Coastal Carolina University Athletics

• CCU led the NCAA in home runs (96) and runs scored (516) in 2016.
• Helped instruct an offense that has ranked in the top five statistically in the conference in several categories in each of the last 11 seasons.
• Coastal’s infielders ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in double plays turned in 2015 (66), 2016 (66), 2020 (22), 2022 (54), and 2023 (58).
• Chants have led the conference in double plays turned six times over the last 10 years (2013, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2023) and ranked second twice (2017 and 2018).
• Helped lead CCU to five regular-season conference championships (1999, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2023) as a coach and one as a player (1993).
• Part of three conference tournament championship titles – 2016, 2018, and 2019 as a coach.
• Assisted in guiding the Chants to six NCAA Championship appearances (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022), including winning the 2016 NCAA National Championship.
• Over a decade of experience working with the development of professional baseball players at the Baseball Factory.

Matt Schilling, who played at Coastal Carolina from 1993-94 and served as an assistant coach for the Chants from 1995-00, returned to his alma mater to serve as a volunteer assistant baseball coach in the summer of 2012. Schilling is in his 12th season in his second stint on the Chanticleer staff.

Schilling coaches the infielders and works with the hitters, as well as serving as the director of the Chanticleer Baseball Camps.

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 17th 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).

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.

In addition to the team's defensive success, second baseman Matt McDermott was named a finalist for the 2022 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team and posted a .985 fielding percentage, which is the highest fielding percentage in a single season by a Coastal Carolina second baseman with at least 100 chances in program history.

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.

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).

Four Chants earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, as left-handed pitcher Reid VanScoter was named to the All-Sun Belt first team and tabbed the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year. Johnson, Michael 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 Johnson (Detroit Tigers) and Jacob Maton (Texas Rangers) signed undrafted free agent deals.

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

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.

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.

Brown led the Sun Belt with 140 assists and Riopelle was second in the league 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 right-handed pitcher Alaska Abney was chosen in the 15th round by the Cleveland Indians.

2020
In the shortened 2020 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 that CCU has ever had with 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, which was even more impressive with three freshmen starters over the four infield positions.

2019
In 2019, his seventh season on staff overall, 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 Jake Wright who was named the Newcomer of the Year. Zach Biermann and Parker Chavers were both named to the first team while Kieton Rivers and Kyle Skeels joined Wright on the second team.

Kieton 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, Kyle Skeels in the 36th round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The seven Chants selected in the 2019 first-year player draft are the most in a single season since seven in 2010, which is 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 has had four picks or more go in the draft.

2018
In his sixth 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 a conference series sweeps over Arkansas State, Texas State, and Little Rock.

Offensively, 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).

Defensively, CCU ranked in the top five in the Sun Belt in double plays turned (2nd – 53), putouts (2nd – 1655), total chances (3rd – 2287) and overall fielding percentage (4th - .973).

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).

Five position players earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2018 – Woodall, Wood, Lancaster, and Biermann on the first team 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
For the 2017 season, Coastal's first in the Sun Belt Conference, the Chants not only won the regular-season title but ranked second in the league in double plays (50).

First baseman Kevin Woodall Jr., was named first-team All-Sun Belt as he led the league in both home runs (18) and RBIs (60), while shortstop Jordan Gore was tabbed second-team All-Sun Belt and was drafted in the 19th round by the Minnesota Twins. Second baseman Wood Myers was drafted in the 29th round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

2016
In 2016, Coastal's defense played a key role in the Chanticleers winning the NCAA College World Series. While CCU had an overall fielding percentage of .972, the Chants had a .977 field percentage in the NCAA postseason and turned 21 of its 66 double plays in their 14 NCAA postseason games. Over the final 28 games, CCU fielded at a .981 clip to post a 24-4 record.

In addition to CCU's strong defense, Schilling's instruction helped Coastal lead the NCAA in home runs (96) and runs scored (516) while ranking fourth in hits (709), fourth in walks drawn (342), and fourth in sac bunts (78).

Individually, third baseman Zach Remillard, a 10th-round pick of the White Sox, was named an All-American as he led the nation in total bases (177), while fellow All-American and CCU designated hitter G.K. Young was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award. Remillard and Young tied for fourth nationally in hits (99) and fifth in RBIs (72). Remillard additionally ranked eighth in home runs (19) while Young was 13th with 16 dingers. Shortstop Michael Paez, a fourth-round pick by the Mets, ranked seventh in the nation in runs scored (67) and 33rd in home runs (15).

2015
In 2015, Paez was named first-team All-Big South and All-Atlantic Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as he was the only player in the league to rank among its top 10 in doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, runs scored, sacrifice bunts, slugging percentage, total bases, and stolen bases.

2014
In 2014, Connor Owings - who played first, second and third in 2014 - was named first-team All-Big South as a utility player.

Between his time at Coastal, Schilling spent 12 years as the senior director of on-field instruction at the Baseball Factory in Columbia, Md., which is one of the - if not the - premier recruiting services in the country. Schilling served three years as an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves, working under current Kansas City Royals Assistant General Manager J.J Picollo.

At the Baseball Factory, he worked one-on-one with many future college and professional players including Giants infielder Manny Burriss. He also worked, organized, and ran various Baseball Factory events that featured future big leaguers David Wright, B.J. Upton, Gavin Floyd, Delmon Young, Will Rhymes, Chris Perez, and Derek Holland, among others.

As a student-athlete at Coastal, Schilling played for then-head coach John Vrooman and led the team in hitting in both 1993 (.331) and 1994 (.356). Schilling earned first-team All-Big South honors as a second baseman in 1994 and was a nominee for the Rotary Smith Award, which goes to the nation's top collegiate player. In 1993, he helped the Chants win the Big South regular-season championship.

In his final season in Conway, the Chants posted a 43-15 overall mark and went 10-2 in league play to win the Big South regular-season title. In addition to his prowess on the baseball field, Schilling was a member of Paul Banta's Coastal soccer team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1992 NCAA tournament.

After his playing days, Schilling was an assistant for coach Vrooman for one season and stayed on for the first four seasons of the Gary Gilmore era.

Schilling came to Coastal after two years at Mercer (N.J.) Community College, where he was a two-time Junior College All-Region performer in baseball. He was the captain of Mercer's 1991 national championship soccer team and earned All-Region goalkeeping honors in 1990.

A native of Hightstown, N.J., Schilling received his bachelor's degree from Coastal Carolina in history in 1994. He and his wife, Colleen, have two sons, TJ and Brayden, and a daughter, Camden.