Teal Nation,
What a year it's been.
Having wrapped up my first year as Coastal Carolina's athletic director and now heading into the fall semester, I can reflect on one of the most rewarding years of my professional life. My family and I have been embraced by this community — a sense of belonging that has only grown stronger with each season, each event, and each experience.
It all came to life this spring — a season filled with championships, proud moments, and memories that captured the very best of Teal Nation. Women's Basketball energized the HTC Center with an exciting postseason run. Softball claimed the Sun Belt Championship and earned an NCAA Tournament berth, taking us to Durham, where I'll never forget seeing the team bond with coaches, staff, and even my kids in a late-night hotel lobby laser tag game. Men's Golf celebrated the NCAA Selection Show with the Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop — a perfect Coastal moment. Track & Field crowned three individual Sun Belt Champions, set four school records, and rewrote its Top 10 lists in sprints, hurdles, throws, and jumps. Building on that momentum, Beach Volleyball delivered a Sun Belt Championship of its own before Baseball capped the year with one of the most memorable postseasons runs in Chanticleer history.
After battling for a conference title in Alabama, Baseball returned home to Springs Brooks Stadium, where record-breaking crowds lifted our team to a regional championship. I can still hear the roar of the crowd after Colby Thorndyke's grand slam in Game 2 — a moment that shook the stadium. From there, it was off to Auburn, and then on to Omaha — the sport's biggest stage — where Coastal made a run all the way to the College World Series Championship game. By that point, my wife and kids knew every walk-up song, had a different dance and superstition for each player and inning, and were living every pitch just like the rest of you. It was Coastal at its best.
Our impact extended far beyond the field. Thanks to our new Social Media and Creative Branding Department, we connected with fans like never before. During Omaha alone, we added 28,000 new followers, reached 27 million impressions, generated 1.2 million engagements, and had 3.6 million video views. These efforts — combined with the hard work of our University partners and the visibility of our programs — helped drive more than $574 million in overall media exposure for Coastal Carolina University.
These accomplishments across multiple sports demonstrate the depth and excellence of our athletics department. That excellence was further validated when Coastal Carolina finished first among all Sun Belt schools in the 2025 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.
We were also able to make great strides in our Coastal WAVE strategic plan. We invested in the holistic development and well-being of every Chanticleer student-athlete by creating the Alise Svihla Student-Athlete Development Department and launching new initiatives for growth and support. We also added additional resources to our Student-Athlete Academic Services, and with the support of our staff we posted the second-highest spring department GPA at 3.40 with 18 of 19 programs earning a 3.0 GPA or better. We amplified revenue generation through record-setting philanthropic support — including seven-figure commitments from TD Bank and to Coastal Baseball, the Sage Family Gift to support Women's Athletics, over $1 million raised in a single night in Omaha, the launch of Elite 93, our new athletic philanthropic giving society, and record sponsorship revenue with the help of campus and corporate partners. We strengthened the fan experience in powerful ways, with record attendance in Football, Basketball, and Baseball and new game day traditions that elevated the atmosphere across our venues.
As we enter a new year, the momentum continues. Fall sports are here, and our teams are ready to compete at the highest level for Sun Belt Championships. Football enters the season with fresh offensive and defensive schemes, a bold new brand on both sides of the ball, and high expectations. Fans can look forward to free concessions at all home football games, exciting gameday experiences with flyovers, halftime shows, enhanced pyrotechnics, and new premium options — including South End Zone Field suites and East Side suites at Brooks Stadium. A spectacular drone show will kick off the football season, with enhanced stadium light shows to follow later in the fall. We are also debuting new playing surfaces — the updated Surf Turf for football, a major-league-quality grass surface at Springs Brooks Stadium and a new teal court in the HTC Center for basketball and volleyball. To cap it off, concerts and campus-wide events throughout the year will be announced soon, bringing Teal Nation together in exciting new ways.
All of this — every achievement, every improvement, every breakthrough — is thanks to you. Your support powers everything we do. It lifts our student-athletes. It inspires our coaches. It drives our progress. And it reminds me, every single day, why it's an honor to serve this incredible University and this remarkable community.
We invite you to join us in this exciting journey — whether in the stands, through your support, or by spreading the Coastal spirit.
Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for believing in what Coastal can be.
Let's keep riding the Coastal WAVE — together.
Go Chants!
Chance Miller
