The College World Series returns this week for the 75th anniversary of the CWS in Omaha. LSU baseball is headed to Omaha for the 20th time in program history. The Tigers will be joined by seven other programs looking to make a run at the national title.
Just about every pocket of the country is represented in the field of eight. There’s a heavy West Coast presence with Arizona, Oregon State, and UCLA. LSU and Arkansas represent the boot, while Murray State and Louisville represent Kentucky. From the Southeast, we have Coastal Carolina.
We have a fresh field as none of these teams were in Omaha last year.
A few schools are chasing their first national championship while programs like LSU and Arizona look to add to a large trophy case.
Ahead of the CWS, we’ll examine all eight teams. With only two SEC teams in the field, LSU fans are likely unfamiliar with most of these squads.
Here are three things to know about Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers are riding a 23-game win streak
Coastal Carolina is the hottest team in college baseball right now. The Chanticleers’ last loss came on April 22 at The College of Charleston. Since then, Coastal Carolina has notched four sweeps and won the Sun Belt Tournament.
There are always questions about how teams like Coastal will fare against power conference competition, but CCU quieted those concerns. The win streak includes a victory over Clemson and a sweep of Auburn in the super regional. This team has the talent to hang with the top squads in college baseball.
According to the Massey Ratings, Coastal Carolina is the fourth-best team in the sport. They’re far from a sleeper in Omaha.
Led Sun Belt in stolen bases and fielding percentage
The little things can be the difference in June baseball.
Coastal Carolina led the Sun Belt in stolen bases and fielding percentage. The Chanticleers can create extra runs on offense and know how to keep them off the board on defense.
Sebastian Alexander is one of the top runners in the country with 27 steals on the year. Wells Sykes can run too, with 17 steals to his name.
CCU has a strong defense behind the plate as well, with First-Team All-Sun Belt catcher Caden Bodine.
Pitching staff is deep
The only pitching staff in Omaha that can rival Coastal Carolina from a depth standpoint is Arkansas, and the Razorbacks are on the other side of the bracket. With a strong starting rotation and deep bullpen, the Chanticleers have the tools to fight out of the losers’ bracket if they must.
Jacob Morrison has been one of the top pitchers in the country all year. The big righty is 11-0 with a 2.15 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 96.1 innings pitched.
Along with Morrison, you have Riley Eikhoff, who has a 2.90 ERA in 15 starts. It doesn’t stop there as Cameron Flukey, 3.24 ERA in 91.2 innings, rounds out the rotation.
Not many teams have three bonafide starters like that.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: College World Series Preview: 3 things to know about Coastal Carolina