Coastal Carolina longed for this moment.
Winning the Men鈥檚 College World Series in 2016, it became a yearly sentiment for the Chanticleers to return to Omaha, a feeling that only grew stronger by the flip of the calendar. It was a belief passed down by nine different teams and longtime coach Gary Gilmore, who retired in 2024 after 29 years at the helm.
And they finally experienced it again on Saturday.
They defeated No. 4 Auburn 4-1 to win its super regional, securing its 23rd consecutive victory and becoming the 草莓网站在线看 tournament鈥檚 first team to secure its spot in the MCWS 鈥 the first time since 2016 and second time in program history.
THE MOMENT 馃憦
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Coastal Carolina is headed back to Omaha for the second time in program history! x 馃帴 ESPN2 /
After winning Game 1 7-6 deep into the night on Friday with the help of catcher Caden Bodine鈥檚 bat and second baseman Blake Barthol鈥檚 glove, Coastal Carolina got out to a slow start in Game 2.
The Chanticleers had just one hit to their name in the first three innings. Even though they collected two hits in the fourth and three consecutive singles in the fifth to set up bases loaded with zero outs, they still trailed 1-0 at the end of the sixth inning.
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There were signs of a breakthrough, but there was no indication of when it would come.
Coincidentally, it came in the seventh, producing their second-highest scoring inning of the super regionals. Left fielder Sebastian Alexander started the frame with a double down the left field line, Coastal Carolina鈥檚 first extra-base hit of the contest, leading to third baseman Walker Mitchell scoring him on an RBI line drive single to left center two batters later.
Tie ball game.
Tie game I
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And that was just the start. The Chanticleers took the lead later in the inning on Auburn left-hander Cade Fisher鈥檚 wild throw to first on a dribbler just inches from home plate to score Mitchell going from second to home. They added another run two batters later on center fielder Wells Sykes鈥 hit-by-pitch with bases loaded.
Mitchell hit an RBI single to left field in the eighth, upping Coastal Carolina鈥檚 lead to 4-1.
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Coastal Carolina鈥檚 pitching staff took it from there. The second-best team in ERA nationally, the group had only allowed more than one hit in a frame once all game and it didn鈥檛 change in the ninth. Following a single to start the inning, left-hander Hayden Johnson capped off a strong outing by recording three straight outs to end the game.
The Chanticleers rejoiced in hefty bear hugs, airborne gloves and a dogpile near the mound of Plainsman Park, soaking up the achieved accolade desired for nine years.
