Coastal Carolina began the 2026 college baseball season with a three-game sweep of Fairfield at home in Conway. Its famously rowdy fanbase made it extremely difficult for the Stags to get settled.
Especially the students!
There are very few bullpen setups in college baseball that are more intimidating for opposing pitchers than the one at Springs Brooks Stadium. They are forced to deal with a constant barrage of ruthless insults during their warm-up, which is completely disorienting for smaller programs in other conferences.
Coastal Carolina baseball is legit.
A casual fan of college sports may not expect Coastal Carolina to be as dominant as it is. The university enrolls only 12,000 students compared to the 25,000+ at most SEC powerhouses (other than Vanderbilt) and other schools with strong baseball programs like UCLA or Louisville.
And yet, the Chanticleers have only missed out on the NCAA Tournament four times since 2000. They won a regional in 2008, 2010, 2016 and 2025, won the College World Series in 2016 and finished as the runners-up in 2025. It is one of the best college baseball programs in the country.
Fans love to support teams that win so Coastal typically draws a large crowd for every home game. Especially the season-opener.
This weekend was not the exception. Springs Brooks Stadium was rocking for a three-game non-conference series against Fairfield. It was not a sellout but it was a strong showing!
The largest group of fans gathered just beyond the wall in right field. Right next to the visitor’s bullpen.
Students are ruthless toward opposing pitchers.
A group of students positioned themselves directly on top of the Fairfield bullpen to heckle the Stags. They bombarded their opponents with an onslaught of verbal insults throughout the entire game.
Sophomore pitcher Brendon Miller was one of the first players to face the wrath of the Chanticleers.
Best college baseball fans in the country. There’s nothing that can come close. pic.twitter.com/Y4Gmimvi33
— Coastal propagandist (@CCUpropaganda) February 13, 2026
The left-handed pitcher actually seemed to handle the situation pretty well. Although he was in the game when Coastal took a 5-2 lead during the bottom of the sixth inning, he did not get charged with any of the earned runs and he got out of his first inning of work completely unscathed.
Other pitchers cannot say the same.
Clemson sophomore Michael Gillen fell apart on the mound after he dealt with ruthless heckling from a man in a banana suit during his lone appearance at Springs Brooks Stadium last season. His teammate, Dominic Listi, said the Chanticleers come prepared to make you feel horrible. They got in his head.
“I got hazed the most I had the entire year. Coastal fans knew everything about me and let’s just say they didn’t hold back. Very fun looking back on it but a rough day for us a squad.”
This kind of environment is more typical of SEC schools like Ole Miss or LSU. For Coastal fans to have this much of an impact is a testament to their passion for college baseball. That rocks.