Coastal Carolina (23-3)

at College of Charleston (18-6)

March 27 - 6 p.m.

Patriots Point - Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Tuesday’s Probable Starters

Coastal - RHP Nick McCully (2-0, 2.57 ERA)

CofC - TBA

National Rankings

Coastal -15th (Baseball America), 17th (ESPN/USA Today),

19th (Collegiate Baseball), 20th (NCBWA Poll)

CofC - RV (ESPN/USA Today)

The 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina baseball team (23-3) travels to Mt. Pleasant, S.C. to take on the College of Charleston (18-6) Tuesday, March 27 at 6 p.m., in Patriots Point. The game will be broadcast on www.GoCCUSports.com and www.cofcsports.com will provide live stats and live video of the game. This will be Coastal’s first road game since March 13 and the fourth road game of the season. Coastal is coming off of a three-game sweep of Radford this past weekend.

SCOUTING COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: The Cougars have won four games in a row, including a three-game sweep of Southern Conference foe Western Carolina this past weekend. The Cougars are hitting .355 as a team and have nine starters at .320 or better. Ben Lasater leads CofC with a .410 average, while Michael Kohn has six home runs. Chris Campbell is at the top of the Cougars list with 33 runs-batted-in. The College of Charleston is coming off a berth in the 2006 NCAA Atlanta Super Regional team and the Cougars will be the 11th team Coastal has faced this season that went to NCAA postseason play last year.

SERIES VS. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: Coastal holds a 9-7 series advantage over the College of Charleston. The two teams each won at home last season, with the Cougars winning 3-1 March 21 and Coastal winning 10-3 April 18. Senior Dom Duggan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./John Carroll) is 6-for-16 with five runs scored all-time against CofC, while classmate Adam Vrable (Bay City, Mich./Grand Rapids C.C.) has a lifetime .571 average versus the Cougars.

COASTAL REMAINS STEADY IN NATIONAL POLLS: Coastal Carolina is now ranked in all the national polls as of March 26. Coastal remained at 15 in the Baseball America poll. It is the highest the Chanticleers have ever been ranked in that poll and it is the third straight week Coastal has been in the number 15 slot. Coastal remained at 17th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Chants made their initial entry into the poll three weeks ago. Coastal is 19th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, up one spot from last week. Coastal is 20th in the NCBWA poll. Coastal also is ranked 19th in the Rivals.com poll and 18th in the Perfect Game Crosschecker rankings.

COASTAL RIDING 11-GAME WINNING STREAK: Coastal has won 11 games in a row heading into tonight’s game against the College of Charleston. That hasn’t been done by a Chanticleer team since April 17-May 6, 2001, when CCU had won 11 straight. The 23-3 start is Coastal’s best since the 1983 team went 25-3-1 to open the campaign.

CHANTS START BIG SOUTH SCHEDULE WITH SERIES WIN: Coastal opened the Big South schedule with a three-game sweep of Radford March 23-25. Coastal has won 20 out of the last 23 series against Big South foes. Coastal won all eight series during the 2005 season.

GAGG EARNS FIFTH WIN: Sophomore Bobby Gagg (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill) earned his fifth win on the mound March 24 against Radford. Gagg went 6.0 innings, giving up just one run on six hits with five strikeouts. Gagg also has a 2.53 earned-run average in 42.2 innings this season.

DeLaGARZA KEEPS DEALING: Senior Andy DeLaGarza (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) earned his sixth win of the season March 23 against Radford. The lefty struck out four and gave up seven hits in 6.2 innings. He leads the Big South in both wins (6) and ERA (1.20).

RABER HITS TWO BLASTS IN RADFORD WIN: Senior Chris Raber (Coplay, Pa./Whitehall) hit two opposite field home runs in the 10-3 win over Radford March 24. It was the eighth and ninth home run this season by Raber, who also has a team-leading 30 RBI. The Chants had four home runs in that game as junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) and sophomore David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) went deep in the win.

MARTIN EXCELS ON THE WEEK: Junior Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell) hit .538 in four games March 20-25, bashing seven hits, scoring five runs, hitting three doubles and driving in four runs. Martin’s week include a 3-for-4 performance Sunday in the 9-7 win over Radford.

SAPPELT GETS PAIR OF HITS AGAIN: For the 15th time this season, sophomore David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) had two or more hits in a game March 23 against Radford. He was 2-for-4 with four RBI and a home run in the 6-2 win. Sappelt had his 16-game hitting streak snapped March 25, but is still hitting .414 with a team-leading four triples.

CHANTS GO DEEP FOUR TIMES IN A ROW: Coastal had a power surge in the eighth inning of its 12-3 win over Eastern Michigan March 17. The Chanticleers hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs to break open a 7-3 game. Junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) started it with a two-run home run, his second of the game. He was followed by sophomore Dock Doyle (Conway, S.C./Conway), classmate David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) and freshman Ricky Grice (Lexington, S.C./Lexington). The last two shots were by pinch hitters, while the Chants had eight long balls on the weekend.

ALTMAN SPELLS RELIEF: Sophomore Kent Altman (Conway, S.C./Conway) pitched 6.2 of scoreless relief in the Chants 10-7 win over Eastern Michigan March 17. The righthander gave up four hits and struck out five while not allowing a run or walk as the Chants came back from a 7-1 deficit to win. It was Altman’s first career win to go along with his first career save March 11 against Georgia Southern.

DUGGAN MOVING THEM OVER: Senior Dom Duggan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./John Carroll) has 13 sacrifice hits on the year, good for the lead on the team and, according to Boyd’s World, the lead in the nation. Duggan also has the team lead with 13 doubles.

RPI TAKING SHAPE: With conference schedules opening the past couple of weeks, the RPI’s distributed by Boyd’s World and Warren Nolan are starting to take shape. As of March 26, the Chanticleers are 14th in the country in Boyd’s World and 12th in Warren Nolan. South Carolina has the top spot in both Boyd’s World and Warren Nolan.

BALDRIDGE DRIVES IN SIX IN EMU WIN: Junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) drove in six runs in the 12-3 win over Eastern Michigan March 17. It was a career high for the junior, who now has 24 on the season.

FROSH DEALS IN UNCW WIN: Freshman Nick McCully (Lakeland, Fla./Santa Fe Catholic) looked very impressive in his second collegiate start, a 7-6 win over UNC Wilmington March 13. McCully fanned nine Seahawks and did not allow an earned run in the win. McCully is now 2-0 on the season with a 2.57 ERA.

CHANTS HANG ON FOR UNCW WIN: Coastal gave up three runs in the ninth inning and UNCW had the winning run on second with one out, but sophomore David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) struck out Mark Carver and Shane French to preserve the 7-6 win. Anderson gave up four hits and three runs in the ninth, but struck out the side to give Coastal a 16-3 overall record.

COASTAL LOOKING GOOD IN THE FIELD: After 26 games, Coastal Carolina is sporting a .980 fielding percentage, good for first place in the Big South. The Chants have committed only 20 errors on the year and had a four-game errorless streak March 17-23. Coastal is on pace to break the all-time school record, which is .974 in 1991.

COMEBACK KIDS IN WIN OVER BETHUNE-COOKMAN: Coastal scored four runs in the ninth in a 9-8 win over Bethune-Cookman March 9. The Chants gave up six in the top of the ninth, but battled back to keep their unbeaten streak in Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field alive. Junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) drew a one-out bases-loaded walk to end the game. Coastal has won two games in its last at-bat. The Chants defeated Virginia Tech 6-5 Feb. 18 on a two-run single from junior Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell).

GAGG SHUTS DOWN CARDINALS: Sophomore Bobby Gagg (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill) threw seven shutout innings in Coastal’s 5-0 win over Ball State March 10. The righthander struck out six and did not allow a walk to pick up his third victory of the season. Gagg is 5-1 with a 2.53 ERA.

BALDRIDGE KEEPS HOT BAT ALIVE: Junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) hit .667 with three doubles and three RBI in the Myrtle Beach Hyundai Isuzu Classic March 9-11. Baldridge was a perfect 4-for-4 in the 5-0 win over Ball State and had two doubles in the 6-2 win over Georgia Southern. Baldridge is hitting .402 on the year and is hitting .500 in the last 10 games.

SAPPELT ON A RECORD HIT PACE: It might be a little premature to talk about single-season records 23 games into the Chanticleers’ 2007 schedule, but sophomore David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) is on a record pace for hits in a season. Sappelt had 48 hits in 26 games. He also leads the team with a .414 batting average. The school record for hits in a season is 97 by Dorian Cameron in 1998. According to Boyd’s World, Sappelt is tied for ninth in the nation in total hits.

RABER EARNS NATIONAL, CONFERNCE HONOR: Coastal Carolina senior Chris Raber (Coplay, Pa./Whitehall) was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week March 5 and was the Co-Big South Player of the Week for games Feb. 19-March 4.

Raber hit .667 (8-12) with a double, three home runs, six runs scored and 12 runs-batted-in as the Chanticleers went 3-1 on the week. Raber was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI against top-ranked North Carolina Feb. 28. He then had a hit in his only official at-bat March 2 against Rhode Island. He drove in a pair and also walked twice. In the 16-7 win over Marist March 3, Raber drove in six runs, going 3-for-4 at the plate. This included a grand slam in the fourth inning. He ended the week by scoring two runs and driving in a pair in the 16-4 win over West Virginia. Raber walked five times this week and was hit by a pitch once as he reached base in 14 of 18 plate appearances.

BULLPEN EXCELS AT MICROTEL INN AND SUITES CHALLENGE: The Coastal Carolina bullpen pitched nine innings in three games of the Microtel Inn and Suites Challenge, allowing only one run while striking out 14 and walking only three. Juniors Joey Haug (Holt, Mo./Maple Woods C.C.) and Dustin Koca (Papillion, Neb./Butler County C.C.) earned wins over Marist and West Virginia, respectively. Haug had three strikeouts in 2.1 innings, while Koca had four punchouts in 1.2 innings.

HITTING TAKES CENTER STAGE AT MICROTEL: While the story of the year so far has been Coastal Carolina’s pitching, the bats took center stage in the three games of the Microtel Inn and Suites Challenge March 2-4. Coastal hit .417 with eight doubles, 38 runs, two home runs and 31 RBI. Senior Chris Raber (Coplay, Pa./Whitehall) was .625 for the weekend, while sophomore David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) had nine hits.

RABER A FAN OF CHAPEL HILL: Senior Chris Raber (Coplay, Pa./Whitehall) hit his second career home run at Boshamer Stadium in the 4-3 loss to North Carolina Feb. 28. Raber had three hits on the day and now has six in three games in Chapel Hill.

COASTAL VS. THE ACC: Coastal Carolina lost a heartbreaker to North Carolina 4-3 in 10 innings. The Chanticleers are now 2-3 against the ACC this season and 7-12 against the conference since the 2003 season.

MARIOTTI DOMINATE IN WIN OVER NOTRE DAME: Senior John Mariotti (Toronto, Ontario/Gulf Coast C.C.) pitched a complete game five-hitter in Coastal’s 4-0 win over Notre Dame Feb. 25. The righthander struck out 10, did not allow a walk and retired the first eight batters in the Fighting Irish order. Mariotti earned his first win of the season and lowered his earned-run average to 0.43.

BALDRIDGE LIKES THE FED: Junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) hit .417 with five runs-batted-in at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament at Coastal Federal Field. Baldridge had a career-high four RBI in an 11-6 win over TCU Feb. 23, including two two-out, run-scoring singles.

GAGG NAMED BIG SOUTH PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Coastal Carolina sophomore pitcher Bobby Gagg (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill) has been named New Balance Pitcher of the Week for games played Feb. 12-18, it was announced today by the League office.

Gagg improved his record to 2-0 on the year with an eight-inning masterpiece against Old Dominion. He allowed just one hit while striking out four and not allowing a run in Coastal’s 7-0 win over the Monarchs. Gagg gave up the hit in the second inning, but the runner was erased with a double play. He has now gone 14 innings without allowing a run (earned or unearned) and has given up just five hits. Gagg’s line last week: 1-0, 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 4 SO.

CHANT BATS GET TO ALL-AMERICAN: Coastal had five hits and four runs in three innings off Jake Arrietta in the Chants 11-6 win over TCU Feb. 23. Arrietta was a Second Team All-American by both Baseball America and the NCBWA. Coastal then had five runs off reliever Donald Furrow in the win over the Horned Frogs.

COASTAL SHUTS OUT OPPOSITION: Coastal Carolina picked up its fourth shutout of the season in the 5-0 win over Ball State March 10. Coastal had four shutouts all of last season.

CHANTS COME BACK IN WIN OVER HOKIES: Coastal Carolina had a 4-1 lead heading in to the top of the ninth inning Feb. 18 against Virginia Tech, but the Chants gave up four runs in the ninth to trail by one. After the Hokies retired Coastal’s first batter, Rhett Ballard walked sophomore David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) and junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill). Ballard hit senior Matt Rademacher (Bay City, Mich./Michigan) to load the bases and junior Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell) brought a pair home with a single off Ballard’s leg. It was Coastal’s second comeback win this season and the second over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.

MARTIN DRIVING ‘EM IN: Junior Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell) has driven in 20 runs in 26 games this season, including the game-winner in the 6-5 win over Virginia Tech Feb. 18. Martin’s RBI total is one more than all of last year.

SAPPELT STAYS HOT: Sophomore David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) continued his hot start at the IMIChotels.com INN-vitational. He was 4-for-4 and reached base all five times in a 6-5 win over Virginia Tech Feb. 18. He also had three hits in the win over Old Dominion and had a triple and two runs scored in the 12-5 win over Pittsburgh. Sappelt is hitting .414 with 48 hits and 16 RBI.

CHANTS GO LONG BALL vs. UNCW: Coastal had three solo home runs in the 8-6 win over UNC Wilmington. Sophomore David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) opened the bottom of the first with a home run to left. In the third, classmate David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) went deep and junior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) hit a bomb to left field in the seventh. All three home runs led off the home half of the inning.

SAPPELT NAMED BIG SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Coastal Carolina sophomore outfielder David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) has been selected as the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week for games played Feb. 5-11, it was announced today by the League office.

Sappelt batted .400 (6-15) in three games, helping Coastal open the season 3-0 with wins over North Florida (8-1), 2006 NCAA Tournament participant Elon (13-0) and No. 7 Virginia (3-2) in the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament. He had a hit and run scored in all three games, and opened with a 3-5 game with two RBI, a double and a triple vs. North Florida. Sunday vs. the Cavaliers, Sappelt was 2-4 at the plate, drew a walk and stole a base in the win. He finished the week with a .438 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage.

COASTAL WINS FOR OPENERS: Coastal improved to 20-12 all-time in season openers with an 8-1 win over North Florida Feb. 9 in the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament. Coastal has now won its last two openers by a combined score of 17-1.

ACES ON THE MOUND: Coastal left the opening weekend with a scant 0.33 earned-run average. Coastal gave up one earned run (Feb. 11 vs. Virginia) in three games of the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament. Coastal’s three starters, Andy DeLaGarza, Bobby Gagg and John Mariotti, went a combined 19 innings, allowing only 12 hits and one earned run while striking out seven. Coastal used nine pitchers on the weekend and the staff gave up only six walks.

SAPPELT CLOSE TO CYCLE: Sophomore David Sappelt (Saxapahw, N.C./Graham) was a home run away from the cycle in the 8-1 win over North Florida Feb. 9. Sappelt started Coastal with a double in the first, then tripled in the second. The sophomore added a single in the seventh and was up in the eighth, but did not hit a home run to complete a cycle.

RABER GOES OPPO... TWICE: Senior Chris Raber (Coplay, Pa./Whitehall) hit two opposite field home runs in the 3-2 win over Virginia Feb. 11. The senior gave Coastal a 2-1 lead in the fifth with a blast off Matt Packer. Then in the seventh, he went deep off Jake Rule to give the Chants the game-winning run. The two home runs were the only two the Chants hit all weekend.

OTHER SPRINGMAID NOTES: With the win over Virginia Feb. 11, Coastal now has four wins over ACC opponents in the past three years... Sophomore Dock Doyle (Conway, S.C./Conway) went 3-for-5 with a double in his first action since 2005 Feb. 10 against Elon... Junior Dustin Koca (Papillion, Neb./Butler County C.C.) earned his first start for Coastal and went 1-for-3 with a two-run base hit in the win over Elon... Freshamn Chance Gilmore (Surfside Beach, S.C./Socastee) drove in a run in his first game as a Chant in the win over Elon... Coastal gave up only two extra base hits all weekend... Sophomore Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) exits the weekend leading the team in RBI with four.

DRAFT DODGERS: Coastal has four players on its roster that were taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Senior Andy DeLaGarza (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2003 Draft. Senior John Marriotti (Toronto, Ontario/Gulf Coast C.C.) was a two-time selection by the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim. Sophomore Austin Fleet (Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe) was taken in the 2006 draft by the Atlanta Braves and freshman Chad Jenkins (Newark, Del./Caravel Academy) was picked by the Washington Nationals in this past summer’s draft.

DUO HEADED TO THE CAPE: Sophomores Bobby Gagg (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill) and David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) will both be playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League this summer. The duo will be the first Chants in the Cape since Travis Risser (Palmyra, Pa./James Madison) played for Falmouth in 2005. Yarmouth-Dennis won the League last season. Gagg and Anderson are two of 15 Chanticleers that have secured a place in a summer league in 2007.

PUBLICATIONS PICK COASTAL SECOND IN BIG SOUTH: The Coastal Carolina University baseball team was picked to finish second in the Big South Conference inthe Baseball America, the SEBaseball.com and the Perfect Game Crosscheckers Big South Season Previews.

The Baseball America preview had Coastal second behind Winthrop in the Big South standings. The magazine also predicted an All-Big South team, with senior John Mariotti (Toronto, Ontario/Gulf Coast C.C.) earning the nod for the designated hitter/utility player position. Baseball America also had junior righthanded pitcher Keith Noe (San Marcos, Calif./Palomar J.C.) as the League’s third best newcomer.

In a separate piece, Baseball America listed Coastal Carolina as the 63rd best program in the country from 1999-2006. The magazine ranks teams based on winning percentage, regional, super-regional and College World Series appearances, first-, second- and third-team All-Americans and players selected in the Major League Baseball draft. Coastal was the only Big South team selected in the top-64.

The website SoutheasternBaseball.com also picked Coastal second behind Winthrop. Senior second baseman Adam Vrable (Bay City, MIch./Grand Rapids C.C.) and Mariotti were on their All-Big South First Team, while senior lefthanded pitcher Andy DeLaGarza (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) was a Second Team choice. SEBAseball.com also has freshman Eric Godsy (Edmond, Okla./North) as the League’s second-best newcomer behind Winthrop’s Kevin Nolan.

Perfect Game Crosscheckers also picked the Chants second behind Winthrop. The organization predicted sophomore David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) as the second-best player in the Big South. They also had Mariotti as the fifth best prospect in the BSC for the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft and Anderson as the second-best prospect for the 2008 draft.

Finally, CSTV.com picked a preseason projected NCAA Tournament bracket, and the website had Coastal as a four-seed in the Clemson regional. The website praised the Chants tough schedule, which is the 17th toughest in the nation according to SEBaseball.com.

TOUGH SCHEDULE FACES CHANTS: Coastal Carolina will face one of its toughest schedule in the program’s history this season. The Chanticleers face five teams that were in the preseason top-25 poll by ESPN/USA Today. That includes a three-game set at Nebraska May 4-6, a home-and-home series with Virginia and single games against Clemson, North Carolina and TCU. Coastal has eight games against ACC opponents and have 27 games against NCAA Tournament teams, 10 more than last year.

The website SEBaseball.com rated Coastal’s schedule as the 17th toughest in the country, while Boyd’s Nation had the non-conference schedule as the 25th toughest in the nation.

CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2006 SEASON: The Coastal Carolina baseball team has announced that seniors Matt Rademacher (Bay City, Mich./Michigan), Dom Duggan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./John Carroll) and Andy DeLaGarza (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) were selected as team captains for the 2006 season.

NEWCOMERS DOT COASTAL ROSTER: Coastal has 17 newcomers on the roster, including 10 true freshman. The Chanticleers have three junior college transfers on the roster in juniors Keith Noe (San Marcos, Calif./Palomar C.C.), Joey Haug (Holt, Mo./Maple Woods C.C.) and Dustin Koca (Papillion, Neb./Butler County C.C.). Freshmen Eric Godsy (Edmond, Okla./North) and David Poutier (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) will see action in the infield, while as many as nine new pitchers can see time on the mound.

GAGG EXCELS IN FROSH YEAR: Freshman Bobby Gagg (Hamburg, N.J./Wallkill) ended the season ranked second in the Big South with a 2.95 ERA in 2006. Gagg went 4-1 with 49 strikeouts in 76.1 innings. Gagg earned Big South Pitcher of the Week honors after a complete-game 2-0 win over VMI May 8. In the 7-2 win over Campbell, Gagg went the distance, striking out six and allowing only two runs. Gagg’s ERA is Coastal’s 10th best all-time in the Division I era.

UP NEXT: Coastal hosts Charleston Southern March 30-April 1 in a three-game Big South series. Friday’s game is at 6 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s games are at 2 and 1, respectively.