Kevin Schnall enters his second season as head baseball coach at Coastal Carolina University in 2026 after authoring one of the most historic seasons in program history in his first year at the helm.
Schnall was named the Chanticleers’ head coach on June 10, 2024, succeeding longtime Hall of Fame head coach Gary Gilmore. In his debut season as a college head coach in 2025, Schnall led Coastal Carolina to a nation-leading and school-record 56 victories, Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and a run to the Men’s College World Series Finals, immediately establishing himself among the nation’s elite head coaches.
Head Coach Era (2025–Present)
Schnall’s first season as head coach proved to be a landmark year for Coastal Carolina baseball. The Chanticleers posted a 56–13 overall record, including a dominant 26–4 mark in Sun Belt Conference play, setting a new program record for wins in a single season. Coastal swept both the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament championships before embarking on a deep postseason run on the national stage.
The Chanticleers hosted and won the Conway Regional, captured the Auburn Super Regional, and advanced to the Men’s College World Series. Along the way, Coastal Carolina put together a 26-game winning streak, the fourth-longest in Division I baseball over the last five seasons, and consistently ranked among the nation’s elite throughout the year.
Schnall became just the fourth head coach to lead his team to the Men’s College World Series in his first season as a college head coach, joining Dan McDonnell at Louisville (2007), Mike Martin at Florida State (1980), and Cliff Gustafson at Texas (1968). Coastal’s victory over Louisville made Schnall the only one of those four to win his College World Series debut. He also became the only first-year head coach to win his first eight NCAA Tournament games. His 56 victories were the most by a rookie head coach in Division I history, surpassing the previous high-water marks set by Mike Batesole at CSUN (52 wins in 1996) and Mike Martin at Florida State (51 wins in 1980).
For his accomplishments during the 2025 season, Schnall was named Baseball America’s College Coach of the Year, Perfect Game Coach of the Year, Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, and ABCA/ATEC Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
The success of Schnall’s inaugural season was also reflected at the professional level, as four Chanticleers were selected in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Catcher Caden Bodine was taken in the first round as the No. 30 overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles, while pitchers Jacob Morrison (third round, Milwaukee Brewers), Riley Eikhoff (ninth round, Chicago White Sox), and Matthew Potok (18th round, Philadelphia Phillies) were also selected.
Schnall’s ability to build and lead a championship-level staff was evident during the 2025 campaign. In his first year as head coach, he hired Matt Williams as pitching coach, a move that proved instrumental to the Chanticleers’ historic run. Williams was named the ABCA Division I Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year and the D1Baseball.com Assistant Coach of the Year after guiding a pitching staff that ranked among the nation’s best and led the Sun Belt Conference in both ERA and WHIP during Coastal’s College World Series run.
Associate Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator (2016–2024)
Prior to his appointment as head coach, Schnall served as Coastal Carolina’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2016 through the conclusion of the 2024 season. During that span, the Chanticleers established themselves as one of the nation’s most consistent and explosive programs, highlighted by the 2016 NCAA Division I National Championship.
Schnall played a key role in assembling and developing championship-caliber rosters, mentoring 10 conference Players of the Year and coaching 39 All-Americans. As recruiting coordinator, he helped sign multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes according to Baseball America, D1Baseball, Perfect Game, and Collegiate Baseball, including the highly regarded 2018 class, which ranked among the best in program history.
In 2020, Schnall served as acting head coach during Gilmore’s absence due to medical reasons, guiding Coastal Carolina to an 11–5 record in the pandemic-shortened season.
National Recognition as an Assistant Coach
Schnall earned widespread national recognition prior to his head coaching appointment. He was rated among the nation’s top assistant coaches by Baseball America on multiple occasions, ranking seventh prior to the 2013 season and sixth prior to the 2018 season. In 2018, D1Baseball named Schnall one of the top 15 premier assistant coaches in all of NCAA baseball.
University of Central Florida (2013–2015)
Between his two stints at Coastal Carolina, Schnall spent three seasons at the University of Central Florida as an assistant coach, hitting instructor, and recruiting coordinator. His instruction helped UCF rank among the national leaders offensively, including leading the American Athletic Conference and ranking sixth nationally in home runs during the 2015 season.
First Coastal Carolina Coaching Stint (2001–2012)
Schnall began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2001, serving as an assistant coach on Gary Gilmore’s staff for 12 seasons. During that span, the Chanticleers advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 11 of 12 seasons, reached NCAA Super Regionals in 2008 and 2010, earned four No. 1 regional seeds, and were the No. 4 overall national seed in 2010. Coastal also captured eight Big South Conference regular-season championships and eight Big South tournament titles during that period.
Playing Career
A standout catcher for the Chanticleers from 1995–99, Schnall enjoyed one of the finest playing careers in program history. He was named the 1999 Big South Conference Player of the Year, became the program’s first NCBWA All-American with second-team honors, and was Coastal Carolina’s first and only finalist for the R.E. “Bob” Smith Award, presented annually to the nation’s College Player of the Year. He finished his collegiate career with a .360 batting average and set the program’s single-season record for on-base percentage.
Schnall was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 25th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft and spent two seasons in the organization, batting .322 during his professional career.
Personal
A native of Mercerville, N.J., Schnall was inducted into the George F. “Buddy” Sasser Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. He and his wife, Megan, have two daughters, Sydney and Fallon, and a son, Jayden.
