UConn ends Chants season in NCAA Conway Regional

The Coastal Carolina baseball team saw their season come to an end in a 6-5 loss to the Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Conway Regional at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, SC on Sunday, June 3.

The Chants got on the board first in the top of the second as Zach Biermann homered to right field to give the Chants an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

Senior pitcher Zack Hopeck would have a four innings but things changed in the bottom of the fifth as UConn’s Isaac Feldstein hit a double down the right field line that brought in two runs, making it 2-1 Huskies going into the sixth inning.

Biermann would come up big again in the top of the sixth, getting a single through left field that brought Cory Wood home, tying things up at two runs apiece.

UConn responded in the seventh inning, getting three runs to cross plate thanks to home runs from Anthony Prato and Isaac Feldstein.

However, the Chants did not go down without a fight as Biermann once again stepped up and played the hero card by getting two runs to score in the top of the eighth inning thanks to a single through the right side. Lee Sponsiller later drew a bases loaded walk to tie things up at five and the Chants had a couple of chances to take the lead with the bases loaded but could not get the run they needed to take the lead.

UConn would punish the Chanticleers for missing that opportunity as UConn’s Christian Fedko would get his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth to give the Huskies the 6-5 lead.

Coastal had a chance to even the score in the top of the ninth with Seth Lancaster and Woody Woodall coming up to bat but Lancaster flew out to left field and Woodall struck out looking, thus ending Coastal Carolina’s season.

Head Coach Gary Gilmore gave his thoughts on the game and an overview of the 2018 season.

“We had a group of battlers,” said Gilmore. “Nothing seem to go easy for us all season long. Out of the gate we lose our two best arms, one of them a week before we start and he’s either going to be you’re Friday or Saturday guy and then you lose one of a bullpen guy which should been one of the best in the country and you lose him three weeks into it. I’m very proud of this an incredible group of young men. This is one of the more tightly knit groups of guys that I coached in a long time and had a lot of characteristics as men and of the 2016 team. As our struggles of have been over the course of the year, some of the things we were unable to do all year long, consistently, got us in this tournament.”

Gilmore also gave his input on what this year’s senior class has done for Coastal baseball.

“The seniors, the guys who led us in 2016 set an incredible example that last year we missed the boat on and it was something that these seniors and I worked very hard,” said Gilmore. “I’m so proud of this group of guys and what they did for each other. They recreated a culture in that locker room that we did not have the year before.”

Coastal Carolina ended their season with a 43-19 record, making this the 15th time in CCU head coach Gary Gilmore’s 23-year career at Coastal that the team has posted at least 40 wins.