factor in this College World Series.

OF Sebastian Alexander

Alexander might be the team’s most significant producer as he leads the team with 53 RBI. He has also hit 10 doubles and 10 home runs in 54 games. Alexander has come through in a few clutch situations during this entire postseason run for the Chants. The Redshirt Junior picked the right time to have a breakout season after having a pedestrian 2024. Look for him to continue his run in Omaha. 

RHP Jacob Morrison

Every team needs an ace, and Jacob Morrison is that dude. He is an absolute competitor on the mound and pitches with a ton of fire and controlled emotion. He isn’t afraid to challenge dudes with his fastball with a ton of carry, and he can work all four quadrants of the strikezone with his entire arsenal. The most impressive thing about Morrison is that even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he adapts and still finds ways to dominate. This is a guy who is going to give you 1000% on the mound.

RHP Cameron Flukey

Flukey may not have the most polish, but he easily has the best pure stuff in the entire pitching staff. This is a guy who has struck out 106 batters in 91.2 innings while posting a 3.24 ERA. He is easily one of the top arms for the 2026 MLB Draft. It’s a mid-90s fastball that has topped out at 97 this year with a solid slider and curveball to pair with it. He’s made incredible strides from his already dominant freshman year. 

LHP Dominick Carbone

Every winning team also needs a massive bullpen piece to follow the starter. Enter Dominick Carbone (what a great name). Carbone has struck out 48 batters in 38 innings while posting a 2.61 ERA this year. It feels like every game he comes in, he shuts the door and in like two to three inning stints. He’s just an electric factory for the Chants.