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Cameron Flukey (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
The 2026 college baseball season is almost here. As such, we’re breaking down every preseason Top 25 team in greater detail. Check out Coastal’s 2026 season preview below.
Quick Hits
Last Season: 56-14 (26-4 Sun Belt); Finished as national runner-up in College World Series
Final 2025 Ranking: No. 2
Coach (Record at school): Kevin Schnall (56-14, 2nd season)
College Baseball Top 25 Skinny
Coastal Carolina in 2025 authored a historic season under first-year head coach Kevin Schnall, a longtime Gary Gilmore lieutenant who stepped seamlessly into the role. Schnall set a new single-season wins record, opened the NCAA Tournament with eight consecutive victories and finished with 56 wins, the most ever by a first-year Division I head coach. He capped that run by becoming the first coach to earn National Coach of the Year honors in his inaugural season. The success was not fleeting. Coastal returns core contributors on both sides of the ball from a roster built to control games, particularly on the mound.
Coastal Carolina Baseball Strengths
The strength is unmistakable and concentrated on the mound. Coastal Carolina fields a pitching staff capable of matching any in the country, regardless of conference. Cameron Flukey sits at the center of that group with a case as the best starting pitcher in college baseball entering the year. His presence alone tilts series, particularly within the Sun Belt, where few teams can counter his combination of power, command and durability. Lefthander Hayden Johnson returns as an excellent No. 2 option, giving Coastal a front-end pairing built to suppress offense over extended stretches.
Georgia State transfer Ross Norman rounds out the rotation as a steady third starter, providing depth rather than dependence. In the bullpen, Ryan Lynch, Dominick Carbone and Darin Horn all return, giving Schnall experienced late-inning options and the freedom to handle leverage scenarios aggressively. Few teams in the country enjoy this level of separation between their staff and the league median. That dominance is supported by a returning offense that was productive in 2025, allowing Coastal to operate without pressing for runs.
Coastal Carolina Baseball Weaknesses
One departure looms larger than most. Catcher Caden Bodine’s exit removes an elite defensive presence whose impact extended far beyond the box score. No catcher in college baseball was more effective in stealing strikes or managing a pitching staff in 2025, a skill set that drove his first-round selection and a subsequent trade to the Rays, an organization known for valuing defensive catchers. For a team built on pitching, losing its on-field conductor carries real weight. Coastal will replace Bodine with a committee approach, leaning on projected starter Brice Estep, sophomore Domenico Tozzi and Texas transfer Cole Chamberlain. Early returns on Estep have been positive, but replacing Bodine’s influence is a significant challenge and one that bears monitoring early.
Coastal Carolina Baseball Player To Know
Flukey steps into the spotlight after a dominant sophomore season in which he threw 101.2 innings with a 3.19 ERA and 118 strikeouts against 24 walks. A righthander who touches 98, he pairs power with a deep arsenal. His mid-70s curveball emerged as a separator in 2025, producing a 49% miss rate, while a slider with tilt and a firm changeup give him answers in any count. Few pitchers enter the season with a higher ceiling or clearer path to controlling games.
Coastal Carolina Baseball 2026 Projected Lineup, Rotation
PosPlayerYearAVGOBPSLGABHRRBINote/previous schoolCBrice EstepJr..227.346.45522151BColby ThorndykeR-Jr..303.395.4452114482BBlake BartholSr..274.387.46825212533BWalker MitchellJr..270.443.373204445SSTy BarrangoR-Sr..241.373.35479219OFBlagen PadoJr..267.364.543116831OFDean MihosSr..332.418.453190322OFJordan TaylorSr..322.359.504242843StetsonDHRex WatsonSo..295.400.5321901360San DiegoPosGSIPERAWHIPSO%BB%SPCameron FlukeyJr.17101.23.191.0028.55.8SPHayden JohnsonJr.038.12.821.2032.910.8SPRoss NormanJr.1268.07.681.7220.69.4Georgia StateRPRyan LynchG-Sr.361.12.931.1327.29.4RPDominick CarboneJr.042.02.361.1029.95.2RPDarin HornR-Sr.026.12.731.4129.816.7