2026 Baseball Season Preview: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers enter the season aiming for another trip to Omaha. The Chants had a historic 2025 run that ended one step short of a national title.

In Kevin Schnall’s first season as Coastal Carolina’s head coach, he led the program to a 56–13 record, highlighted by a 26-game winning streak and a return to the College World Series.

Coastal Carolina earned a No. 13 national seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and hosted the Conway Regional at Springs Brooks Stadium.

The Chanticleers swept the Conway Regional, including electric wins over East Carolina, to advance to the Auburn Super Regional.

Coastal Carolina opened the Super Regional with a 7-6 win over Auburn, where infielder Blake Barthol and catcher Caden Bodine were impactful in the victory. Barthol, the Chanticleers’ second baseman, made a diving catch and doubled off an Auburn baserunner at second to preserve a 6-6 score and send the game to extra innings. Coastal Carolina took the lead in the top of the 10th inning via a solo home run by Bodine, and Barthol made the exact same double play to erase a runner in scoring position and give his team a 7-6 victory.

The Chanticleers advanced to the College World Series and powered their way to the finals with victories over Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville, but their historic run came to an end with back-to-back losses to LSU.

Despite the loss, the Chanticleers turned heads throughout the 2025 season with a run few anticipated, and Schnall and his team enter the upcoming season with plans to do it again.

Coastal Carolina features high-end pitching with the return of Cameron Flukey, Dominick Carbone, Hayden Johnson, and Ryan Lynch to make another trip to Omaha.

Flukey, a returning junior, was named a 2026 preseason first-team All-American after going 7–2 with a 3.28 ERA and 117 strikeouts during the 2025 season, according to D1Baseball. Flukey establishes himself as one of the top pitchers in college baseball and will be recognized as the Chanticleers’ ace, with projections placing him among the top prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft.

Carbone, a returning junior, was also named a 2026 preseason first-team All-American and enters the season as one of college baseball’s top bullpen arms. The New York native left-hander appeared in 28 games, logging 41 innings with a 6–0 record, five saves and 52 strikeouts while facing 174 batters, according to D1Baseball.

Johnson, a returning junior, appeared in 24 games for the Chanticleers last season, posting a 5–0 record with a save, according to D1Baseball. With the departures of starters Jacob Morrison and Riley Eikhoff, he is expected to take on a larger role in the rotation for 2026.

Lynch, a graduate student, appeared in 28 games last season, pitching 32 innings while posting an impressive 0.56 ERA, according to D1Baseball. He finished 2025 with a 2–1 record and nine saves, and is expected to provide key bullpen depth for the Chanticleers in 2026.

Matt Williams enters his second season as the Chanticleers’ pitching coach after an impactful debut year, delivering one of the best single seasons by a pitching coach in Coastal Carolina history. Williams helped orchestrate a significant turnaround on the mound, which helped the Chants to a school-record and nation-leading 56 wins. Under his guidance, Coastal’s pitching staff ranked second nationally and led the Sun Belt Conference in ERA and WHIP, finishing the 2025 season with a 3.22 ERA. Williams aims to build on that success in 2026, continuing to develop Coastal Carolina’s pitching staff into one of the nation’s best.

Coastal Carolina improved its roster with impactful transfers, adding experienced bats and defensive talent to replace holes left by departures such as Bodine’s move to the MLB Draft.

Outfielder and Stetson transfer Jordan Taylor started 62 of 63 games, maintaining a solid .322 average with 26 extra-base hits, eight home runs and 22 stolen bases, offering a mix of power and speed to the Chanticleers’ lineup.

Catcher Cole Chamberlain, a transfer from Texas, enters his sophomore season with a fresh opportunity after posting a 5-for-37 line with two doubles, three RBIs, nine runs and 15 walks in 22 games in 2025. Despite showing struggles at Texas, he showed promise and should provide strong defense and offensive potential for the Chanticleers.

Infielder Lukas Buckner, a transfer from Mississippi State, appeared in 22 games for the Bulldogs last season, batting .289 with 11 hits, three runs scored and two RBIs. Buckner continued to impress this summer in the Appalachian League, hitting .313 in 99 at-bats with 12 RBIs over 25 games, showing his potential to make an impact for Coastal Carolina in 2026.

The Chanticleers open up their season with a three-game series at home against Fairfield University, starting Friday, Feb. 13.

Coastal is also participating in the annual Bruce Bolt College Classic, where they will face off against standout programs such as Texas, UTSA and Ole Miss in the Houston Astros stadium beginning in late February.

With a mix of returning stars, high-end pitching and transfers ready to make their mark, Coastal Carolina enters the 2026 season on track for another deep postseason run. Kevin Schnall’s squad carries the momentum of last year’s historic journey, aiming not just to return to Omaha, but to make an even bigger statement on college baseball’s biggest stage. From dynamic bats to dominant arms, the Chanticleers are a team to watch.

The Chanticleers are ranked No. 6 nationally entering the year, according to D1Baseball.