ROCK HILL | With its resume now completed, Coastal Carolina is a lock to host the NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional next weekend.
The selection committee will confirm what the Chanticleers (51-7) already know at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, when it announces the 16 host sites on the bottom line of the ESPN networks. The entire field of 64 and the top-eight national seeds will be unveiled on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Leading the nation in wins and ranked second in the simulated RPI on Sunday, Coastal knows it will host a regional for the third time in the last four years. It will be the fourth time the Chants have been a No. 1 regional seed since 2005.
Here is Coastal’s resume:
Coastal is the only team in the nation with 50 wins.
Coastal finished 29-0 against Big South foes.
Coastal trailed only No. 1 Arizona State in the simulated RPI at boydsworld.com Sunday. The Chants are third in the RPI at warrennolan.com, which rates the Big South as the nation’s 11th-best league in its conference rankings.
Coastal is 13-6 against the RPI top 50, 20-0 against teams ranked between 51-100, 12-1 against teams ranked between 101-200 and 6-0 against teams ranked below 200.
Coastal has the nation’s best road winning percentage at 18-2.
Coastal leads the nation in scoring margin.
Breakout performance
Coastal right fielder Dan Bowman certainly broke out of his 12-game slump in a big way at the Big South tournament, earning MVP honors after Saturday’s championship. His average dipped to .269 following Thursday’s 1-for-5 performance against Radford, but he had three home runs and eight RBIs in the final two games.
“It was great to see Daniel Bowman come back to life,” Coastal coach Gary Gilmore said. “He’s one of the best players on this team. To see that smile back on his face means everything.”
Everybody else was smiling about Bowman’s play, too.
“It was only a matter of time,” Coastal first baseman Rich Witten said. “We knew he was going to click at some point. We’re really glad that it happened at this time of the year.”
Witten, outfielder Chance Gilmore, second baseman Tommy La Stella and pitcher Anthony Meo were the Coastal players joining Bowman on the all-tournament team.
What a relief
Gary Gilmore was concerned about taxing his pitching staff if his team couldn’t handle the Flames in the first game of the championship, saying that he wouldn’t risk a regional win for one in the Big South tournament.
However, that didn’t matter. Only starter Anthony Meo and Matt Rein, who made one relief appearance Thursday and started Saturday, pitched seven innings in the tournament. Reliever Austin Fleet and starter Cody Wheeler pitched 4 1/3 innings.
None of Coastal’s other top relievers threw more than 3 2/3 innings, meaning the Chants should be rested on the mound for next week’s regionals.
Odds and ends
Coastal has now swept the Big South regular season and tournament championships the last four seasons. ... The Chants are now 20-2 in the Winthrop Ballpark in the Big South tournament, winning their last nine games here. That includes tournament championships in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and now 2010. ... Coastal leadoff hitter Rico Noel was just 2-for-16 in the tournament. ... Seven Chants averaged an RBI or more per game over the course of the tournament.
Big South All-Tournament Team
OF | Daniel Bowman, Coastal Carolina (MVP)
OF | Chance Gilmore, Coastal Carolina
OF | Kenneth Negron, Liberty
INF | Tommy La Stella, Coastal Carolina
INF | Tyler Bream, Liberty
INF | Mike Mercurio, High Point
INF | Chas Crane, Winthrop
C | Eddie Rohan, Winthrop
DH | Pablo Rosario, High Point
UTL | Rich Witten, Coastal Carolina
P | Anthony Meo, Coastal Carolina
P | Steven Evans, Liberty
Contact JOSH HOKE at 843-626-0318.
To view Hoke's CCU sports blog, “The Roost,” go to TheSunNews.com.
The selection committee will confirm what the Chanticleers (51-7) already know at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, when it announces the 16 host sites on the bottom line of the ESPN networks. The entire field of 64 and the top-eight national seeds will be unveiled on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Leading the nation in wins and ranked second in the simulated RPI on Sunday, Coastal knows it will host a regional for the third time in the last four years. It will be the fourth time the Chants have been a No. 1 regional seed since 2005.
Here is Coastal’s resume:
Coastal is the only team in the nation with 50 wins.
Coastal finished 29-0 against Big South foes.
Coastal trailed only No. 1 Arizona State in the simulated RPI at boydsworld.com Sunday. The Chants are third in the RPI at warrennolan.com, which rates the Big South as the nation’s 11th-best league in its conference rankings.
Coastal is 13-6 against the RPI top 50, 20-0 against teams ranked between 51-100, 12-1 against teams ranked between 101-200 and 6-0 against teams ranked below 200.
Coastal has the nation’s best road winning percentage at 18-2.
Coastal leads the nation in scoring margin.
Breakout performance
Coastal right fielder Dan Bowman certainly broke out of his 12-game slump in a big way at the Big South tournament, earning MVP honors after Saturday’s championship. His average dipped to .269 following Thursday’s 1-for-5 performance against Radford, but he had three home runs and eight RBIs in the final two games.
“It was great to see Daniel Bowman come back to life,” Coastal coach Gary Gilmore said. “He’s one of the best players on this team. To see that smile back on his face means everything.”
Everybody else was smiling about Bowman’s play, too.
“It was only a matter of time,” Coastal first baseman Rich Witten said. “We knew he was going to click at some point. We’re really glad that it happened at this time of the year.”
Witten, outfielder Chance Gilmore, second baseman Tommy La Stella and pitcher Anthony Meo were the Coastal players joining Bowman on the all-tournament team.
What a relief
Gary Gilmore was concerned about taxing his pitching staff if his team couldn’t handle the Flames in the first game of the championship, saying that he wouldn’t risk a regional win for one in the Big South tournament.
However, that didn’t matter. Only starter Anthony Meo and Matt Rein, who made one relief appearance Thursday and started Saturday, pitched seven innings in the tournament. Reliever Austin Fleet and starter Cody Wheeler pitched 4 1/3 innings.
None of Coastal’s other top relievers threw more than 3 2/3 innings, meaning the Chants should be rested on the mound for next week’s regionals.
Odds and ends
Coastal has now swept the Big South regular season and tournament championships the last four seasons. ... The Chants are now 20-2 in the Winthrop Ballpark in the Big South tournament, winning their last nine games here. That includes tournament championships in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and now 2010. ... Coastal leadoff hitter Rico Noel was just 2-for-16 in the tournament. ... Seven Chants averaged an RBI or more per game over the course of the tournament.
Big South All-Tournament Team
OF | Daniel Bowman, Coastal Carolina (MVP)
OF | Chance Gilmore, Coastal Carolina
OF | Kenneth Negron, Liberty
INF | Tommy La Stella, Coastal Carolina
INF | Tyler Bream, Liberty
INF | Mike Mercurio, High Point
INF | Chas Crane, Winthrop
C | Eddie Rohan, Winthrop
DH | Pablo Rosario, High Point
UTL | Rich Witten, Coastal Carolina
P | Anthony Meo, Coastal Carolina
P | Steven Evans, Liberty
Contact JOSH HOKE at 843-626-0318.
To view Hoke's CCU sports blog, “The Roost,” go to TheSunNews.com.
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