South Carolina Is Set to Hire Coastal Carolina's Kevin Schnall as the Program's Next Head Baseball Coach

Coastal Carolina's Kevin Schnall is taking his talents to Columbia, South Carolina where he will be tasked to help get the Gamecocks baseball program back to Omaha contention.

Jun 13, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Coastal Carolina Chanticleers head coach Kevin Schnall looks to the field during the game against the Arizona Wildcats during the fifth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

In major news for the future of the South Carolina baseball program, the Gamecocks are set to hire Coastal Carolina's Kevin Schnall as the program's next head coach. Schnall is a rising star in the world of college baseball and will be looked upon to get Carolina baseball back on track.

Schnall has long time been a name in contention for this job since Paul Mainieri was let go midway through the season. The Chanticleers head coach has had an impressive past two years as a first time head coach. His task now will be to turn this program around and get back to its old winning ways.

In his first season with Coastal Carolina in 2025, Schnall led the Chanticleers to a school record 56 wins, a Sun Belt regular-season championships and tournament championship, as well as a run to the Men's College World Series final.

This season, in year two, Schnall led the team to a 36-19 overall record (21-9 in conference play). In the past two seasons, the Chanticleers have amassed a 93-36 overall record. Schnall began his career with the Chanticleers in 2016 working his way up from recruiting coordinator to associate head coach and ultimately taking the lead job.

According to the Big Spur on On3 Sports, the announcement for Schnall's hiring should take place over the next 24 hours. He will have to come in right away and begin focusing on the transfer portal and building out his staff for next season.

Transfer Portal Update

Jun 22, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Coastal Carolina Chanticleers head coach Kevin Schnall (9) (right) watches action against the LSU Tigers during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Speaking of the transfer portal, there are officially 20 Gamecocks in the portal as of Tuesday morning. The new staff will have to work fast to decide which players to work on bringing back to the Garnet and Black and where the team needs an overhaul at certain positions.

There will of course be names to watch out for coming from Coastal Carolina who are already familiar with their old head coach. This is a new beginning both for the Gamecocks baseball program and Schnall.

South Carolina has failed to make a College World Series appearance since 2012. The team has also failed to make any sort of postseason play under previous head coach Paul Mainieri. The last time the Gamecocks played baseball past the SEC Tournament came in 2024 in Mark Kingston's final year at the helm.

This move is one step in the right direction for an athletic department wanting to build a winner here. How the team fairs in the transfer portal and high school recruiting over the next couple years will be another sign of how invested the department is in winning.