Arizona fans love holding a grudge. When Wisconsin came to Tucson in December 2023 for a nonconference men’s basketball game, for many it conjured up painful memories of the back-to-back Elite Eight losses to the Badgers almost a decade earlier.
In baseball, that flashback-inducing opponent is Coastal Carolina. The Wildcats met the Chanticleers in the 2016 College World Series championship series and, after taking the opening game, dropped the next two to painfully fall short of the fifth national title in school history.
The teams haven’t faced off since, but that changes Friday when the UA meets Coastal Carolina in Omaha in the opening game of the 2025 CWS.
The Chanticleers (53-11) come to Omaha riding a 23-game win streak and have the second-best ERA in the country. They also seem to be a magnet to getting hit by pitches, leading the nation with 170 HBP.
To better understand the Coastal team Arizona is set to face, we asked Brendan McClelland of Fun Belt Sports for some insight and a prediction. Below are his exuberant answers to our gloomy questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: Coastal Carolina is making its first trip to the College World Series since winning it all in 2016, but there have been some very good teams in between them. What makes this Chanticleers club so special?
Brendan McClelland: “To me the special thing about this Coastal team is the way they rallied around their first-year head coach Kevin Schnall. In this new day and age of the transfer portal and NIL, a lot of things can go wrong after a coaching change. The players stayed together after Gary Gilmore retired and never missed a beat. The community, fans, and players are all in on Coach Schnall and I know Coastal is in great hands for years to come.”
Who do you expect will start the opener against Arizona? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
“They could go a couple different routes, but my bet is Cameron Flukey, who started Game 1 of the Auburn Super Regional. One thing I love about him is that he has great command (21 walks to 106 strikeouts in 91 innings). He has an extremely dominant mid-to-upper 90’s fastball that he loves to mow down batters with. To me a weakness would be early-inning jitters, especially in a World Series atmosphere. Seems like it takes one to two innings for him to really get in the zone, so it’d be best to jump on him early.”
The bullpen looks to be pretty deep and effective. Who are the arms that would be relied on most late in a close game and why?
“Late-game pitchers to keep an eye on would be Dominick Carbone, Ryan Lynch, and Hayden Johnson. All three have been extremely consistent this year. Not trying to be too biased here, but it feels like this Coastal team has one of the most well-rounded bullpens in the nation. Every guy steps up when they need to.”
How in the world has Coastal drawn in 170 hit by pitches? Are they just really good at leaning in without getting called for it or is this just crazy luck?
“That is a good question. I have no clue, it just seems like they have been ball magnets this whole year. I guess you could say great plate disciple and the importance of getting runners on base, but it’s truly a crazy stat to see.”
Who are the top offensive players when it comes to putting the ball in play instead of taking one for the team?
“Three guys to keep an eye on are Caden Bodine, Sebastian Alexander, and Blake Barthol. Bodine is one of the best catchers in the country, and personally, I would be very careful pitching to him late in the game. He’s just got the clutch factor. Alexander has amazing energy on the field and seems to ignite these guys when given the chance. Lastly, Barthol is a guy that will surprise you with his power.”
Prediction time. Does Coastal extend its win streak to 24 games or does Arizona end that run and get a little bit of revenge for 2016?
“Putting me in a tough spot here I see. This is going to be an amazing game, maybe one of the best in this year’s field. Both teams have looked great all year long and it’s awesome to see both of them back in Omaha, but you know I have to go with the Chanticleers!”