2025 MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 12, 2025

Kevin Schnall

Jacob Morrison

Caden Bodine

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joining us today from Coastal Carolina is head coach Kevin Schnall, Caden Bodine and Jacob Morrison.

KEVIN SCHNALL: June 30th, 2016 was one of the most remarkable days of my baseball career and ultimately it transpired right here. That was the day that we dog piled after winning the national championship.

As you can imagine, that moment, that day, that team changed Coastal baseball forever. Quite frankly, changed my life, my family's life forever.

So it's an honor to be back. This team deserves to be back. We're 53-11. We've won 23 straight games in a row. We're one of eight teams in the entire country still playing. And this team, again, deserves that opportunity. They've played so relentless and so consistent all year. As a coach, as a first-year head coach, I couldn't be more proud.

Q. Caden, what do you know about the 2016 team?

CADEN BODINE: Just it was phenomenal camaraderie. And I hear from the coaching staff all the time, it's a great experience, and we're looking forward to it continuing.

Q. You mentioned the 2016 team. Obviously it's going to be a huge discussion point around this. When you think back to that team and what you guys have going now, what similarities have you found? I know you guys weren't there in 2016 -- some college athletes may have been around at this point -- but how has the program changed?

CADEN BODINE: I think just continuing that direction. I think that team had the motto of, it doesn't matter who is in the other dugout, it's just us and playing Coastal baseball. I think we resemble that and are continuing in that.

JACOB MORRISON: They won a lot of games. They won a lot of games that they probably weren't the favorites in. They didn't care who they were playing, and to just played Coastal baseball.

Q. Caden, from your vantage point, what's it been like catching this pitching staff? What do you think has made these guys so successful?

CADEN BODINE: It's been extremely fun. And, honestly, a lot of low-pressure and low-stress innings. It's been a really good year that way. Catching these guys, they're competitive, and they throw multiple strikes in the strike zones whenever they want and wherever they want. And Coach Williams has done a great job with them, just fine-tuning details. And it's been really fun to be a part of.

Q. You carry the 23-game win streak into Omaha. Do you think about it? Does it give you extra confidence, or are you wiping the slate clean coming into this?

CADEN BODINE: Like I said, playing Coastal baseball, obviously that's in the back of our mind. We're only focused on game one and the first pitch of the game. We're just going to continue playing Coastal baseball and trusting our process and preparation.

JACOB MORRISON: Like Coach Schnall says a lot, once an umpire says "play ball," our win streak goes away, and it's the same nine innings, we've got to win those games. I really don't think that it ever carries over, is in our head, quite frankly.

Q. What kind of earned luxury, could you speak about it is, to have this weekend rotation that's gone out there and been able to start 46 games for you and been really successful?

KEVIN SCHNALL: In baseball when the opposing team doesn't score a lot of runs it's a lot easier to win. And that's what our pitching staff has been able to do. There's been multiple weekends where we played a three-game series and the opposing team only scored four runs.

Auburn had the best defense we've seen all year and they scored one run on Saturday. When you do that, you're doing great things. We've won 23 straight games in a row. We're pitching in that time period at roughly like a 2.4 ERA. What's more impressive is what opponents are doing with runners in position. That talks and speaks loudly about guts. And this pitching staff has guts.

Q. Last year at this time so much conversation about how with the ACC and SEC putting four teams in Omaha each, that it was a new era, that it was going to be the highest-investing power conference schools that would get to Omaha. Now this year you've got six conferences and an independent represented. So what happened?

KEVIN SCHNALL: Great question. Why has Coastal been so successful for 25 years? Well, Gary Gilmore was able to teach us how to assemble a roster. It's not about putting together just the best players. You have to put together the best team. Sometimes money doesn't always buy that.

Q. Talking about that transition from Gilmore to yourself, what are the challenges of recognizing Gary Gilmore for what he was, but also making it Coach Schnall's program?

KEVIN SCHNALL: There's no challenges. I was with Gilly for the 23 of the last 27 years, front row seat of what a head coach, what a Hall of Fame head coach looks like. To put that in perspective, that's half my life. That's three times the average marriage. I was able to learn a lot.

Q. You were here in 2016. You're back here again. What parallels do you see between the two teams or differences between the two teams?

KEVIN SCHNALL: The Coastal teams? Well, the parallels are simple. Really good players but they're selfless in everything they do. When you bring together a talented group of people who have that same mindset, this can happen.

Q. What are the challenges with putting together a roster of this caliber, in this era when you are battling tampering or whatever else goes on that can be prohibitive to being this successful?

KEVIN SCHNALL: There are no challenges. Why would you want to leave Coastal Carolina University? One of the most premier, most successful baseball programs in the country. We've had one player since this portal era opened that left and didn't look us in the eye, man to man, and communicate it the right way. One player. I won't mention any names, but that player is no longer playing.

Q. You were pretty outspoken about what it would mean to have your son here in Omaha here with you this time. Through the first 24, 48 hours how long you've been here, what has that been like so far?

KEVIN SCHNALL: It's been great. I want to make sure this is a point, my family, just like this team, is a "we," "others" centered type mindset.

I brought that up about my son because at that moment it did hit me we were going to Omaha and we have sat around the dinner table. Now that he's older and talked about going back to Omaha.

It's not easy to go to Omaha. I just want to make it clear; this is about our players. That's why we're here. Not about my son. I appreciate people asking about my son. He's doing great. Again, he's flourishing. He's going to be a sophomore in high school.

But the last thing I want to do is take any attention away from what this team accomplished this year and dump it onto my son or my family, because it's not about that.

Q. What do you consider to be the trademarks of your program? And if folks are getting acquainted with you this week, what do you hope they take away from seeing Coastal Carolina play?

KEVIN SCHNALL: Hopefully they take away that the team is relentless in everything they do. They're selfless in everything they do. We have embraced an "own it" leadership philosophy this year, which was highly influenced and impacted from our former football coach, Joe Moglia, who is an icon here in Omaha, Nebraska.

Coach's BAN mentality, which is Be a Man, really inspired us. And one of our former players, Adam Rice, who is a very successful entrepreneur, him and I sat down and talked a lot about it.

Again, what is "own it"? For us it's how we win, how we lose. It's a mentality. It's a culture. It's a commitment to personal responsibility and accountability, and this team has absolutely embraced that.

Q. When you saw that it was Coastal Carolina against Arizona, what was your reaction to that? And the second question is, what stands out to you the most about this Arizona team that you're facing on Friday?

KEVIN SCHNALL: Well, nothing stood out to me about playing Arizona outside that they're a really good team. What does the Arizona team look like? The first three hitters look like they're as good as hitters in the country. They get on base. They slug. The shortstop has 70-plus RBIs. It's a very dangerous lineup that is playing really well at the right time.

Q. How much have you been able to see Coach Gilmore around, and I guess what's his input been to you as this has unfolded this season?

KEVIN SCHNALL: Like I said, I shared a dugout with him for 23 of the last 27 years. Couldn't have any more input or any better influence having a front row seat watching a Hall of Fame coach do his thing.

He has not been around that much. He is here this week. He was on the plane with us yesterday. He knows he's always welcome. He was in the dugout for our workout here today, and it's great to have him back.