Coastal Carolina

They are not only D-1 but are very competitive. I have not been to the school but have been told the facilities are very good and the school is in a very nice area.

I suspect you will be hearing from some on this site who know a good deal more about the program including the coaching staff, but I have heard good things about the program and its direction.

ClevelandDad has a son at Coastal, so if you have specific questions, you can send him a message.

Over the years, we've played there many times. It's a great baseball facility and the campus is very nice. It has a new feel to all of the facilities on campus and it's beautifully maintained. The practice facilities are excellent and the weather is nearly perfect for baseball. They are doing things first class.

Being 15 minutes from Myrtle Beach could be a help or hinderance to some students. I don't think most baseball players will have enough time on their hands to take advantage of the beach setting though.

Coach Gilmore is very good. His son is a soph at UVa this year. The Big South is tough at the top since it also has one of the annual mid-major college powers in baseball (Winthrop) in the conference. The loss of Birmingham-Southern to D3 status will hurt the overall RPI of the conference though, since BSU always fielded quality teams.

I know some of the players down at Coastal ... they have some very nice talent down there and will be tough to handle. Don't know if they can knock off Winthrop this season, but they stand a chance.

Somkey's son is going to be a Soph. at Coastal.

quote:

Originally posted by Pat'sdad:
Somkey's son is going to be a Soph. at Coastal.

As is ClevelandDad's son. Puma has a freshman son there.

Thanks Guys!

floridafan - there have been many threads on this school and I cannot do a better job of describing it than HiHardHeat (H3). I must admit, of all the posters we have, H3 seems the most knowledgable regarding the mid-atlantic/southern region of the country and for any division of play. My son is very happy there. Some of my other thoughts are in the threads I have included below.

Here are some of the previous threads:

Coastal Carolina 1

Coastal Carolina 2

Thank you ClevelandDad,

All I can say is WOW! If offered the opportunity it sounds like a very hard program to walk away from. They sent a nice handwritten note to my Son along with their media pack. He is a Junior this year, so we have plenty of time. It is amazing the number of programs out there that are as everyone suggested in the linked threads such Class Acts and have great baseball programs but are not the household names most think of when asked.

Son also received the same packet that floridafan mentioned.

I will be PMing a number of you for some specifics.

This school is on my son's "list", so he is VERY interested in following up with them.

Other than knowing the coach and his staff I have no ties to the program---but great campus--my wife said "WOW" when we drove in---big things ahead for the baseball facilityin the coming years

Great staff, great people and great school---I cannot say anymore

My son had a chance to work with pitching coach Drew Thomas all summer at IMG in Florida, he is both a great guy and a great coach. He will be an excellent addition to this program.

quote:

Originally posted by jbbaseball:
I will be PMing a number of you for some specifics.

jbbaseball - Don't hesitate. I'm sure each and every one of them would be more than happy to discuss their thoughts with you.

By the way, just to clarify, my son is only 14 but Coastal is already on his "list" due to a certain "influence".

quote:

Originally posted by floridafan:
He is a Junior this year, so we have plenty of time.

For what its worth...the time will fly by and July 1 will be here before u know it.

Nothing but good things to say about coaching staff and baseball program. Beautiful setting for a college but for someone coming from Florida it may not excite you as much as those coming from the North since u are use to the Palm Trees. Campus is nice but small which can be a +/- depending on preference.

quote:

TR said: big things ahead for the baseball facilityin the coming years

TR, I know you play there every year so you may have greater knowledge on this but just as a general warning in regards to all schools or talk about their facilities being upgraded...until you see a groundbreaking don't count on it or let it sway you. The point from when a coach may have an idea or actually having drawings to when they actual get completed (if at all) can be years and are probably out of the coaches control.

My take on the campus is that it is isolated, small, and you have to drive a very busy 4-lane, dark at night divided highway to Myrtle Beach and town. Very comparable location as Charleston Southern is to Charleston - out there. The baseball facility is OK, not great, but Coach Gilmore is outstanding. Plus, we knew Drew Thomas very well from IMG, he is an excellent pitching coach and nice person. To play at Coastal, though, you need to be very fast - Coach Gilmore told us all his IFs run 7.0 or better. His game is speed-oriented.

My son is a freshman pitcher from Florida and so far he is very happy. He fit in quickly and loves the blue collar, hard-working program. He also has a great deal of respect for Coach Thomas, Gilmore and Schnall. Every school has it's "bourbon street"...place to get into trouble...and Myrtle Beach is no exception, but the time and energy put into baseball (and classes), leaves little time for anything else.

If a kid wants to get in "trouble" he/she can do it in any town. city or burg in the country---it can be found if you want it

quote:

Very comparable location as Charleston Southern is to Charleston - out there.

Though not directly related to this thread, let me set the record straight a bit on the location of Charleston Southern. Though it is not in downtown CHarleston, like C of C is, it is certainly not isolated. It is located in a fairly busy section of Charleston within easy distance of major shopping malls, movie theaters and restaurants, and is just a few miles of easy freeway drive to downtown. Now C of C has a superior baseball facility, to be sure (though theirs is not on campus, but across the river in Mt Pleasant). CSU's field itself is nice (and it's right on campus), but the seating and other amenities aren't the best.

Coastal Carolina (not to be confused with CSU or College of Charleston as discussed above --way too many "C's" used in this discussion--sorry )is indeed a program worthy of consideration. And everyone has pointed out that baseball players' lives are taken up with going to class, doing schoolwork, and practicing/playing the game. Those that want top get into trouble will find a way to do it in those few hours that might be available for that. It doesn't matter where the school is or isn't located.

quote:

Very comparable location as Charleston Southern is to Charleston - out there

Sorry, but it was my impression CSU is "out there", a fair drive to downtown Charleston. Don't get me wrong, I have a great deal of respect for Jason Murray, who will do great things down the line, but in my view CSU is isolated and the campus is very small. Same as CC, but less woodsy.

Interested to know just how many players recieved their "hand written" letters and last years media guide from Coastal Carolina? Upon further examination of the letter my son noticed that the only thing really written on the letter was his name because it bled through to the back of the paper. The other writing, although in handwritten form, was computer generated and worded in a general fashion.

This just reinforces the fact that there are many of these letters sent out to (X) amount of players and "he" felt it took some of the specialness out of it. I quickly informed him that he should be thankful to recieve them at all...

This is not a slam on CC, they are in fact a very competitive program. This is simply meant as information sharing.

I guess the word "isolated" has different meanings in different areas of the country.

15 minutes from town, 20 minutes from the beaches isn't isolated in a "southern sense". It's conveniently away from the tourist traffic.

HHH:

Point well-taken by this Chicago Yankee...

Son is a junior pitcher at Coastal. Nothing new to comment but wanted to echo the comments re: Coach Thomas. He's been very helpful to my son. Probably every student at Coastal is able to spend more time at the beach than the BB players. Son's been there but not often.

My son received the same package.
I noticed the "bleed thru" as well.