Scouting the #1 Seed: Coastal Carolina
The road to Omaha runs through Conway, South Carolina and Coastal Carolina is the top dog in its own house.
Ranked as the No. 1 seed in the Conway Regional, the Chanticleers enter the NCAA Tournament riding momentum and experience, hoping to channel the same magic that took them all the way to a national title in 2016. That year, they shocked the world as a No. 2 seed. Now, they’re hosting and hoping history repeats itself in a much different role.
This isn’t your typical mid-major. Coastal ranks among the nation’s top offenses and has the arms to back it up. They’re fast, explosive, and aggressive and they’re not afraid to play high-stakes, high-scoring baseball.
Balanced and Dangerous Lineup
Coastal is batting .288 as a team with an impressive .854 OPS, and they’ve scored 442 runs across 59 games. What makes them dangerous is how deep their lineup goes they don’t just rely on a few stars.
Caden Bodine leads the way with a .333 average, .945 OPS, and 44 walks. The guy just finds ways to get on base and set the tone.
Blake Barthol has delivered consistent power with 12 homers and 49 RBI, while Sebastian Alexander brings both power and speed — he’s swiped 25 bases and driven in 47 runs.
Ty Dooley (.313, 5 HR, 34 RBI) and Walker Mitchell (.286, 39 RBI) round out a core that’s just as capable of putting up crooked numbers as they are grinding out a win.
Don’t let the flashy numbers fool you — this group is disciplined. Coastal has drawn 257 walks and been hit by 160 pitches. They wear pitchers down, get into bullpens, and make opponents pay for every mistake.
Pitching Staff Built for Postseason Ball
Coastal’s pitching has been quietly elite. The staff owns a team ERA of 3.25 and a .224 batting average against numbers that hold up against some of the best in the country.
Jacob Morrison (1.90 ERA, 11-0) has been their ace all season, holding hitters to a .181 average while punching out 84 in 85.1 innings.
Cameron Flukey and Riley Eikhoff give them a reliable trio of starters. Flukey has 93 strikeouts in 79.2 innings, while Eikhoff holds a 3.19 ERA across 14 starts.
The bullpen is deep too, led by Ryan Lynch (0.61 ERA in 25 appearances) and Dominick Carbone (5 saves, 44 Ks in 34.1 IP).
This staff doesn’t walk many guys (178 total), pounds the zone, and has given up just 39 homers in over 500 innings a testament to how well they command their stuff.
What ECU Should Expect
If the Pirates want to make noise in Conway, they’ll have to deal with a team that doesn’t beat itself.
Coastal is 25-5 at home this season and thrives in front of a passionate fanbase at Springs Brooks Stadium. They can run, hit, pitch, and defend and they’ve done it against solid competition.
ECU fans know this tournament won’t be easy. But if anyone is ready to crash the party, it’s Cliff Godwin’s battle-tested group. A potential ECU vs. Coastal showdown would be fireworks, especially with a ticket to a super regional on the line.