Coastal Carolina Shows Grit at Baseball at the Beach

Coastal Carolina combined resilience with timely offensive outbursts to take two of three contests at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament, improving to 5-2 on the season.

The Chanticleers won a Friday night thriller, defeating VCU, 13-2, on a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning off the bat of infielder Ty Barrango.

Rex Watson was a bright spot in the lineup, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Blagen Pado contributed two RBI and crossed the plate three times.

With the bases loaded, freshman lefty Case Bosch was called upon and delivered, firing 4.2 scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit and striking out three to secure his first win of the season, as well as a Chanticleers victory.

On Saturday, Illinois stormed out of the gates with a seven-run first inning and never looked back, defeating Coastal Carolina 14-5 in a dominant showing. Freshman AJ Putty highlighted the offensive dominance with five hits, while six Illini hitters registered multiple-hit games.

The Illini wasted no time setting the tone. Nick Groves opened the game with a double down the third-base line, sparking a relentless offensive surge. Daniel Contreras followed with an RBI single, and after a hit batter forced in a run, first baseman AJ Putty delivered the crushing blow — a grand slam to the right-field bullpen to make it 6-0. J.R. Nelson added a sacrifice fly to cap a seven-run frame.

Starter Ross Norman struggled through just two-thirds of an inning, allowing six hits and seven earned runs before Jaxon Appelman entered in relief.

Coastal answered in the bottom half of the first when Dean Mihos was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a double into the right-center gap by Trace Mazon, trimming the deficit to 7- 1.

However, Illinois kept the offense rolling in the second inning. AJ Putty delivered a two-RBI double, following a walk by Colin Jennings and a double by Kyle Schupmann. On the very next at-bat, designated hitter Will Johannes crushed a two-run homer to left field. The Illini sent their lineup around for the second consecutive inning, racking up 10 hits through the first two frames and extending their lead to 12-1.

The Chanticleers showed signs of life when sophomore catcher Domenico Tozzi crushed a two-run home run around the right-field pole on an 0-2 pitch, and later in the sixth inning, Walker Mitchell and Rex Watson came around to score on a Jordan Taylor double down the right-field line, cutting the deficit to 12-5

Freshman Jackson Smallets provided stability out of the bullpen, tossing 3.0 innings while allowing just three hits and striking out three to slow Illinois’ momentum.

Although Illinois added insurance in the seventh, behind who else — Putty. The freshman tallied his fifth hit of the afternoon, including his third double, finishing his day with four extra-base hits and seven RBI’s. The Illini totaled 17 hits in the game.

Junior Kyle Remington mowed down Coastal’s offense, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and fanning four batters. Regan Hall recorded the win on the mound during his 5.1 innings of work.

Coastal was limited to just a handful of opportunities offensively and went 1-2-3 in three consecutive innings late in the game as Illinois sealed the 14-5 victory.

Freshman Daniel Parker and senior Darin Horn stepped in, as Chanticleers’ Head Coach Kevin Schnall described it, in the resilient 6-3 win over VCU, helping Coastal Carolina bounce back after a rough Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Parker and Horn combined for a dominant pitching performance, while Trace Mazon powered the offense with two home runs, marking the first time a Chanticleer has gone deep twice in a single game since the 2025 Auburn Super Regional.

“At this point in the season, not a lot has come easy on and off the field… It’s taken a little bit of a toll on us, but we’re gonna fight through it and we’re gonna become better because of it,” Schnall said.

Coastal got off to a strong start in the first inning, with Mihos singling to lead off and Mazon immediately making an impact with a two-run homer. Mitchell added a single to extend the threat. Parker retired the side in order with two strikeouts in a 19-pitch inning, setting the tone on the mound.

Coastal added to their lead when Mihos singled again, driving in junior catcher Brice Estep to make it 3-0.

VCU responded in the third inning when Michael Petite launched a two-run homer to the opposite field, cutting the deficit to 3-2. That home run accounted for VCU’s only hit of the game.

In the fourth inning, junior right-hander Nick Frers relieved Hunter Gotschall, who finished with 3.0 innings pitched, allowing 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, and striking out 3. Frers struggled early, issuing three consecutive walks to Estep, Cruz Harlan, and Mihos to load the bases with one out for Mazon. Blake Barthol then drew a walk on four pitches, allowing Estep to score from third and extending Coastal’s lead to 4-2.

Coastal kept the pressure in the sixth as Mazon hit his second homer of the night, pushing the Chanticleers’ lead to 6-3.

Horn took over and delivered a masterful performance, retiring 12 straight batters to close out the game. He finished with six scoreless innings, no hits allowed, and six strikeouts, complementing Parker’s early dominance and stabilizing Coastal’s pitching staff, earning his second win of the season.

When asked how he was feeling tonight, Horn expressed his comfort level on the mound, emphasizing his readiness to be put in any situation whenever the coaching staff needs him.

“A-plus stuff today, felt good. Like coach Schnall said earlier was attacking the strike zone… Trusting my infielders letting them do the work,’ he added.

Coastal now aims to put the Illinois game in the rearview and build on momentum going into Tuesday night’s midweek showdown against Campbell at Springs Brooks Stadium.