Coastal Carolina’s pitching nearly carried the school to another College World Series title in 2025. The only school that stood in their way was LSU, a complete powerhouse that took down the Chanticleers in the final. Heading into 2026, expectations will likely be high.

The Newcomers

There’s been a significant amount of stability across the Coastal Carolina program over the last decade. The Chanticleers emerged as one of the best rising programs thanks to a CWS title in 2026 and nearly won another in 2025. And, the program kept key pieces from their 2025 team around for 2026.

The Chanticleers produced one first-round pick in 2025 when Caden Bodine was drafted by the Orioles. A second could emerge come next July with junior pitcher Cameron Flukey.

Flukey, a product of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, could have gone pro as a high schooler back in 2023. He didn’t, and has since emerged as one of the best pitchers in college baseball. During his sophomore campaign, Flukey — with a treasure trove of weapons — struck out 118 over 101 innings.

He co-captained a rotation that included Jacob Morrison, a third-rounder by the Brewers, who posted a sub-2.0 BB/9 over 107 innings last season. Flukey is the only one of Coastal Carolina’s top three to head back to campus, as Riley Eikhoff was picked by the White Sox.

Aside from Flukey, grad student Ryan Lynch, senior Darin Horn, and sophomores Luke Jones and Scott Doran are among the returning pitchers. Jones started 10 games last season for Coastal.

The offense, meanwhile, returned several pieces despite losing Bodine and Sebastian Alexander.

Blake Barthol, Walker Mitchell, and Colby Thorndyke, all regulars in 2025, are back for 2026. Additionally, the hits leader, senior Dean Mihos, returned for his senior campaign. Mihos posted a .453 on-base percentage last year.

It should also be noted that head coach Kevin Schnall won’t be going anywhere in the near future. Schnall, who took over from Gary Gilmore, was extended through 2030 per the university on October 15.

The Returnees

The transfer portal brought some fresh faces to Conway.

While catcher Domenico Tozzi returned for his sophomore season and new freshman Josh Toole are on the roster, so is Cole Chamberlain. Chamberlain hit just .135 as a freshman for the Texas Longhorns last season. He did hit well in the California Collegiate League with a .305 average.

Lukas Buckner, who hit .289 in abbreviated action with Mississippi State in 2025, joined the program for 2025. Buckner hit .313 with 20 stolen bases with Pulaski in the Appalachian League this past summer.

Outfielder Jordan Taylor hit .322 (.863 OPS) with 26 extra-base hits for Stetson last year. The 23-year-old also joined Coastal Carolina.

Eight freshmen are on the Coastal Carolina roster. Among them is two-way player Jackson Winer, a left-hander who was clocking into the low-90s in his high school showcase days.

Summary

The Chanticleers have become a strong overall program, one that should be very competitive yet again heading into 2026.

Coastal’s pitching staff, on paper, is strong. I didn’t even mention Hayden Johnson and Dominick Carbone, two key relievers from 2025 who averaged over a strikeout per inning. And in Carbone’s case, he posted a sub-2.0 BB/9 last season.

Between all the depth there and the hitters, Coastal should be a fun team to watch once more in 2026. The Chanticleers will also play a very competitive schedule, headlined by matchups against Clemson, Texas, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, and East Carolina.

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