Coastal Carolina Baseball 2025 Preview
A Blog by Will at Overdue Sports
Our next team on the coverage list is Kevin Schnall’s ballclub, the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers. Schnall will enter his first year with the Chants after long-time Skipper Gary Gilmore retired after the 2024 season. After a 36-20 in 2024, finishing 7th in the Sun Belt standings and eventually getting bounced by Clemson in the regionals, the Chants look to make yet another postseason run in 2025.
The Chants will look to replace three of their top five hitters (Antonacci, Brown, Bender), and multiple other offensive role players as well as multiple of their top innings throwers from the pitching staff. Known for their high-powered offense in 2024, scoring over eight runs per game, they’ll look to get back to Omaha for the first time since their National Championship in 2016 and have lots of returning bats to lead the charge.
Out:
Sam Antonacci: 61 GS, .367/.523/.504, 13 2B, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 15 SB
Graham Brown: 59 GS, .353/.456/.601, 18 2B, 12 HR, 62 RBI, 10 SB
Derek Bender: 60 GS, .320/.422/.519, 11 HR, 63 RBI
Zack Beach: 60 GS, .262/.387/.556, 17 HR, 56 RBI
Corey Zientek: 53 GS, .232/.402/.427, 17 RBI
Henry Weycker: 25 APP, 7 GS, 3.23 ERA, 55.2 IP, .212 B/AVG, 1.02 WHIP
Parker Cassell: 20 APP, 4.91 ERA, 18.1 IP, .257 B/AVG, 1.36 WHIP
Bryce Shaffer: 25 APP, 59.2 IP, 5.28 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .282 B/AVG
Alexander Meckley: 21 APP, 9 GS, 52.2 IP, 7.52 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .262 B/AVG
The Offense:
I anticipate the 2025 Chanticleers to be an extremely high-powered offense yet again. Despite losing some key lineup pieces, they return a lot of firepower. My personal #1 catcher in the 2025 class returns, Junior backstop Caden Bodine. The switch-hitting catcher slashed .324/.405/.519 with 20 2B, 9 HR, and 71 RBI with 30 BB to 23 K in 2024. Bodine shows potential to be the best pure hitter in the class with an 89.1% Contact and goes gap-to-gap extremely well from both sides of the plate. He’s improved defensively year over year, and I anticipate the trend will continue, as he threw out 40.7% of base stealers in 2024.
Holding down second base is one of the highest offensive-producing players at the position, Blake Barthol. Started all 61 games in 2024, slashed .310/.444/.597 with 20 2B, 15 HR and 61 RBI. I anticipate even more production from Barthol in ‘25 and can be the force in the middle of this Chant’s lineup.
Also returning are utility players Jake Books and Dean Mihos, who started 47 and 46 games, respectively. They OPS’d .965 and .782 while combining for 59 RBI. Both will take the step into full-time roles this season. They are a pair of bats that get on base at over a 40% clip and bring plenty of RBI potential.
Rounding out the group of significant returners is infielder Ty Dooley, who started 43 games in 2024 and slashed .213/.331/.333 in 2024.
Returners:
Caden Bodine: .324/.405/.519, 20 2B, 9 HR, 71 RBI
Blake Barthol: 310/.444/.597, 20 2B, 15 HR, 61 RBI
Jake Books: .292/.416/.549, 8 HR, 35 RBI
Dean Mihos: .275/.403/.379, 24 RBI, 7 SB
Ty Dooley: .213/.331/.333, 26 RBI
Sebastian Alexander: 38 GP, .164/.297/.246, 11 RBI, 8 SB
Riley Eikhoff: 16 GS, 6-1, 75.2 IP, 5.00 ERA, .302 B/AVG, 56 K, 1.40 WHIP
Oliver Ellison: 17 APP, 38.1 IP, 7.36 ERA, .323 B/AVG, 21 K, 1.59 WHIP
Dominick Carbone: 24 APP, 37.1 IP, 5.06 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, .210 B/AVG, 35 K
Cameron Flukey: 19 APP, 10 GS, 55 IP 5.73 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, .242 B/AVG, 83 K
The Pitching:
I personally have the most questions about the pitching side for the 2025 Chanticleers. The 2024 staff featured 10 different starting pitchers over the course of the season, but they return some major contributors that we’ll see in the Chants 2025 rotation. I anticipate a similar ‘ride the hot hand’ philosophy with the staff.
Redshirt Junior RHP Riley Eikhoff should hold his own as the Friday night starter, totaling a team high 16 starts for the 2024 Chants and was their rotation anchor. With a short arm action and solid offspeed, Eikhoff has the ability to miss barrels, but classifies mostly as a pitch-to-contact arm. Some strikeout upside: I believe the Junior takes a major step into 2025 and continues to be the big presence of the Chants staff.
Cameron Flukey is another arm I anticipate cracking the Chants 2025 rotation. Standing in at 6-6, the big righty will enter his Sophomore campaign much more polished. Sitting 92-95 with the fastball but definitely plays up in terms of velo, paired with a big curveball at 74-77. He has the biggest upside on this entire staff, racking up 83 punchies of 55 innings of work in 2024, I see a big step inbound for him.
Some major bullpen arms return, including Dominick Carbone and Oliver Ellison, who combined for 41 appearances and 75.2 innings pitched. As both are incoming sophomores, I anticipate their workload and production bumping up in their second year.
My favorite part about this staff is how young they were in 2024. While they struggled mightily at times, especially in conference play, where they allowed nearly seven runs per game, the increased experience and development paired with the innings thrown so early into their careers will reap the rewards for the Chants.
I believe this team is primed for another postseason appearance and will finish much closer to the top of the Sun Belt in 2025. I can’t wait to watch this offense and some big games in Conway!
Series of Interest:
v College of Charleston 2/19
v North Carolina St 2/23
v UNC Wilmington 2/25
@ North Carolina 3/4
@ East Carolina 3/7 - 3/9
v Wake Forest 3/11 & 4/15
@ Campbell 3/18 & 4/1
@ Troy 3/21 - 3/23
@ Clemson 3/25 & 5/6
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