Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Coastal Carolina
No. 18 Troy Hosts No. 16 Coastal Carolina in Sun Belt Home Opener
3/20/2025 1:14:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. - No. 18 Troy returns to Riddle-Pace Field after a nine-game road trip this weekend, as the Trojans will host No. 16 Coastal Carolina for their Sun Belt home opener Friday-Sunday.Â
The Trojans won their first Sun Belt series at Louisiana 2-1 last weekend, as outfielder Gavin Schrader went on to win Sun Belt Player of the Week. The Niagara transfer made just his second start of the season in Game 1 of the series and finished the weekend going 6-for-12 with a double, a triple, two home runs and five RBIs. In Troy's 14-2 victory over UAB at Rickwood Field on Tuesday, Schrader went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
Troy's offense has been one of the best in the country, ranking ninth in walks (141) and 11th in on-base percentage (.455). The Trojans also lead the Sun Belt with a .313 batting average and have each of the conference's top three leaders in RBIs in Brooks Bryan (1st - 34), Blake Cavill (T-2nd - 25) and Sean Darnell (T-2nd - 25).Â
Head coach Skylar Meade will keep the same starting rotation for the sixth consecutive weekend. Garrett Gainous has set the tone on Fridays with a 3-0 record, as the Trojans are 5-0 in games he's started. Troy's team leader in strikeouts, Noah Edders (24), gets the start on Saturday, while Sunday starter Drew Nelson has held opponents to a .228 batting average this season.
Last season, the Trojans met the No. 12 Chanticleers in Conway, S.C., and came away with a three-game sweep. Troy won Game 1 8-6 and Game 2 11-4 before picking up a 15-3 run-rule victory in Game 3. Trojan catcher Brooks Bryan homered twice in the series while tallying six RBIs.Â
ÂGameday Info
The Matchup: No. 18 Troy (16-5, 2-1 Sun Belt) vs. No. 16 Coastal Carolina (16-5, 3-0 Sun Belt)
Game Times: Friday - 3 p.m. | Sat. - 3:33 p.m. | Sun. - 1 p.m.
Location: Troy, Ala. - Riddle-Pace Field
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Troy Sports Radio Network
Live Stats: TroyStats.com
ÂProbable Starters
Game 1
Troy: Garrett Gainous (3-0, 23.1 IP, 3.86 ERA), RHP, Sr.
CCU: Jacob Morrison (3-0, 22.2 IP, 1.99 ERA), RHP, R-So.
ÂGame 2
Troy: Noah Edders (2-0, 23.3 IP, 5.32 ERA), RHP, Jr.
CCU: Cameron Flukey (2-0, 25.1 IP, 3.55 ERA), RHP, So.
ÂGame 3
Troy: Drew Nelson (3-0, 24.2 IP, 3.65 ERA), LHP, Jr.
CCU: Riley Eikhoff (4-0, 31.2 IP, 1.71 ERA), RHP, R-Sr.
ÂQuick Hitters
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Troy was ranked No. 18 in the NCBWA Top 25 for the second consecutive week, which is tied for the highest ranking in Troy's Division I history (2011).
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Troy entered the season ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball Top 25 and remains at No. 25 through five weeks. It was the first time in Troy's Division I history that they entered the season ranked in the Top 25.
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Troy has hit 29 home runs this season, ranking second in the Sun Belt Conference. All 29 have come against a right-handed pitcher.
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Troy leads the Sun Belt in batting average (.313).Â
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The Trojans rank ninth in the nation in walks (141) and 11th in on-base percentage (.445).Â
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Troy has each of the Sun Belt's top three RBI producers.
            - Brooks Bryan (1st - 34)
            - Blake Cavill (T-2nd - 25)
            - Sean Darnell (T-2nd - 25) Â
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In his last six appearances, reliever Colby Frieda has not allowed a hit in 11.0 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .089 off Frieda in 13.2 innings pitched this season.
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Garrett Gainous and Grayson Stewart are climbing the Troy all-time leaderboards in wins and strikeouts. Gainous ranks tenth in wins (19) and fourth in strikeouts (231), while Stewart ranks eighth in wins (21) and seventh in strikeouts (222).
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Leadoff hitter Steven Meier ranks fourth in the nation in runs scored (34) and leads Sun Belt in stolen bases (13). Meier also ranks 20th in the nation in on-base percentage (.564).
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First baseman Blake Cavill ranks third in the nation in walks (28) and 11th in on-base percentage (.578).Â
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Cavill and Meier have been two of the most valuable players in college baseball, according to Synergy's wins above replacement. Meier ranks 21st in the nation in WAR (1.97) and Cavill ranks 23rd (1.96).Â
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Gavin Schrader was named Sun Belt Player of the Week after Troy's series victory over Louisiana. Schrader made just his second start of the season in Game 1 and finished the series going 6-for-12 with a double, a triple, two home runs and five RBIs. Schrader followed his strong weekend with a 4-for-4 day with two doubles against UAB on Tuesday.
Scouting Coastal Carolina
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Coastal Carolina is ranked in three of the five major polls this week. The Chanticleers are ranked No. 16 by Perfect Game, No. 24 by D1Baseball and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.Â
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Coastal Carolina enters the weekend with a 16-5 record under first-year head coach Kevin Schnall. The Chanticleers swept Georgia Southern in their opening Sun Belt series.
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Catcher Caden Bodine was named the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year and a Preseason All-American by D1Baseball and Perfect Game. Second baseman Blake Barthol was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.Â
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The Chanticleers are hitting .272 with 22 home runs while scoring 6.9 runs per game.
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Dean Mithos leads the team with a .355 batting average and Blake Barthol leads the team with four home runs.
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The Coastal Carolina pitching staff leads the Sun Belt in ERA (3.57) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.53).
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Sunday starter Riley Eikhoff leads the Sun Belt in ERA (1.71) while Friday starter Jacob Morrison ranks fourth (1.99).
Series History
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Troy leads the all-time series 12-11
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The Trojans swept No. 12 Coastal Carolina on the road in Conway, S.C., last season.
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Troy's last home series against Coastal Carolina came in 2022, where the Chanticleers swept the Trojans.
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Troy and Coastal Carolina met in the 2022 Sun Belt Tournament, with the Trojans picking up a 6-4 win.
