MYRTLE BEACH | If Coastal Carolina hadn’t already arrived as an elite team in college baseball, it certainly has now.
The Chanticleers were selected as the No. 4 national seed for the NCAA Baseball Championship Monday, grouping them among some of the most established programs in the history of the sport. Top-seeded Arizona State, No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Florida have been making regular trips to the postseason since Coastal was in its infancy.
“To see CCU up there with the Arizona States, the Texases and the people that are the supremacy of college baseball, being right there side by side and having earned that on the field during the season, is unbelievably rewarding feeling at this moment,” said Coastal coach Gary Gilmore, whose blue-collar ideals have built and shaped this program into a national power over the last 15 years.
Moments after the national seeds were announced, Coastal learned its opponents for this weekend’s Myrtle Beach Regional at BB&T Coastal Field: second-seeded College of Charleston, No. 3 N.C. State and No. 4 Stony Brook.
The Chants will meet Stony Brook in Friday’s opener at 1 p.m., followed by the Wolfpack and Cougars at 7 p.m. The winners will vie for a berth in the championship on Saturday at 7 p.m.
It’s a familiar field for the Chants (51-7), who lost both games of a home-and-home series with Charleston and beat N.C. State once during the regular season. Coastal beat Stony Brook twice in 2009, including a 36-3 shellacking that established new school records for runs in a game and margin of victory.
After leading the nation in wins and finishing the Big South tournament ranked second in the RPI, Coastal became just the second team from a mid-major conference to earn a national seed, bettering San Diego’s No. 8 seed in 2007. Still, the Chants aren’t ready to give up their underdog status until they reach the College World Series.
“A lot of people are still going to have their doubts,” Coastal center fielder Rico Noel said. “You say, ‘mid-major,’ and that’s what they are going to keep saying. Hopefully we can get that ‘mid’ out the way and just have the ‘major’ lurking out there.
“People are going to respect us a lot more, but it doesn’t matter at this point. We have to come out and win ball games. All the statistical stuff doesn’t matter at all.”
The Myrtle Beach Regional is paired with the Columbia Regional, which is being hosted by South Carolina. If the Chants and Gamecocks both win their regionals, South Carolina would visit the Grand Strand in the super regionals.
Tickets for the Myrtle Beach Regional are available at myrtlebeachpelicans.com or by calling 843-918-6000.
2010 Myrtle Beach Regional Schedule
Friday, June 4
1 p.m. – Coastal Carolina vs. Stony Brook
7 p.m. – College of Charleston vs. N.C. State
Saturday, June 5
1 p.m. – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
7 p.m. – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Sunday, June 6
1 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
7 p.m. – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Monday, June 7
1 p.m. – Championship game (if necessary)
The Chanticleers were selected as the No. 4 national seed for the NCAA Baseball Championship Monday, grouping them among some of the most established programs in the history of the sport. Top-seeded Arizona State, No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Florida have been making regular trips to the postseason since Coastal was in its infancy.
“To see CCU up there with the Arizona States, the Texases and the people that are the supremacy of college baseball, being right there side by side and having earned that on the field during the season, is unbelievably rewarding feeling at this moment,” said Coastal coach Gary Gilmore, whose blue-collar ideals have built and shaped this program into a national power over the last 15 years.
Moments after the national seeds were announced, Coastal learned its opponents for this weekend’s Myrtle Beach Regional at BB&T Coastal Field: second-seeded College of Charleston, No. 3 N.C. State and No. 4 Stony Brook.
The Chants will meet Stony Brook in Friday’s opener at 1 p.m., followed by the Wolfpack and Cougars at 7 p.m. The winners will vie for a berth in the championship on Saturday at 7 p.m.
It’s a familiar field for the Chants (51-7), who lost both games of a home-and-home series with Charleston and beat N.C. State once during the regular season. Coastal beat Stony Brook twice in 2009, including a 36-3 shellacking that established new school records for runs in a game and margin of victory.
After leading the nation in wins and finishing the Big South tournament ranked second in the RPI, Coastal became just the second team from a mid-major conference to earn a national seed, bettering San Diego’s No. 8 seed in 2007. Still, the Chants aren’t ready to give up their underdog status until they reach the College World Series.
“A lot of people are still going to have their doubts,” Coastal center fielder Rico Noel said. “You say, ‘mid-major,’ and that’s what they are going to keep saying. Hopefully we can get that ‘mid’ out the way and just have the ‘major’ lurking out there.
“People are going to respect us a lot more, but it doesn’t matter at this point. We have to come out and win ball games. All the statistical stuff doesn’t matter at all.”
The Myrtle Beach Regional is paired with the Columbia Regional, which is being hosted by South Carolina. If the Chants and Gamecocks both win their regionals, South Carolina would visit the Grand Strand in the super regionals.
Tickets for the Myrtle Beach Regional are available at myrtlebeachpelicans.com or by calling 843-918-6000.
2010 Myrtle Beach Regional Schedule
Friday, June 4
1 p.m. – Coastal Carolina vs. Stony Brook
7 p.m. – College of Charleston vs. N.C. State
Saturday, June 5
1 p.m. – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
7 p.m. – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Sunday, June 6
1 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
7 p.m. – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Monday, June 7
1 p.m. – Championship game (if necessary)
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