Who’s the Pack playing?
Opponent: Coastal Carolina
Mascot: Fancy Chickens | School Location: Dirty Myrtle Adjacent, SC | Conference: Fun Belt
2026 Record: 7-4 (0-0, T-1st) | 2026 RPI Rank: 116
2025 Record: 56-13 (26-4, 1st*) | 2025 RPI Rank: 2
2024 Record: 36-25 (16-14, 7th) | 2024 RPI Rank: 34
When? Where? How do I watch?
Location: Doak Field at Dail Park (Raleigh, NC)
Game Time(s): Tue, Mar 2 @ 3:00pm
TV: Tuesday (ACCNX)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast (Tuesday)
Tell me about this team
Coastal is in this weird position right now. You look at the lineup and you see an experienced group
that’s massively underproducing (.249/.380/.382, 22 2B, 7 HR, 13.1 BB%, 21.7 K%, 16-18 SB), with some of their proven entities being the ones struggling to reach prior levels of output. That’s a “buy low” if you’ve ever seen one.
On the other hand, the pitching staff is down their top two starters (Cameron Flukey and Hayden Johnson), with each projected to be absent for at least eight weeks, and lost a preseason 1st Team All-American (Dominick Carbone) for the year before the season even started. Add to that a good-not-great 5.20 ERA collectively, and maybe it’s a “sell now” deal.
Of course, the truth is always somewhere in between. The lineup has some guys producing over their heads and some who aren’t producing but with underlying metrics that aren’t pointing to a turnaround. The pitching staff might not have an ideal ERA, but they also have a 7.6 BB% and 22.7 K% which will get it done anywhere. I’d expect this team to get right by Sun Belt time, and if Flukey and Johnson can return for the finishing kick of the season heading into the the Sun Belt Tournament, this is a team that could roll through an NCAA Regional.
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday: RHP Heath Andrews (JR) vs LHP Case Bosch (FR)
Key Players:
Offense
DH/INF Trace Mazon (JR) – .375/.400/.646, 5 2B, 2 HR, 3.9 BB%, 9.8 K%, 1-1 SB. JUCO transfer from Texas who hit 37 2B and 18 HR over two years at that level, with 15 of those HR coming last year when he also stole 14 bags.
CF Dean Mihos (SR) – .400/.471/.533, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7.7 BB%, 11.5 K%, 1-2 SB. Undersized guy at 5’9, 170 lbs, but is a scrappy dude with great bat speed who can smoke some balls off the bat. He’ll be a 1st Team All-Sun Belt guy when the season is done.
2B Blake Barthol (SR) – .222/.321/.244, 1 2B, 0 HR, 11.3 BB%, 26.4 K%, 2-2 SB. Like Mihos, is an undersized 4th-year guy. Unlike Mihos, he’s struggling so far this year, but he’s been productive in the past and will be again (hit .274/.387/.468, 13 2B, 12 HR, 10.3 BB%, 22.9 K%, 13-16 SB last year).
3B Walker Mitchell (JR) – .229/.400/.257, 1 2B, 0 HR, 12.8 BB%, 19.1 K%, 3-3 SB. Another guy struggling with the bat right now, but he works a lot of walks and leans into a ton of pitches (34 HBP last year).
Pitching
LHP Case Bosch (FR) – 1-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 9.2 IP, 5.9 BB%, 32.4 K%. A big freshman at 6’5, 225 lbs. Low-90’s arm with a really good changeup and developing breaking stuff. The frame says he’s a guy who will pop in time.
RHP Darin Horn (rSR) – 1-0, 1 SV, 0.64 ERA, 14.0 IP, 1.9 BB%, 30.8 K%. Super experienced arm who will be counted on heavily this year with Carbone out. Is finally getting back into form after missing all of 2024. Tossed 64.1 IP in 2023 and 26.1 IP last year but struggled with control. Not an overpowering pitcher with the fastball (high-80’s sinker), but has a pair of elite level high-spin breaking pitches.
RHP Jackson Smallets (FR) – 0-0, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 6.7 BB%, 16.7 K%. Freshman from the same hometown (Sicklerville, NJ) as former NC State QB Devin Leary. Allowed the first run of his collegiate career this past weekend against Texas. High-80’s/low-90’s sinker from an almost sidearm delivery, as well as a slider and changeup.
Quick! Fun Facts!
Coastal has five players from the state of Pennsylvania and three from New Jersey. They only have three from North Carolina, which seems odd for a school so close to the Old North State. Heck, they only have one from Florida and two from Georgia. Clearly, they have their preferred recruiting base.
Over their first 16 years after joining the D1 ranks in 1985, Coastal made just one NCAA Regional appearance (1991). The Chanticleers have made 20 of the 24 NCAA Regionals since.
These teams have five players each listed at 6’5 or taller. Coastal has 12 players listed under 6’0 while NC State has only three.
The Key To A Win For State
This is easily the best team the Wolfpack have faced all year. Coastal is going to provide a punch to the gut unlike State has seen this year. The Pack will need to keep calm when that happens and avoid the panic-mode that can set in with a situation like that. Avoid that trap, and State will be alright.
Prediction
This is a bit of a back-and-forth affair with the team teams cashing in runs more often than not, but State slowly pulls away.
Outcome: State wins 9-6
