Injuries continue to pile up for Coastal Carolina baseball as D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers reported star slugger Trace Mazon will miss 4-6 weeks due to a broken hand, he announced Tuesday. It is confirmed that the JUCO transfer was hit by a pitch in Sunday’s finale against James Madison, which fractured his hand.
Mazon has been one of the Coastal’s most reliable hitters to date, batting .386 with four homers and 22 RBIs. The Texas native has recorded 10 multi-hit games on the season and has formed one of the most dangerous top-of-the-order duos alongside Dean Mihos.
The Chanticleers can only hope to get their key players back in time for the postseason as they are already out on elite arms such as Cameron Flukey, Hayden Johnson and Dominick Carbone.
Flukey, who was recognized as one of College baseball’s best pitchers entering the 2026 season, has been out with a stress fracture in his rib that he suffered in preseason, but it was reaggravated in the season opener against Fairfield, where he had seven strikeouts and allowed two runs through 5.2 innings pitched.
Johnson is also dealing with a stress fracture, but in his elbow. Johnson has yet to pitch for the Chanticleers this season, but was a stellar reliever for the Chanticleers in 2025, where he posted a 2.82 ERA with 55 strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a batting average of .197.
Left-handed reliever Carbone is missing the remainder of 2026 following successful UCL surgery, head coach Kevin Schnall announced in February. Carbone was expected to play a massive part in Coastal’s elite pitching staff as D1Baseball named him a Preseason First-Team All-American. In 2025, the southpaw posted a 2.36 ERA with 52 strikeouts and emerged as a standout performer during Coastal Carolina’s historic run to the College World Series.
Sophomore Luke Jones has stepped in as the Friday-night starter and has delivered impressive results. Through six starts, Jones (1-1) has pitched 30.1 innings, posting a 2.67 ERA with 25 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .225 average.
Head coach Schnall emphasized the importance of Jones’ role in the rotation as he was slated to be the possible Sunday or midweek starter entering the season.
“That Friday night role is a different role… Really proud of his maturity and the way he’s handling his business. He’s a big reason for our success to this point,” Schnall said.
Schnall also stressed that Flukey and Johnson feel good and are doing everything they can to get back out on the field. He defined them as two of the elite arms in the country, and mentioned the difficulty to step in for two superstars.
Graduate student Ryan Lynch, who was named a Preseason Second-Team All-American reliever, according to D1Baseball, missed the start of the season due to injury but has returned to make two appearances. He’s pitched a total of two innings against Appalachian State and Campbell, showing effectiveness in both outings.
Despite the mounting injuries, Coastal Carolina has continued to find ways to compete, leaning on emerging contributors and a next-man-up mentality. While the timeline for key returns remains uncertain, the Chanticleers have shown the depth and resilience needed to overcome adversity. If they can stay afloat in the meantime, getting healthy at the right moment could make them just as dangerous come postseason play.
About The Author
