AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 13 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers defeated the No. 4 Auburn Tigers 4-1 on Saturday to advance to their second College World Series in program history.
“This is no Cinderella,” Coastal Carolina head coach Kevin Schnall said. “The past century, only eight teams have been in the regionals more times than us. In that same time period, we’ve got the sixth-best winning percentage and the ninth-most wins.”
The Chanticleers were propelled by a three-run seventh inning, giving them a lead that they would not relinquish. Star pitcher Jacob Morrison went six innings, giving up one run and striking out six. Third baseman Walker Mitchell led the way for the Chanticleers, going 3-5 with 2 RBIs to help the Chanticleers advance back to Omaha for the first time since their national championship run in 2016.
The Tigers struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-14 (.071) on the weekend. The big hit constantly eluded the Tigers, as they only scored more than one run once, scoring two runs in the eighth inning on Friday.
“Auburn’s offense was, hands down, the longest, deepest and the toughest lineup that we’ve faced all year,” Schnall said. “And for us to only give up one run today is pretty special.”
The Tigers are now looking forward to the offseason, hoping that the precedent they have set this season will carry over for years to come. The Tigers have a plethora of young talent, including three freshmen who played big roles today, to look forward to.
For the Chanticleers, they are looking to grab a second national title and will face the winner of the North Carolina-Arizona winner-take-all game tomorrow. It will be the Chanticleers' first time back in Omaha since their magical 2016 run to the national title.
