Coastal Carolina University Athletics

• Served as the acting head coach in 2020 with head coach Gary Gilmore missing time due to medical reasons.
• Named one of the top 15 premier assistant coaches for 2018 by D1Baseball.
• Rated among the top 10 assistant coaches in 2017 by Baseball America (sixth).
• Ranked among the top 10 assistant coaches in 2012 by Baseball America (seventh).
• 2016 NCAA College World Series Champions.
• 16 NCAA Division I Regional appearances.
• Advanced to three NCAA Division I Super Regionals.
• Won 12 conference regular-season championships.
• Won 13 conference championship tournament titles.
• Mentored 10 Conference Players of the Year.
• Coached 39 All-Americans (all teams).
• Has had six recruiting classes over the last nine years ranked in the top 30 nationally by either Baseball America, D1Baseball, Perfect Game, or Collegiate Baseball.
• 1999 NCBWA second-team All-American as a player at Coastal Carolina.
• 1999 Big South Player of the Year.
• A finalist for the Rotary Smith National Player of the Year Award.
• Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1999.

 
Kevin Schnall, a Coastal Carolina assistant coach for 12 years (2001-12) and a member of the University's Sasser Athletics Hall of Fame, returned to the Chanticleer baseball staff as the associate head coach in July of 2015 and is in his eighth year (2016-present) of his second stint with the Chants and his 21st on staff overall.

"Kevin Schnall is a huge part of our program's success, both as a player and a coach," head coach Gary Gilmore said. "He epitomized the type of player we strive to mold here. As a coach, his track record for hitting instruction and teaching the catcher position is unmatched. Also, his passion for the game and Coastal Carolina University is abundantly clear to everyone he meets which makes him one of the top recruiters in the nation."

When Schnall returned to Coastal, coach Gilmore said, "I know we have all the pieces of the puzzle to reach Omaha."

Gilmore was absolutely right as the Chanticleers not only made their first trip to the College World Series but won the NCAA Division I Championship in 2016.

Schnall not only instructs the catchers and hitters, but he also serves as both the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.

In between his stints at Coastal, Schnall spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida (2013-15) where he was the Golden Knights' hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator.

Twice, Schnall has been recognized by Baseball America in a survey of the nation's head coaches as one of the nation's top assistant coaches, ranking seventh prior to the 2013 season and sixth in another poll that came out in December 2017 prior to the 2018 season.

In the summer of 2018, Schnall was named one of the top assistant coaches in the NCAA as D1Baseball.com released its list of the top 15 premier assistant coaches for 2018.

Since returning to CCU as the recruiting coordinator in 2016, the Chants have had three of its most recent classes ranked nationally by Collegiate Baseball (2017, 2018, 2019), D1Baseball (2018), Baseball America (2018), and Perfect Game (2019) with the 2018 class perhaps the most highly-rated recruiting class in Coastal history at No. 14 (D1Baseball), No. 18 (Collegiate Baseball), and No. 25 (Baseball America).

2022
Coming off one of the toughest years in program history in 2021, the Chanticleers returned to their old self by going 39-20-1 overall on the season and making the program's 18th overall NCAA Regional appearance.

Coastal played a challenging schedule in 2022, as the Chants played seven nationally-ranked teams on the season, going 7-7 overall in those contests, and came up just one win short of reaching the program's fourth NCAA Super Regional.

The Chanticleers went 21-8-1 overall in Sun Belt Conference play, improving by 12 wins from the previous year. Overall, the Chants won seven of their 10 three-game conference series weekends and posted five three-game conference series sweeps on the season (at Arkansas State, at Appalachian State, versus UT Arlington, against Little Rock, and at Troy).

Offensively, the Chants ranked in the top five in the Sun Belt in a number of statistical categories, including first in scoring (7.8), on-base percentage (.400), and sacrifice flies (39). CCU also ranked second in the conference in walks (309), doubles (119), home runs (82), runs scored (468), slugging percentage (.484), sacrifice bunts (49), and stolen bases (90). The Chants were also fourth in hits (566) and batting average (.288) on the season.

Defensively, the Chants had one of their best years to date, as they led the league and ranked 10th nationally with 54 double plays turned and posted a .974 team fielding percentage on the season, the highest team fielding percentage in a single season in program history.

The pitching returned to form as well in 2022, as the Chanticleers' pitching staff led the Sun Belt in both strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.54) and fewest walks allowed per nine innings (3.58) and ranked fourth in the conference in both WHIP (1.40) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.1) on the season. The Chants were also third in the conference with 524 strikeouts and held their opponents to a .260 batting average on the year.

Individually, Tyler Johnson ranked in the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference in six offensive categories - first in slugging percentage (.754), first in OPS (1.221), second in home runs (19), fourth in RBIs (61), fourth in on-base percentage (.467), and seventh in batting average (.357), while Austin White led the Sun Belt and ranked 11th nationally with 34 stolen bases and was fourth in the SBC in runs scored with 59.

Preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Eric Brown also ranked in the top 10 in numerous categories, as the junior was tied for second in doubles (19), third in runs scored (60), tied for fourth in walks (39), and fifth in on-base percentage (.460).

On the mound, the duo of Reid VanScoter and Michael Knorr both were among the Sun Belt statistical leaders, as VanScoter led the league in wins (9) and fewest home runs allowed (2) on the season. He also finished the year tied for second in batters struck out looking (25), third in innings pitched (88.2), sixth in ERA (3.65), and seventh in total strikeouts (85). 

Knorr led the Chants' pitching staff in ERA (3.39), fewest walks allowed (13), fewest hits allowed (60), and opposing batting average (.228). He also led the team in fewest runs allowed (31), fewest earned runs allowed (26), and in strikeouts (86). He led the Sun Belt and ranked 17th nationally with a 6.62 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season, while his 1.06 WHIP ranked second in the Sun Belt and 40th in all of NCAA Division I last year, and his 11.22 strikeouts per nine innings average also ranked second in the conference and 64th nationally. He also ranked third in the Sun Belt in both walks allowed per nine innings (1.70) and total strikeouts (86).

Four Chants earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, as left-handed pitcher VanScoter was named to the All-Sun Belt first team and tabbed the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year. Johnson, Knorr, and Dale Thomas were all named to the All-Sun Belt second team, while Knorr's pitching performance at the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament earned him a spot on the all-tournament team.

VanScoter and Johnson both went on to pick up both All-America second-team honors (VanScoter - Collegiate Baseball; Johnson - NCBWA) and ABCA/Rawlings All-Atlantic Region accolades.

Eric Brown became the first-ever Chanticleer in program history to be selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft, as he was chosen as the 27th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2022 MLB Draft. His first-round selection was a new program-best, topping CCU's previous high draft pick of Kirt Manwaring, who went as the 31st overall pick in the second round of the 1986 MLB Draft.

Two other Chants were drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft, as Knorr went in the third round to the Houston Astros and VanScoter was chosen in the fifth round by the Seattle Mariners. Both Tyler Johnson (Detroit Tigers) and Jacob Maton (Texas Rangers) signed undrafted free agent deals.

2021
Playing with perhaps the youngest team CCU has ever had in 2021, the Chanticleers battled youth, inexperience, and COVID-19 to go 27-24 overall and 9-12 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Outside of redshirt-junior center fielder Parker Chavers, senior Alex Gattinelli, and juniors BT Riopelle and Nick Lucky, the Chants played predominately with sophomores and freshmen, as a total of seven underclassmen made 20 starts or more in the field on the season.

Despite hitting just .257 overall as a team, the Chants led the Sun Belt in home runs with 63 and was also first in on-base percentage at .367. Coastal’s offense was also second in the SBC in runs scored with 318, second in RBIs with 292, second in walks with 238, and third in both triples with 14 and hit-by-pitches with 70. The Chants were also third in the league in sacrifice bunts with 45 and stolen bases with 61.

On the mound, the Chants posted a 4.87 ERA with 10 saves and 428 strikeouts over 449.0 innings pitched, which all ranked in the middle of the Sun Belt rankings. CCU’s pitching staff held its opponents to a .268 batting average on the year and walked just 196 batters for the season.

Individually, two Chants in Lucky (47) and Eric Brown (42) ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, in the Sun Belt in runs scored, while Brown also finished the year tied for first in the league with 33 walks and ninth in on-base percentage at .413. Lucky and Cooper Weiss finished tied for a league-high four triples on the season, while Weiss was fourth in the league in base on balls with 32 and Lucky placed second overall with 11 sacrifice bunts.

Junior hurler Alaska Abney was tied for seventh overall in the Sun Belt with five saves on the season, while in the field, Brown led the Sun Belt with 140 assists and Riopelle was second by throwing out 18 would-be base stealers.

Three Chants earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, as Chavers, Riopelle, and Brown were all named to the All-Sun Belt second team, while Lucky’s play at the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament earned him a spot on the all-tournament team.

Chavers was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, while Abney was chosen in the 15th round by the Cleveland Indians.

2020
The 2020 season was unique in many ways, as it was announced in the week prior to the start of the year that coach Gilmore had been diagnosed with cancer. While Gilmore missed some time away from the team and program due to testing and doctor visits, Schnall served as the acting head coach in his absence.

In the shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Chants went 11-5 overall on the year, including going 11-4 at home in Springs Brooks Stadium.

One of the youngest teams in Coastal baseball history with a combined 15 freshmen and redshirt freshmen, the Chanticleers hit .287 overall as a team. The Chants led the Sun Belt and ranked 18th nationally in home runs with 20 and sacrifice flies with 11.  

Coastal's offense was also second in the Sun Belt in scoring at 8.4 runs per game, runs scored with 135, hit-by-pitch with 24, and stolen bases with 28.

Defensively, the Chants were first in the conference and tied for second nationally with 22 double plays turned, while the pitching staff walked just 50 batters which ranked first in the Sun Belt and was second in the conference with a 2.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season.

2019
In his fourth season back in the dugout in 2019, Coastal went 36-26-1 overall and won the Sun Belt Baseball Championship Tournament title for the second-straight year, winning five games in five days.

The Chants made their 17th NCAA Regional appearance and went 1-2 in the NCAA Atlanta Regional with losses to Auburn and Georgia Tech.

Coastal recorded non-conference wins over No. 2 NC State (ACC), No. 25 Illinois (Big Ten), Maryland (Big Ten), Michigan State (Big Ten), Indiana (Big Ten), UConn (AAC), Wake Forest (ACC), and Washington (Pac 12). 

The Chanticleers ranked among the top-15 nationally in sacrifice flies (4th, 41), hits (5th, 691), home runs (5th, 91), runs scored (5th, 525), scoring (6th, 8.3), slugging percentage (6th, .503), on-base percentage (6th, .416), hit-by-pitch (6th, 97), base on balls (11th, 350), batting average (12th, .307), and doubles (15th, 129).

Redshirt sophomore Jake Wright was named to the NCBWA All-America third team, while senior Kieton Rivers was tabbed a Perfect Game/Rawlings honorable mention All-American.

Both Wright and Rivers were joined by Parker Chavers on the ABCA/Rawlings all-region team.

Five players earned All-Sun Belt honors highlighted by Wright who was named the Newcomer of the Year. Zach Biermann and Chavers were both named to the first team while Rivers and catcher Kyle Skeels joined Wright on the second team.

Rivers was named the Sun Belt Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Player while Biermann, Chavers, Skeels, Cory Wood, and Wright were all named to the all-tournament team.

Coastal had seven players drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft in June, as Anthony Veneziano was drafted in the 10th round by the Kansas City Royals, Cory Wood was taken in the 19th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Scott McKeon in the 21st round by the Detroit Tigers, Zach Biermann in the 23rd round by the Houston Astros, Jake Wright in the 32nd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Keaton Weisz in the 36th round by the Los Angeles Angels, and Kyle Skeels in the 36th round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The seven Chants selected in the 2019 first-year player draft were the most in a single season since seven also went in 2010, which was also tied for the most in a single season in Chants’ history along with 2007.

The seven draft picks also marked the fourth-straight year in which Coastal had four picks or more go in the draft.

2018
In his third season back at his alma mater in 2018, the Chanticleers (43-19) finished the season ranked 24th in both Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) polls to mark the eighth time since 2005 that Coastal was ranked in a final national poll.

CCU won both the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships, hosted an NCAA Regional for the fourth time in the program’s history (2007, 2008, 2010, and 2018) and the second time on campus (2008 and 2018).

CCU had the best winning percentage in the Sun Belt for the second-straight season, as the Chanticleers won nine of their 10 Sun Belt Conference series on the season, including conference series sweeps over Arkansas State, Texas State, and Little Rock.

The Chanticleers ranked among the top 10 nationally in base on balls (3rd, 359), doubles (4th, 145), scoring (4th, 8.0 runs per game), runs scored (5th, 499), on-base percentage (7th, .404), slugging percentage (8th, .485), and home runs (9th, 81).

Seth Lancaster (Perfect Game/Rawlings – first team, ABCA – second team, Collegiate Baseball – third team), Kevin Woodall Jr. (Collegiate Baseball – third team), Cory Wood (Collegiate Baseball – third team), and Zach Biermann (ABCA – third team) all earned All-American honors, while Biermann, Lancaster, and Woodall also earned first-team ABCA All-Region accolades.

Freshman Parker Chavers was tabbed a Freshman All-American by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game/Rawlings (second team), and D1Baseball.com (second team).

Seven players earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2018 – Jason Bilous, Woodall, Wood, Lancaster, and Biermann all on the first team and both Matt Eardensohn and Chavers on the second team – while Biermann (Most Outstanding Player), Lancaster, Woodall, and Chavers were also all named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament team.

2017
In 2017, Coastal once again had a successful season, winning the Sun Belt regular-season title in the program's first year in the league.

Coastal ranked 26th nationally in home runs per game (1.19) as Kevin Woodall Jr., blasted a league-best 18 while driving in a league-best 60 RBIs.

2016
Schnall's impact at Coastal was immediate upon his return for the 2016 season. Not only did Coastal dominate the Big South by winning the regular-season title going away and sweeping its way to the conference tournament title, but the Chanticleers won the NCAA Raleigh Regional, the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional, and the College World Series in the program's first-ever trip to Omaha.

Coastal Carolina led the NCAA in home runs (96) and runs scored (516) while ranking fourth in hits, fourth in walks drawn, and fourth in sacrifice bunts.

Individually, several Chants had breakout seasons in 2016 as Connor Owings was the Big South Player of the Year while also earning first-team All-American honors. G.K. Young, a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award, was also tabbed a first-team All-American with Zach Remillard earning third-team All-American recognition.

Remillard led the NCAA in total bases (177), while Young was third (168), and Owings was ninth (161). Remillard and Young also ranked in the top five in the nation in two other offensive categories, as they tied for fourth in hits (99) and tied for fifth in RBIs (72). Coastal had four players (Remillard, Young, Owings, and Michael Paez) belt at least 15 home runs.

2015
In his final season at UCF in 2015 prior to returning to Conway, Schnall's instruction helped the Golden Knights lead the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and rank sixth nationally in home runs (66) while posting a league-best .294 batting average. UCF also led the AAC and ranked 12th nationally in slugging percentage on the season.

2014
The 2014 campaign saw UCF junior shortstop Tommy Williams earn first-team All-AAC honors after pacing the league with 12 homers. A program-record nine Knights were honored on the three league all-conference squads. Schnall aided junior first baseman James Vasquez to a career year with a .340 average and 56 RBIs.

2013
In Schnall's first season with the Knights, catcher/third baseman Chris Taladay won Conference USA Player of the Year honors after leading the team with a .342 batting average, 43 RBIs, and a .409 on-base percentage. Outfielder Erik Hempe also earned C-USA first-team honors under Schnall's tutelage after setting career highs in both batting average and RBIs while leading UCF in home runs and doubles.

As the Knights' recruiting coordinator, Schnall was responsible for a trio of nationally-ranked recruiting classes per Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (2013-14) and Baseball America (2015). The first of those recruiting classes landed Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and C-USA All-Freshman team member Zac Favre.

In the fall of 2012, between his time at Coastal and starting his first season at UCF for the 2013 season, Schnall was listed among the top 10 assistant baseball coaches in the nation according to a poll of Division I head coaches by Baseball America.

2001-12
Schnall began his coaching career at his alma mater Coastal Carolina and served as an assistant on Gilmore's staff from 2001-12.

The Chanticleers made appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 11 out of his 12 seasons on the staff in his first stint, while advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals in both 2008 and 2010. The Chants earned four No. 1 seeds at NCAA Regionals and were the No. 4 national seed in 2010.

In those same seasons, Schnall also aided Coastal Carolina to eight Big South regular-season championships and eight Big South tournament titles.

Schnall, a standout catcher in his own right with the Chanticleers, instructed catchers Dock Doyle (2008 Big South Player of the Year) and Jose Iglesias (third-team All-American in 2010), both of whom were finalists for the Johnny Bench Award which is given to the nation's top collegiate catcher.

In his final year at Coastal in 2012, Schnall coached Chanticleer backstop, Tucker Frawley, to semifinalist status for the same award.

Schnall is additionally credited with developing individual players such as catcher Randy McGarvey, Jr., who started his career as a walk-on and finished as a two-year starter and was a 2002 draft pick of the Houston Astros, and Chad Oxendine, who started his Coastal Carolina career as a middle infielder and went on to become an All-Big South catcher in 2004 before going on to play in the Chicago White Sox minor league organization. He also coached Mike Fuentes in 2005-06, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Overall, a Chanticleer catcher was tabbed All-Big South in seven of his first 12 years with the Chants. In addition, Will Remillard, who Schnall recruited and coached for a year, was named All-Big South and was drafted in 2013.

Schnall also boasts successful stints as a summer league head coach. In 2001, he coached Front Royal (Va.) of the Valley League and led the Cardinals to the playoffs. In 2002, Schnall was tabbed by the Baseball Factory to coach one of its select summer teams.

In his playing days, Schnall became just the second Chanticleer in Big South history to bat over .400 in a season (.405). He was named the Big South Player of the Year in 1999 and led Coastal to a 43-15 record, the program's best mark since 1983. Schnall slugged seven home runs and collected 48 RBIs and struck out just 19 times all season, setting a school record for on-base percentage at .515 for the year.

He finished his career as an NCBWA second-team All-American and was a finalist for the Rotary Smith National Player of the Year Award.

Schnall's collegiate success earned him notice from the Cincinnati Reds, who made him their 25th-round pick in 1999. He played two seasons in the Reds farm system, compiling time with the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League and the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League.

He is married to the former Megan Magee. The couple has two daughters, Sydney and Fallon, and a son, Jayden.