Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Overall rank: #23
Conference rank: #1 Big South
Coastal Carolina Team Page
The school that could be nicknamed “The Three C’s” proved it could be explosive when it came to college baseball last spring. Thanks to red-hot home-run hitting and solid pitching, the Chanticleers won their fifth straight Big South Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Coastal Carolina couldn’t capture the magic of the regular season come tournament time, but there is no reason why six straight league titles can’t be accomplished if Coastal Carolina’s batters and pitchers can come together once again. It will have to be with an all-new cast of characters, as many Chanticleers who contributed to the 2011 run have departed.
2011: 42-20, 20-7
2011 Postseason: Eliminated in Clemson regional (beat Connecticut, lost to Clemson and Connecticut)
Coach: Gary Gilmore
Field Players:
The big player to watch will be outfielder Daniel Bowman, thanks to his durability and solid hitting. More on him later. Second baseman Tommy La Stella and his 14 home runs are gone, thanks to his eighth-round draft selection by the Atlanta Braves last year. Also gone is outfielder Scott Woodward, who was the team’s second-highest hitter with a .343 batting average. Thankfully, utility player Rich Witten (.300-6-51, 18 doubles, eight stolen bases) is back to play catcher and first base. More players are gone than not, such as Hayes Orton, Taylor Motter, Keith Hardwick… this could pose a problem if the newcomers can’t hit up to the usual Coastal Carolina level, but the Chanticleers have shown a tendency to reload before.
Pitchers:
Top pitcher Matt Rein has departed, taking with him a 9-2 record, 2.07 earned run average, 15 walks and 44 strikeouts. A big departure will be Anthony Meo, whose 10-3 record and 2.16 ERA were matched by 31 walks and 115 strikeouts. Thankfully for Coastal Carolina, Josh Conway (8-2, 2.69, 23 walks and 70 strikeouts) is back for another go-round and he should rise from the No. 3 pitcher to the staff ace. Ryan Connolly (0-1, 2.79, 13 walks, 36 strikeouts) was used primarily in relief last year, so expect him to climb into the rotation. Ten of the incoming freshmen can pitch, so Gilmore and pitching coach Drew Thomas knew what was coming and recruited accordingly.
Who to Watch:
Bowman, listed as an outfielder on the 2012 roster, was the team’s sixth-leading hitter at .277, but his .508 slugging percentage is one to watch thanks to nearly half of his hits going for extra bases. Of his 67 hits, Bowman clubbed 14 doubles, three triples and 12 home runs, and he drove in 59 runs. Bowman also stole 11 bases, which is key because Woodward and Motter swiped 52 bags between them and those fleet feet will be sorely missed when it comes to the base paths. Bowman needs to cut down on his strikeouts (43 in 242 at-bats), but if he can get some help in the lineup it will take the pressure off of him.
Final Projection:
It looks like the Chanticleers had their roster cut through with a meat cleaver. Four top hitters and two top pitchers are gone, leaving a gaping hole in the Coastal Carolina lineup that needs to be addressed. The sooner Gilmore can address these holes, the better off Coastal Carolina will be. The Big South is not a strong baseball conference when stacked up against leagues like the SEC, the Big 12 and the Big 10, so Coastal Carolina may be able to tinker its mechanics against several lesser programs.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
At bats: Rich Witten, 1B/C, 233
Hits: Rich Witten, 1B/C, 70
Home Runs: Daniel Bowman, OF, 12
RBIs: Daniel Bowman, OF, 59
Runs: Rich Witten, 1B/C, 48
Stolen Bases: Daniel Bowman, OF, 11
Wins: Josh Conway, P, 8
Innings Pitched: Josh Conway, P, 77.0
Strikeouts: Josh Conway, P, 70
Saves: Josh Conway, P, 3; Ryan Connolly, P, 3
