Coastal Carolina won the College World Series on Thursday afternoon in dramatic fashion, but as it turns out, the Chanticleers were nearly sent home several times along the way.
Gary Gilmore’s squad won all six of its elimination games in the playoffs, and plenty of heroes were born in the most pressure-packed situations.
Here were some of the best moments of the postseason.
Coastal scores four runs in the top of the ninth to win Raleigh Regional
With three outs left in their season, the Chanticleers trailed North Carolina State 5-3 in the Raleigh Regional. But Coastal was not done just yet.
Seth Lancaster drove in a go-ahead two run-single to give Coastal Carolina a 6-5 lead, and Billy Cooke followed with an insurance RBI. The aftermath:
#CINO pic.twitter.com/JTDQvwyLxk
— Coastal Baseball (@CoastalBaseball) June 7, 2016
Owings, Remillard go back-to-back vs. LSU
The Chanticleers would move on to face LSU in Baton Rouge for a chance to play in the College World Series, but one of the toughest road environments in college baseball didn’t faze Coastal Carolina. Their bash brothers, Connor Owings and Zach Remillard, smacked back-to-back homers en route to an 11-8 Game 1 victory:
Bye Bye Baseball! Back-to-back jacks by Owings and Remillard puts Coastal up 9-4 in the 7th! #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/TOdbwk1jXQ
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 12, 2016
Michael Paez sends Coastal Carolina to Omaha with one swing
In Game 2, Michael Paez had a chance to become a Coastal Carolina hero. And boy, did he ever.
With Anthony Marks on second base and the scored tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Paez smacked a chopper over the third baseman’s head into left field. By the end of the play, the Chanticleers were Omaha bound:
Michael Paez is a Chanticleer LEGEND...
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 13, 2016
What a way to punch your first ticket to Omaha! #CWShttps://t.co/4svs3Tgh4u
It was a sign of things to come.
'The David Parrett Game'
Now in Omaha, Coastal Carolina was once again facing elimination and in need of a spark. Little did it know that the boost would come from a guy who was hitting .130 going into the evening.
Against Texas Tech, Parrett went 2-for-4 with three huge RBIs, and the Chanticleers emerged victorious. It takes contributions from an array of players in order to win a College World Series.
David Parrett... officially on !
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 24, 2016
Coastal catcher belts a 2-run single and the Chants lead 7-3 in the 5th. #CWS pic.twitter.com/clyqSbXsxZ
Andrew Beckwith shuts down TCU shutout
Beckwith went 3-0 in Omaha, but perhaps no performance was more impressive than his complete-game victory against TCU.
Beckwith tossed 138 pitches in the outing and seemingly grew stronger as the game wore on. This pretty much sums it up:
Different angles, same result. #DapGonnaDap#CCUinOMAHA pic.twitter.com/xSyjxobXfu
— Coastal Baseball (@CoastalBaseball) June 25, 2016
After another win against TCU the following night, Coastal Carolina was on to the College World Series final.
G.K. Young’s monster blast against Arizona in Game 3 of the CWS final
You know Coastal Carolina’s lineup is relentless when a slugger like Young bats fifth. After a two-run Arizona error gave the Chanticleers the lead, Young tacked on two much-needed insurance runs with a no-doubter:
GK's towns:#Conway#Omaha#CCUinOMAHA pic.twitter.com/SemhkP15ta
— Coastal Baseball (@CoastalBaseball) June 30, 2016
These Chants are having FUN! #CWS pic.twitter.com/CUPLG0zvUZ
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 30, 2016
The final out
Arizona would not go out quietly. After a Ryan Aguilar double gave the Wildcats runners on second and third with two outs in a 5-4 game, it was time for Alex Cunningham to buckle down.
It's a great day to be a Chanticleer!https://t.co/xrWsYyr98V
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) July 1, 2016
The Chanticleers were officially national champions.
The celebration
You knew this Coastal Carolina team would know how to celebrate. Some of the highlights:
LET'S GO!!! CHANTS UP!!https://t.co/2DvR2qLR8r
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 30, 2016
THE REAL TEAL! pic.twitter.com/pxBSyplwc5
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 30, 2016
PURE JOY!
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 30, 2016
Congrats, Coach! pic.twitter.com/Qul8ZXnuQz
A shower for champions! pic.twitter.com/vXTnHET13d
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 30, 2016
Congratulations to Coastal Carolina on an epic season, and an even better postseason run.
