Auburn has won 14 of its last 15 home games since April 5, and has won 10 straight home weekends dating back to the end of last season. The Tigers are 10-2 against ranked opponents at home, and 17-12 overall against ranked opponents this season.
Breaking down the Chants
Coastal’s pitching staff comes out of its regional with a 3.24 ERA on the season, which is more than 2.5 runs per game better than last year and more than three runs per game better than 2023, when CCU last hosted a regional and went 42-21. The staff has 560 strikeouts in 530 innings and an opponent batting average of .224.
The Chants have the second-best ERA and WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in the country, and rode their pitching to a 1-0 win over ECU in the final game of the regional.
“It was really fitting to win a regional here at home and throw a shutout, because that’s what it’s been all year,” Schnall said. “This pitching staff has been unbelievable all year, and we pitched a shutout.”
CCU’s other likely starters this weekend are redshirt sophomore righty Jacob Morrison (11-0, 2.19) and redshirt senior righty Riley Eikhoff (6-2, 2.90). CCU’s starting weekend rotation is a combined 24-3 with a 2.72 ERA.
Coastal Carolina’s Riley Eikhoff throws a pitch in CCU’s 1-0 win over East Carolina in the NCAA Conway Regional championship game Sunday. (Mike Duprez/info@myhorrynews.com)
Schnall said it’s the best pitching staff he has been around. “There’s no question about it,” he said. “What they did this year, for us to be where we’re at right now at 51-11, to win the Sun Belt Conference, to win the Sun Belt Conference tournament and now to sweep the regional, this pitching staff is the reason why we are in this position.”
The pitching has been complemented by an efficient offense.
After relying on power baseball in recent years, the Chants have gotten back to their roots with small ball this season to average 7.6 runs per game, which led the Sun Belt Conference.
CCU leads the nation in both hit-by-pitches with 165 and sacrifice flies with 40, is ninth nationally with 50 sacrifice bunts, and has also drawn 265 walks to have a robust team on-base percentage of .411. Coastal has also stolen 106 bases, which ranks in the top 50 in the country, on 133 attempts.
