The South Carolina baseball season ended last week, as the Gamecocks were eliminated in the SEC Tournament by Tennessee, losing 11-6. With the season officially in the rearview, the attention of the Gamecock baseball program now shifts entirely to athletic director Jeremiah Donati's search for its next head coach.
One name that has been circling the rumor mill in Columbia as a possible replacement is Coastal Carolina head coach Kevin Schnall. The Chanticleers head coach has an impressive resume, featuring plenty of CWS experience and 93 career wins as a head coach.
Well on Tuesday evening, Schnall himself was asked about the open South Carolina job during a radio interview with Phil Kornblut of SportsTalk Media Network. He was asked point blank whether or not he has spoken to anybody at South Carolina. His answer appeared to be an honest one:
“I know there’s a lot of rumors out there, but I have not spoken to the University of South Carolina regarding its baseball head coaching position,” Schnall said as transcribed by Gamecock Central. “All of our focus right now is 100 percent on Coastal. South Carolina is an elite program that’s a job that’s going to obviously be a job that a lot of coaches will be very interested in, because of the commitment and the rich tradition of that program. But, like I said, at this point I have not spoken to the University of South Carolina regarding that position.”
The head coach also added that while his agent has spoken to a search firm about the opening in Columbia, Schnall himself “has got very little information.”
While fans may hear Schnall's comments and think Donati might be looking elsewhere, the current timing of the college baseball season makes making contact with Schnall—and other coaches in general—a challenge. Schnall's Coastal Carolina squad is preparing to head to Tallahassee for the Regional hosted by Florida State. The Chanticleers earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament. If Coastal advances, it will either host or play in a Superregional. The CWS is scheduled to begin on Friday, June 12. Schnall not exactly having a ton of time on his hands means Donati can sit and wait as long as he wishes, essentially. Getting the right guy is more important than being first on a hire, as well.
While Schnall should be the first phone call that Donati makes, there are plenty of other qualified candidates, including Kansas' Dan Fitzgerald, Winthrop's Mike McGuire and North Greenville's Landon Powell.
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