Sports

Coastal Carolina Baseball Quiets False Narrative On Top Prospect After Mysterious Scratch

#Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
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Cam Flukey / Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

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The Coastal Carolina baseball team will be without ace Cam Flukey for the second series of the 2026 season. The Top 10 MLB Draft prospect has been scratched from his upcoming start.

His removal from the rotation was described as precautionary, leading many to jump to load management conclusions. Chanticleers head coach Kevin Schnall provided an update on Thursday.

Flukey was set to make his second start of the year on Friday when Coastal Carolina hosted VCU. It was revealed about a day before that scheduled appearance that that will no longer be the case.

At the time, no specific reason was provided. The absence was described as a safety measure and unrelated to his arm. Given his status as a future top MLB Draft pick, speculation ran rampant on social media.

Who is Cam Flukey?

Regarded as the top right-handed starting pitcher in college baseball, Flukey is currently rated by MLB.com as the ninth-best prospect in the draft class.

Few college pitchers can get swings and misses with a fastball and chases with a curveball better than he can.

Flukey maintains mid-90s velocity on his heater deep into games and tops out at 98 mph with armside run and carry. His high three-quarters arm slot allows him to stay on top of his upper-70s curveball, which has so much downer break that it can be hard to keep it in the strike zone, and his feel for spin also extends to a solid 82-85 mph slider. His mid-80s changeup lags behind the rest of his repertoire, though its fade makes it tough to hit when he throws it close to the plate.

The 6-6 righty is an intimidating presence on the mound. His four-pitch repertoire keeps hitters off-balance. He was named Preseason National Pitcher of the Year after a successful 2025 campaign.

The ace is in just his third college season. Last year, he went 7-2 with a 3.19 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .209 average.

He struck out 118 hitters in 101.2 innings.

This year, he looks to continue success before becoming a pro. He picked up a win in his first start of the year against Fairfield.

While Flukey was tagged for back-to-back homers in the top of the first frame, he settled in to allow two runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven batters on his way to 1-0.

He was expected to make a second appearance this week. That is no longer the case. He was mysteriously scratched less than 48 hours before his start.

Why won’t the Coastal Carolina pitcher play?

Many immediately assumed the absence was linked to his MLB outlook. Was he protecting his pro stock?

It’s a topic that’s been top of mind in college basketball with Darryn Peterson. Head coach Kevin Schnall made sure quiet those claims with an update on Thursday.

Schnall says Cam Flukey is dealing with a minor strain in his midsection. It is a legitimate injury that will not keep him off the field for an extended period of time.

Flukey is the second top pitching prospect this week to be scratched from his scheduled Friday start, joining Tommy LaPour of TCU (No. 61 MLB Draft prospect).

The unexpected nature of Flukey’s removal from the rotation had many wondering what was happening behind the scenes. Coach Schnall cleared the air to shoot down any false narrative surrounding his ace.