Latest news with #Coastal
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Scorching hot Coastal Carolina glides into CWS final looking to extend history
Sixty days and 26 games have passed since Coastal Carolina's last loss. Every team arrives at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, on a hot streak of one form or another, having at least survived the gauntlet of two double-elimination weekends to be one of the final eight in competition for the national championship. But the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament winners have taken this to another level. The 23-game streak the Chanticleers carried out of the super regionals was the longest for any team entering World Series play since the current tournament format debuted in 1999, topping Oregon State's 21-game winning streak in 2017. "Once an umpire says, 'play ball,' our win streak goes away," said sophomore pitcher Jacob Morrison. "I really don't think that it ever carries over, is in our head, quite frankly." They've added another three at Charles Schwab Field. After topping Arizona and Oregon State, the Chanticleers beat Louisville 11-3 on Wednesday to reach this weekend's best-of-three championship series against LSU. With this winning streak in tow, the Chanticleers head into the series against the Tigers poised to make history – again. Nine years ago, Coastal came out of relative anonymity to capture one of the most unexpected banners in college baseball history. Then led by longtime coach Gary Gilmore, the Chanticleers spent more than half of the regular season unranked before hitting a grove in the second half of May. Coastal then won the North Carolina State regional, swept LSU in the super regional and won the final two games against Arizona to become the first and still only team in Sun Belt history to win the national championship. Coastal is still one of four non-major-conference teams to win the World Series since 1999, joining Rice in 2003, Cal State Fullerton in 2004 and Fresno State in 2008. After being picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt poll amid questions about how the program would fare under first-year coach Kevin Schnall, a former Coastal catcher and MLB draft pick who spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant, the Chanticleers are in position to capture an out-of-left-field championship. "It's incredible, but it's not unbelievable," Schnall said after Wednesday's win. "And it's not unbelievable because we've got really good players, really good players." One is junior catcher Caden Bodine, a multiple-time All-America pick and "the best catcher in the country," Morrison said. Bodine leads Coastal in batting average (.326) and on-base percentage (.459), ranks second in OPS (.932) and entered the tournament having thrown out 16 of 44 would-be base stealers while posting a .998 fielding percentage. "It's very calming knowing he's back there every time," Morrison added. Morrison (12-0) headlines maybe the best pitching staff in college baseball. Coastal ranks second nationally in ERA thanks in part to the offseason addition of pitching coach Matt Williams, who spent last season at South Carolina. Morrison was named the Sun Belt pitcher of the year after missing last year following Tommy John surgery. Sophomore Cameron Flukey, who earned the win against Arizona, has cut his walk rate nearly in half and trimmed more than two runs from his ERA. Fifth-year senior Riley Eikhoff's ERA sits at 3.10 following the Louisville win after he posted an ERA above 4.43 in each of his first three years. The pitching staff embodies one of the crucial factors behind this year's success. At a time of extensive player movement through the transfer portal, Coastal has largely avoided the same roster turnover to grant a level of continuity that has paid dividends in the postseason. "Gary Gilmore was able to teach us how to assemble a roster," Schnall said. "It's not about putting together just the best players. You have to put together the best team. Sometimes money doesn't always buy that." Of the Chanticleers' 10 most-used pitchers, nine arrived as freshmen. The exception, closer Ryan Lynch, played on the junior-college ranks before joining the program. But the Chanticleers lost three of their four top hitters from last season and, in Gilmore, a Hall of Fame coach who engineered Coastal's development into one of the most consistent winners on the non-major level. "We had to figure out who was going to fill those gaps," Schnall said. Former transfers such as outfielders Sebastian Alexander and Wells Sykes have provided an offensive boost: Alexander leads the team in OPS (.948) and steals (27), while Sykes has added 37 RBI and 18 steals. The pair has also combined for 37 hit by pitches, part of Coastal's NCAA-record 176 on the year. "I think not just me but my teammates, we're locked in," Sykes said. "We're on a crazy win streak. We're really consistent. So I think that's helped everybody, not just me." The Chanticleers will face another major test against seven-time national champion LSU, which is 8-1 in the tournament after sweeping through World Series games against Arkansas and UCLA. The Tigers spent two weeks at No. 1 in the Coaches Poll and were No. 3 nationally at the end of the regular season. "We got a bunch of humble dogs in that dugout that are willing to do whatever it takes to win," Schnall said. "That's why we're one of two teams in the country still playing today."
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
What is a 'Chanticleer'? Coastal Carolina's mascot and nickname, explained
Coastal Carolina is back in the men's College World Series, with the Chanticleers facing the LSU Tigers and hoping to win their first national title in baseball since 2016 (and maybe they're getting some support from an Outer Banks actress). But if you're here, you might be wondering about something in the paragraph above: just what the heck is a Chanticleer? If you've never heard of that, you'd understandably be confused. Luckily, we've got you covered. A Chanticleer is a rooster, and the name came from Geoffrey Chaucer's classic Canterbury Tales. But there's a story about how Coastal Carolina ended up with a name like that: How did Coastal Carolina get the name Chanticleers? From CCU's site: In the early 1960s, Coastal's athletic teams were known as the Trojans. A group of Coastal students and their English professor-basketball coach Cal Maddox brought up the idea of a new mascot. At the time, with Coastal serving as a two-year branch campus of the University of South Carolina, many people began to push for a nickname that was more closely related to USC's Gamecock. Thus, Chanticleer was born, giving Coastal its own identity and one of the most unique mascots in college athletics. What's the pronunciation of Chanticleer? It's not CHANT-IH-CLEAR. It's SHON-TI-CLEAR. What's Coastal Carolina's mascot? That would be Chauncey.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
College World Series Championship Series Odds, Picks: LSU Takes On Coastal
Coach Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers enter the College World Series Championship Series vs. Coastal Carolina as the betting favorites. Coach Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers enter the College World Series Championship Series vs. Coastal Carolina as the betting favorites. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The 2025 NCAA Men's College World Series culminates with an intriguing three-game Championship Series between SEC power LSU and red-hot Sun Belt juggernaut Coastal Carolina, which has won 26 (!) games in a row. Both the Tigers and the Chanticleers went 3-0 in Omaha to reach the winner-take-all series this weekend. LSU took down Arkansas (4-1), UCLA (9-5) and Arkansas (6-5) for a second time to emerge from Bracket 2. Coastal came to Omaha on a 23-game winning streak and remained unbeaten with Bracket 1 wins over Arizona (7-4), Oregon State (6-2) and Louisville (11-3). The Chanticleers' last L came in a midweek road game vs. College of Charleston, which Coastal lost 4-2 on April 22. CWS Championship Schedule, How To Watch Coastal vs. LSU Game 1: Saturday, June 21, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+) Game 2: Sunday, June 22, 2:30 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN+) Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 23, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+) Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Series Odds As you can see below, oddsmakers see 2023 national champion LSU as the clear favorite. Will the SEC's dominance of this tournament continue? Or are sportsbooks overlooking an impressive Coastal squad that has already won 56 games this year? DK FD bet365 BetMGM Coastal Carolina +155 +154 +160 +155 LSU -190 -192 -190 -190 CWS Championship Series Total Games Odds At bet365, you can bet on whether this series will feature a Game 3. Below are bet365's CWS Championship Series over/under total games odds as of Friday, June 20: Over 2.5 Games: -115 Under 2.5 Games: -125 Coastal Carolina-LSU Game 1 Odds: Moneyline, Run Line, Total DK FD bet365 CCU ML +130 +134 +130 LSU ML -166 -172 -160 CCU run line +1.5 (-135) +1.5 (-158) +1.5 (-150) LSU run line -1.5 (+105) -1.5 (+124) -1.5 (+120) Total 8.5 (o-115; u-115) 8.5 (o-113; u-113) 8.5 (o-110; u-120) CWS Championship Series Analysis, Picks Following a tense three-game series in last year's CWS Championship Series between Tennessee and Texas A&M, this year's clash between LSU and Coastal also promises to be a hard-fought battle. The Tigers' 2023 title and their 2025 resume make them worthy favorites, but the betting odds for this series strike me as too dismissive of Coastal Carolina. While the Chants did not play an SEC schedule, they've shown no reason to doubt that they can hang with a top team from the top conference in college baseball. Coastal has only played two games against an SEC foe this year, but its Super Regional road sweep of Auburn -- which went 17-13 in the SEC -- showed that it can more than hang with SEC competition. Doubting a Chanticleers team that has gone 8-0 this postseason while outscoring the opposition 64-25 (including a 3-0 record in Omaha while outscoring Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville 24-9) just does not seem like a great idea, regardless of who it is facing. While anyone who has watched Coastal's run to this point would agree they have a real chance in this series, that doesn't quite answer the question of whether it makes more sense to bet on CCU or LSU. The Tigers have few holes in either their lineup or their pitching staff, and they'll be starting two of the best pitchers in the country in Kade Anderson in Game 1 and Anthony Eyanson in Game 2. Coastal has three excellent starting pitchers of its own, though. Expected Game 1 starter Cameron Flukey boasts a 3.29 ERA, and likely Game 2 starter Jacob Morrison has been lights-out all year (ERA: 2.08; opp. batting avg: .194). If there's a Game 3, Coastal fans would feel great about No. 3 arm Riley Eickhoff. If Morrison can stay in the groove he was in during his last two appearances -- he allowed just two earned runs combined in 13.2 total innings vs. Auburn in the Super Regional on June 7 and Oregon State in the CWS on June 15 -- I like Coastal to take Game 2. Coastal Carolina vs. LSU CWS Championship Best Bets, Pick It's hard to predict how a head-to-head matchup between two well-rounded teams playing as well as LSU and Coastal will go, but right now, the best bets in this series are: Series Total Games: Over 2.5 (-115 at bet365) -- 1 unit Coastal Carolina run line +1.5 (-135 at DK) -- 1 unit And if I have to pick a national champ before this thing gets underway, I'm going to go with Coastal Carolina (+160 at bet365) -- 0.5 units. This series is just too evenly matched for me to recommend LSU at -190 or shorter. Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Complete preview: LSU baseball faces Coastal Carolina in College World Series final
Eight teams arrived at the College World Series in Omaha searching for a national championship. A week later, just two teams remain. LSU and Coastal Carolina are set to meet in the College World Series Final, a best-of-three series beginning on Saturday. LSU and Coastal both made it through bracket play without taking a loss. The Tigers came close, but stormed back to beat Arkansas with a three-run ninth inning, capped off by a Jared Jones walk-off single. Earlier on Wednesday, Coastal Carolina beat Louisville and extended its win streak to 26 games, the third-longest streak in D-I in the last five seasons. If LSU had lost, the Tigers would have been forced to play an elimination game on Thursday, giving the Chanticleers an extra day of rest. But now LSU and CCU will have had two days of rest before the CWS final begins. Here's a complete preview and schedule for the College World Series final between LSU baseball and Coastal Carolina. LSU vs. Coastal Carolina: Win probability Implied probabilities are sourced from BetMGM odds. LSU gets a fresh Kade Anderson in Game 1, Eyanson in Game 2 Kade Anderson, LSU's ace, started vs. Arkansas last Saturday and pitched seven innings of one-run baseball. He struck out seven and allowed just three hits. It's what we've come to expect from the lefty who has been one of college baseball's top arms and entered the conversation to be the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft. And with LSU going 3-0 in bracket play, Anderson wasn't needed again. He'll take the mound on Saturday with a complete week of rest, the norm for college pitchers. Anderson has thrown 319 pitches in his last three outings. That's not a crazy amount, but this time of year can be taxing for pitchers. LSU doesn't have to worry about fatigue being an issue for Anderson on Saturday. Anthony Eyanson, LSU's ace 1B, is well-rested, too. Eyanson's start vs. UCLA was cut short after 48 pitches when weather forced the game to be suspended until the next morning. Eyanson was available if needed in LSU's win over Arkansas, but the Tigers' bullpen managed to get it done. Those 48 pitches are the only pitches Eyanson has thrown since his super regional start. Coastal Carolina's staff is also well-positioned, but if the series goes to a Game 3, CCU's Riley Eickhoff could be working on slightly shorter rest after throwing 98 pitches on Wednesday. Which starting rotation has the edge? The focus in this series will be on the pitchers. LSU boats Anderson and Eyanson while Coastal boasts Cameron Flukey, Jacob Morrison, and Eikhoff. All five are considered among the best pitchers in the nation. Coastal Carolina's staff ERA of 3.20 ranks second nationally and LSU isn't far behind, with the Tigers' 3.80 ERA sitting ninth. Coastal Carolina's strikeout to walk ratio is 3.07, seventh in college baseball. LSU's is 2.80, 12th. Coastal has a slight edge in most pitching stats, but given how similar the numbers are, and Coastal's easier conference schedule, the stats suggest these staffs are neck and neck. Cameron Flukey is the likely Game 1 starter for the Chanticleers. The 6-foot-6 sophomore has a 3.29 ERA in 95.2 innings. Flukey dominated Sun Belt competition, but has a 5.91 ERA when facing Power Four lineups. The stuff is good, but he's not unhittable. LSU will counter Flukey with Kade Anderson, the nation's strikeout leader and a consensus top-five draft prospect. Saturday could be a pitcher's duel, but I give LSU the edge with Anderson on the mound. It's hard to beat Anderson without home runs, and Coastal doesn't hit many of those (more on that later). On Sunday, I expect to see LSU's Eyanson vs. CCU's Morrison. Opponents are hitting just .194 vs Morrison in 2025 and he's only walked 22 batters in 104 innings. He owns a 2.08 ERA, and unlike Flukey, his Power Four vs. Sun Belt splits aren't drastic. It doesn't matter who Morrison has faced in 2025 -- he's been dominant. But LSU is tough to beat when Eyanson pitches. The Tigers have won eight straight games where Eyanson appeared, whether as a starter or out of the pen. He's one of the best strikeout pitchers in the country with 143 K's in 101.2 innings. Eyanson has allowed seven earned runs in his last eight innings pitched, but was beginning to settle in vs. UCLA until the weather hit. If both Eyanson and Morrison have their best stuff. I give LSU the slight edge on Sunday. But I trust Morrison's consistency, right now. We'll chalk this one up as a tie. If a Game 3 is necessary, Coastal could benefit from having three full-time starters. LSU probably won't be saving Casan Evans for a Game 3 start if he's needed for a win in Game 1 or 2. But overall, Anderson and Eyanson are the two best pitchers in this series when it comes to stuff. They're battle-tested vs. the best lineups in the SEC, and I'm giving LSU's rotation the edge. Coastal Carolina's bullpen is loaded The LSU pitching staff has stepped up in Omaha with guys like Chase Shores, Zac Cowan, and Jaden Noot making big-time pitches. But Coastal Carolina's bullpen is one of the best in the sport. Chanticleers' reliever Ryan Lynch has a 0.58 ERA in 31 innings. The last time he allowed a run was March 22. In 27 appearances, he's allowed an earned run just twice. Those are video game numbers. Dominick Carbone, Matthew Potok, Darin Horn and Hayden Johnson all boast ERAs of 3.00 or less in 20+ innings pitched. LSU doesn't lack talent, and the recent performances are promising, but the bullpen has faltered at points this season. When it gets away from the LSU pen, it's rarely because the Tigers are getting hit. It's usually about an inability to throw strikes. Chase Shores can touch 100, but you don't always know where it's going to go. Lately, Shores has been executing though. If Shores continues this run, LSU has another high-leverage arm to count on. LSU's top arm out of the pen is Casan Evans. The true freshman is an emerging star and entered LSU's starting rotation late in the year, but with LSU lacking quality arms in the pen, Evans has been Johnson's go-to reliever in the postseason. Another positive development was the re-emergence of Zac Cowan. For much of the season, Cowan was unhittable out of the pen, but he struggled to locate over the last month. He got the start for LSU vs. Arkansas on Wednesday and pitched 5.1 innings without allowing a walk. LSU lineup: Tigers continue to be clutch Situational hitting has been the story for LSU throughout the postseason. Whether it's with runners in scoring position or keeping an inning alive with two outs, LSU is coming through when it matters. Look no further than the Tigers' ninth inning vs. Arkansas. LSU's lineup does a little bit of everything. The Tigers have the power to hit balls out of the park, but can play small ball too. The Tigers take walks, and when pitchers issue too many free passes, LSU makes them pay with clutch hits. Derek Curiel and Ethan Frey, LSU's typical No. 1 and No. 2 hitters, have been pivotal in getting rallies going. Coastal Carolina's pitchers are tough to hit. It will be key for Curiel and Frey to deliver quality at-bats at the top of the order. If Curiel and Frey make CCU work, there's bound to be a mistake at some point. LSU has the bats in the middle of the lineup to make the Chanticleers pay. Jared Jones has homered in back-to-back games for the Tigers. His homer vs. UCLA gave LSU, his homer vs. Arkansas tied the game, and his walk-off single won the game. Not many guys have the power to hit it out of Charles Schwab Stadium, but Jones does. If he keeps swinging the bat like this, LSU will score enough runs to win this series. How does Coastal Carolina score runs? Coastal Carolina doesn't rely on the long ball. With 66 homers on the year, the lineup isn't absent of power, but it's not the Chanticleers' identity. Coastal Carolina does two things really well: Get hit by pitches and steal bases. CCU leads the nation in HBPs and led the Sun Belt in stolen bags. And while they don't smash a ton of homers, the Chanticleers led the Sun Belt with 123 doubles. Catcher Caden Bodine leads the team in hits and on-base percentage. He's one of the draft's top prospects, for what he does at the plate and behind it. Sebastian Alexander is a key piece too, scoring 59 runs. He's second on the team with 10 homers and leads the group with 27 steals. In Omaha, Colby Thorndyke has been Coastal Carolina's top run producer with 8 RBI in three games. LSU baseball vs. Coastal Carolina: College World Series Schedule Here is the schedule for the final series as LSU looks for its eighth national title in program history. The series will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. LSU will be the home team, and ace Kade Anderson is expected to get the start. Game 2 is set for 1:30 p.m. CT. LSU is expected to start Anthony Eyanson and be the visiting team. If necessary, the squads will play a decisive Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. CT on Monday. LSU's CWS final vs. Florida went to three games in 2023. LSU and Coastal Carolina have history LSU met Coastal Carolina in the 2016 super regional. An unseeded team nationally, Coastal Carolina came into Alex Box Stadium and knocked off an LSU squad ranked inside the top-8 in front of one of the most intimidating crowds in the country. The Tigers suffered an 11-8 loss in game one, then in game two, suffered a defeat in walk-off fashion that ended their season. Coastal Carolina defeated Florida, TCU and Arizona en route to hoisting the trophy in 2016. Current LSU head coach Jay Johnson held the same role at Arizona at the time. The upset was a shock at the time, especially to LSU fans, but CCU has since gone on to be one of the sport's most consistent programs.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
College World Series: Analyzing LSU, Coastal Carolina finals
College World Series: Analyzing LSU, Coastal Carolina finals Show Caption Hide Caption Arkansas' Gage Wood throws historic no-hitter in College World Series Arkansas' Gage Wood tosses the third no-hitter in Men's College World Series history as Arkansas tops Murray State. NCAA And now, the end is near, and so we face the final series. Sorry, Frank, couldn't resist. The college baseball season will soon reach its conclusion at the Men's College World Series, with the last two teams standing set to square off in the best-of-three finale at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. One program has already claimed seven championship banners, the last coming just two years ago. But the other is no underdog, having also won this championship before despite not representing one of the so-called power conferences. Here's all you need to know about the finalists and how to watch the last showdown on the collegiate sports calendar. No. 6 LSU (51-15) vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina (56-11) Game 1, June 21, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Game 2, June 22, 2:30 p.m. ET, ABC Game 3 (if necessary), June 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Both teams negotiated their respective four-team brackets in Omaha unscathed, although LSU did so with a bit more drama. The Tigers' ninth-inning rally, admittedly aided by Arkansas' miscues in the field, nonetheless demonstrated that an opponent can't afford to leave the door open against this batting order. The Chanticleers, however, might just be the team best-constructed to keep LSU at bay, with pitching depth and sound defensive fundamentals. Coastal coach Kevin Schnall has options regarding his rotation, but it's fairly certain that Jacob Morrison and Cameron Flukey will start Games 1 and 2 in some order. The Chanticleers can also be confident that Riley Eikhoff can be called upon if a Game 3 is needed, and Ryan Lynch and Dominick Carbone anchor a deep bullpen that is well-rested. The primary threats they'll face from LSU's formidable lineup include Jared Jones (.330, 22 HR, 76 RBI) and Derek Curiel (.348, 53 RBI, 66 runs scored). Of course, there's the other side of the matchup, where the Tigers also have some accomplished arms. LSU generates 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings, and that's usually the M.O. to get out of jams. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson are the K leaders, with closer Casan Evans also able to miss bats. Coastal might not have LSU's power, but the Chanticleers' ability to make contact and get timely hits has served them well. Coastal catcher Caden Bodine and first baseman Colby Thorndyke are just a couple of the clutch producers from a lineup whose top six hitters have an average above .275.
