CONWAY – Home games versus eight 2017 NCAA Regional teams highlights Coastal Carolina’s 2018 baseball schedule, head coach Gary Gilmore announced today.
“This will be an ambitious schedule to say the least,” Gilmore said. “We are excited to play home-and-home series with ACC programs Wake Forest, Clemson and North Carolina and we always look forward to facing region rivals UNC Wilmington and College of Charleston. Our four tournaments to start the season will once again showcase some of the top programs and players in the country.”
Coastal will open the season Feb. 16-19 with the 18th Annual Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach. Coastal play its season opener versus Virginia Tech with Indiana, Oklahoma, South Alabama and Kansas State also participating. The fields for the remaining three events include the likes of VCU, West Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Ball State, Radford, High Point and Ohio State. The dates for the remaining three events are Feb. 23-25, Mar. 2-4 and Mar. 9-11.
Coastal, ranked 17th in the D1Baseball.com list of top 100 programs in the nation, will welcome UConn in mid-March, play two games at region rival College of Charleston and play home-and-home series with UNC Wilmington, Clemson, Wake Forest and North Carolina. Key non-conference home games during the midweek will include UNC Wilmington (Feb. 28), Wake Forest (Mar. 7), UConn (Mar. 13), Clemson (Mar. 20) and North Carolina (May 9).
The Chanticleers will begin their defense of the 2017 Sun Belt regular-season title on Mar. 16-18 at Arkansas State. The first home Sun Belt series will be versus Texas State (Mar. 23-25).
Among the 18 non-conference opponents:
• 14 are on the D1Baseball.com list of top 100 programs in the nation — North Carolina (12), Clemson (24), Indiana (31), Maryland (34), Oklahoma (35), Wake Forest (42), UNC Wilmington (48), UConn (57), College of Charleston (64), Illinois (66), West Virginia (73), VCU (76), Ohio State (87) and Kansas State (97). NOTE: Sun Belt teams on the D1Baseballtop 100 list include Louisiana (26), South Alabama (50) and Georgia Southern (92).
• 9 were listed among the NCAA final RPI top 100 in 2017 — North Carolina (5), Wake Forest (10), Clemson (15), West Virginia (20), Oklahoma (29), Indiana (34), UConn (42), Maryland (44) and VCU (96).
• 8 played in a 2017 NCAA Regional — Clemson, Maryland, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Radford, Oklahoma, Indiana and North Carolina.
Coastal Carolina returns 2017 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Cory Wood as well as 2017 first team All-Sun Belt selection Kevin Woodall Jr., who led the league in home runs and RBI last season. Also back are starters Matt Beaird (C) and Seth Lancaster (3B) along with outfielder Kieton Rivers (.291 in 31 starts last season) and Cameron Pearcey (makes the move to centerfield after missing all but 13 games in 2017 due to injury). The pitching rotation returners starters Zack Hopeck, Jason Bilous and Anthony Veneziano with relief pitchers Austin Kitchen and Patrick Orlando. Senior Bobby Holmes will sit out the 2018 season after having Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2017 season.
2018 Coastal Carolina Schedule
