CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina baseball team will continue its play against the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this week, as the Chanticleers will hit the road for a Tuesday afternoon tilt at nationally-ranked Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET from David F. Couch Ballpark. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra (ESPN digital platform).
ATTENDANCE & EVENT INFORMATION (VIA WAKE FOREST) - ALL TICKETS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED.
In compliance with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Wake Forest Athletics has worked diligently to develop plans and protocols for gameday operations that meet or exceed the standards of local and state health authorities and enable us to ensure safety for all student-athletes and fans.
A maximum of 50 fans will be permitted to attend baseball contests at David F. Couch Ballpark this spring. Additionally, with support of the DHHS, two family member spectators per athlete will be allowed entrance to each game.
All attendees inside David F. Couch Ballpark are required to wear an approved personal face covering at all times once they leave their vehicle and are advised to practice social distancing by maintaining a six-foot distance between people outside of their group. This will occur in parking lots, queue lines and common spaces. Where social distancing cannot be observed, strict PPE and personal hygiene requirements will be enforced.
Wake Forest Athletics will continue to follow the state's guidance to promote a culture of safety for its student-athletes, coaches, staff and the entire University and Winston-Salem community.
ROAD TRIP
• CCU's road game at Wake Forest this week is not only the first road game of the season for the Chanticleers but it is also the only road contest for the Chants for the entire month of February.
• Coastal's next road game is scheduled for March 19, the first of three at West Virginia in Morgantown, W. Va.
MIDWEEK MUDDLE
• Tuesday's contest versus the Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be the first midweek contest of the 2021 season for the Chanticleers.
• Last season, before it was canceled, CCU was 3-1 in midweek games which included a 10-4 home win over the Demon Deacons (March 11).
• However, since 2015, the Chanticleers are just 33-25 in midweek contests.
CHARTING THE CHANTS
• Coastal enters the midweek contest at 1-2 overall having dropped two of three contests at home versus the then-No. 16 nationally-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
• Despite getting off to a 2-3 slow start last season, the Chants last started a season off at 1-2 in 2017, when CCU went 1-3 to start the year.
• Coastal was its own worst enemy on Opening Weekend, as the Chants committed 11 errors in the field which led to nine unearned runs.
• The Chants proved that they are relentless this season, as Coastal won game one of Sunday's doubleheader by a score of 8-7 on a walk-off grand slam from
Parker Chavers to cap a five-run ninth inning. CCU also put the game-winning run in scoring position in the ninth inning in game two of the twin bill 10-9 loss to the Blue Devils.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
• The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were ranked in two preseason polls, coming in at No. 17 in the preseason D1Baseball poll and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches' preseason poll.
• The Deacs enter Tuesday's contest at 2-1 overall having taking two of three from Northeastern at home on Opening Weekend.
• The Wake Forest offense is hitting .312 as a team and averaging over nine runs per game this season.
• Eight different Demon Deacons are hitting over .300 on the year, led by Lucas Costello (.667), Parker Pilat (.500), and Michael Turconi (.455).
• The pitching staff fanned 37 batters over 27.0 innings in the three-game series versus Northeastern, which included a 9-0 shutout win in game two of the series.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Coastal Carolina holds a 24-16 advantage in the all-time series with the Demon Deacons which dates back to 1977.
• After not playing from 1987 to 2006, the two teams have played each other every year since with the lone exception being the 2012 season.
• Coastal has won five-straight over Wake Forest after the Deacs swept the two-game regular-season series in 2017.
FULL CIRCLE
• It seems like everything has come full circle for the Chanticleers and Demon Deacons with Tuesday afternoons match-up.
• The two teams played each other last season in what would end up being the last game for both teams due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• The 10-4 win for the Chants on March 11 was the last game in 2020, while this week's contest will be the first midweek game for the two teams in 2021.
FIRST 15
• Coastal is 1-2 to start this season having dropped two games to the Duke Blue Devils on Opening Weekend.
• Last season, Coastal started 10-5 over the first 15 games, which included a six-game winning streak.
• Two years ago in 2019, CCU started the season by winning seven-straight games and went 12-3 over its first 15 games.
• In 2018, the Chants went 3-0 to start the year and also went 11-4 over their first 15 games of the season.
WALK-OFF GRAND SALAMI
• Coastal Carolina's first win of the 2021 season came in grand fashion, as redshirt junior
Parker Chavers hit a walk-off grand slam with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the Chants an 8-7 come-from-behind win over Duke in Sunday's first game of the twin bill.
• The walk-off hit was the second of Chavers' CCU career, as he had a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning in a 10-9 extra-inning win over Wake Forest on March 5, 2019.
• The walk-off home run was the first for the Chants since Zach Biermann sent the Chants home happy with a walk-off solo home run in the 10th inning-win over UT Arlington at the 2019 Sun Belt Baseball Championship (May 24, 2019).
• The Chavers' grand slam, which was the second of his CCU career, was the first for the Chants in over a year-and-a-half with the last one coming by way of Cameron Pearcey versus ULM at the 2019 Sun Belt Championship (May 25, 2019).
TERRIFIC TRIO
• Thus far this season, the offense has come from a trio of Chants in
Parker Chavers,
Alex Gattinelli, and
Nick Lucky.
• Chavers leads the team with a .400 average, four total hits, one home run, and six RBIs in the first three games.
• Gattinelli is first on the team with a .875 slugging percentage, a .615 on-base percentage, five walks, and one home, and ranks second behind Chavers in hitting at .375.
• Lucky leads the team with eight total bases, five runs scored, and four total hits, while hitting .364 with a .727 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage at the lead-off spot.
GIVING THE BALL TO GREEN
• Coastal Carolina will hand the ball to sophomore right-handed pitcher
Casey Green on Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the midweek road contest at Wake Forest.
• Green, who did not pitch over Opening Weekend, will be seeing his first action this season and the first action since he got the start and threw 3.0 innings in the win over Wake Forest last year (March 11, 2020).
• The tall righty went 1-0 with a 3.78 ERA in six appearances, including three starts, last year as a true freshman before the season was canceled.
FINDING THEIR WAY
• Coastal pitching coach
Drew Thomas used a total of 12 pitchers over the three-game series with the Duke Blue Devils, trying to see where guys will fit.
• Of the 12 pitchers that took the mound, five were not on the roster last year in 2020 while three others in
Jacob Maton,
Reid VanScoter, and
Trevor Damron had not pitched in a live collegiate game in over a year.
For complete coverage of CCU baseball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBaseball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.