News digest, July 1

Johnson leaves CIU

Jonathan Johnson has stepped down as head coach at Columbia International, according to a post shared on X by CIU alum Taylor Novinger. The post did not list a reason or Johnson's next step. Johnson, the first coach in program history, was at the NAIA school for six seasons.

"Thank you, Columbia International University, for choosing me to start your baseball program. Being entrusted with the opportunity to lead so many fine young men over the past six years is something I never took lightly." Johnson said on X. "Like many I brought into the program, I leave CIU with both a degree and a ring on my finger. I'll truly miss the many great friendships I've made within my CIU family. My past and current players will always be 'My guys.'"

The post indicates Johnson let his players know of the change during a Zoom meeting.

Johnson started the program and had a 142-157 record. The 2021 team won the National Christian College Athletic Association championship. His final team was 30-22. 

CIU's athletics website had made no mention of the move or plans for getting a successor as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Johnson played at Florida State and spent 10 years as a pro, six of them in the Major Leagues.

 

Coaching carousel

There have been several staff changes involving assistant coaches at state schools.
* Sean O'Hagan, pitching coach at USC Aiken last season, has accepted the same position at Newberry. 
Newberry

* Davin Conway has been named as O'Hagan's replacement at USCA. He served under new Pacers coach Keith Gorman at Barton.
* Kyle Sarazin has been named an assistant coach at Charleston Southern. He has been on then support staff at Virginia Tech for the past six seasons.
CSU
* USC Upstate assistant coach Nick Hoffman has been named the Spartans' pitching coach.

* Spartans assistant Jacob Condra-Bogan has been named pitching coach at Toledo, according to D1Baseball.com.

Conference changes

* Spartanburg Methodists on Tuesday officially became a member of the Appalachian Athletic conference, joining Columbia International. Ther Pioneers competed in the Continental Athletic Conference for baseball in 2024-25, their first academic year as a four-year school.

* Ferrum College in Virginia official joined Conference Carolinas. The Panthers have moved up from NCAA Division III. Ferrum competed against Conference Carolinas members North Greenville when both were junior colleges decades ago.
Ferrum

Honors

D1Baseball.com Freshman All-American
* First team: C - Nate Savoie, Loyola Marymount (transferring to Clemson)

* Second team: OF - Henry Zenor, USC Upstate

Frosh AA D1B

College Sports Communicators Academic All-America

* NCAA DI first team, team member of the year: P/DH - Noah Sullivan, Mississippi State (transfer from USC Upstate)
* NCAA DI second team: P - Lucas Mahlstedt, Clemson
* NCAA DII second team: OF - Josh Sharp, USC Aiken

* NCAA DII third team: P - Britton Adams, Coker
CSC Academic

* South Carolina recruit Dawson Harman is one of 11 finalists for the Florida College Sports Activities Association's male athlete of the year award. The organization's Division I baseball player of the year hit .370 with 24 homers and 65 RBI. The winner will be announced Wednesday.
FCSAA

News digest, June 26

Scobey invited to Collegiate National Team camp

South Carolina third baseman K.J. Scobey has been invited to the training camp for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team's training camp. I've been unable to find a complete list of invitees, so there may be other players from state schools.

Scobey started 56 of USC's 57 games in games in 2025, batting .257 with 8 homers and 27 RBI.

It's the 14th time a USC player has been invited to try out of the Collegiate National team. Scobey will join 55 other non-draft-eligible college players for a five-game intrasquad series in North Carolina from June 29-July 3. USA Baseball will announce the final roster after that.

The Collegiate National Team will play in the 45­­th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series in Japan July 8-13. 

Stars vs. Stripes Series

June 29: Atrium Health Ballpark, Kannapolis, 5:35 p.m.
June 30: National Training Complex, Cary, 6:30 p.m.
July 1:  National Training Complex, Cary, 6:30 p.m.
July 2: National Training Complex, Cary, 6:30 p.m.
July 3: Segra Stadium, Fayetteville, 6:35 p.m.

CNT Prospects vs. Appalachian League Select Team

July 4: Atrium Health Ballpark, Kannapolis, 6:35 p.m.

USA-Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series

July 8: Es Con Field, Hokkaido, Japan, 4 a.m. EDT
July 9: Es Con Field, Hokkaido, Japan, 4 a.m.
July 11: Hard Off Eco, Niigata, Japan, 3 a.m.
July 11/12 – Hard Off Eco, Niigata, Japan, 10 p.m.

July 13: Jingu Stadium, Tokyo, 3 a.m. ET

Scobey

Honors

D1Baseball All-American

* First team: C - Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina. SP - Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina; Liam Doyle, Tennessee (transfer from Coastal Carolina).
* Third team: SP - Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina.
D1 AA

Bodine wins Buster Posey Award

Caden Bodine has a .337 career batting average
with 25 home runs. (Coastal Carolina photo)

Caden Bodine of Coastal Carolina on Thursday was named winner of the 2025 Buster Posey Award as national collegiate catcher of the year.

Bodine, a junior from Haddon Heights, N.J., hit .318  with 5 homers and 42 home runs as he helped the Chanticleers to a 56-13 record and national runner-up finish to LSU in the College World Series. He threw out 19 of 44 would-be base stealers this season and matched the school record of 46 caught stealing for his career. 

The award is presented by the Wichita Sports Commission. Rylan Galvin of Texas and Carson Tinney of Notre Dame were the other finalists.

Posey

News digest, June 25

Honors

Baseball America national coach of the year: Kevin Schnall, Coastal Carolina
BA

ABCA region coaches of the year
* NCAA DI Atlantic: Kevin Schnall, Coastal Carolina
* NJCAA DI East: Preston McDonald, Florence-Darlington Tech
ABCA

College Baseball Foundation All-American
C - Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina; SP - Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina; Liam Doyle, Tennessee (transfer from Coastal Carolina)

CBF

ABCA national pitcher of the year
* NCAA DI: Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina
ABCA

News digest, June 23

Benson, Bouknight, Tanner honored

Pitchers Kris Benson of Clemson and Kip Bouknight of South Carolina and former Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner are among 21 people selected for the 2025 class of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. The announcement was made Monday by the College Baseball Foundation.

Benson pitched for Clemson from 1994-96. He had a 29-8 record with a 2.90 ERA and 356 strikeouts in 319 2/3 innings. He was the national player of the year in 1996 and the first selection the that year's MLB Draft.

He joins former Clemson coach Bill Wilhelm and ex-player Rusty Adkins in the Hall of Fame.
Tigers

Bouknight had a 45-12 record from 1998-2001 and is USC's career wins leader. He struck out 457 in 482 innings. Bouknight won the 2000 Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the  United States.

Tanner, who played and coached at N.C. State, coached the Gamecocks to College World Series championships in 2010 and 2011 and runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2012. His 16-year record at USC was 738-316. Counting his years at N.C. State, Tanner was 1,133-489-3.

Bouknight and Tanner are the first USC representatives in the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Gamecocks

Other notables to be inducted this year include Gene Hooks (Wake Forest), Mark McGwire (Southern Cal),  David Price (Vanderbilt) and Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State)

HOF

Rankings

Final NCAA DI rankings
* Baseball America: 1. LSU. 2. Coastal Carolina( up from 8). 24. Clemson (down from 14).
BA

* D1Baseball.com: 1. LSU (up from 3). 2. Coastal Carolina (up from 11). 23. Clemson (down from 14).
D1

* NCBWA: 1. LSU (up from 2). 2. Coastal Carolina (up from 8).  22. Clemson (down from 21).
Writers
 
* Perfect Game: 1. LSU. 2. Coastal Carolina (up from 9). 21. Clemson (down from 12).
PG

* USA TODAY: 1. LSU (up from 3). 2. Coastal Carolina(up from 11). 20. Clemson (down from 12).
Coaches

College World Series scoreboard, Sunday, June 22

Dean Mihos was 9-for-20 in five College World
Series games. (Coastal Carolina photo)

Player of the day: Dean Mihos, Coastal Carolina 4-4, HR

* LSU 5, Coastal Carolina 3 - The Tigers (53-15) scored four runs in the fourth inning and held on to beat the Chanticleers (56-13) and win LSU's eighth national championship.

Coastal head coach Kevin Schnall and assistant coach Matt Schilling were ejected in the bottom of the first inning.

A statement by the NCAA during the game said Schnall and Schilling were ejected "for continued arguing about balls and strikes after being warned initially by the umpire crew. NCAA Playing Rule 3-6-f-Note 1 states that balls, strikes, half swings or decisions about hit-by-pitch situations are not to be argued. After a warning, any player or coach who continues to argue balls, strikes, half swings or a hit-by-pitch situation shall be ejected from the game."

The statement also indicated Schnall is suspended for an additional two games and Schilling suspended for an additional three games for prolonging the argument after being ejected. Such penalties in the final game of a season usually carry over to the next season.

"There's 25,000 people there, and I vaguely hear a warning issued," Schnall said after the game in media reports. "... I was an assistant for 24 years, and as an assistant, you're almost treated like a second-grade second-level citizen and you can't say a word. Now, as a head coach I think it is your right to get an explanation of why we got warned.

"I'm 48 years old. I shouldn't get shooed by another grown man. When I walk out to find out what the warning is, a grown man shooed me," Schnall added. "At that point I can now hear him say, 'It was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes.' At that point I said, 'Because you missed three.' At that point, ejected.

"If that warrants an ejection, I'm the first one to stand here like a man and apologize," Schnall said. "Two words that define our program are "own it." And what does that mean? It means you have to own everything that you do without blame, without defending yourself, without excuses." 

Assistant Chad Oxendine served as head coach the remainder of the game.

Dean Mihos gave the Chanticleers a 1-0 lead with a homer in the second inning. LSU tied the score in the third on Ethan Frey's RBI double.

Chris Stanfield and Derek Curiel had two-run singles in the Tigers' fourth inning.

Wells Sykes had a two-run homer in the Coastal seventh.

LSU closed out the game by turning a double play.

"Congratulations to LSU, Jay Johnson, his coaching staff, their players for winning their eighth national championship," Schnall said. "They deserved it. They earned it. They played just a little bit better than we did."

Charles Schwab Field, Omaha

LSU 5, Coastal Carolina 3 - LSU wins national title

(1/1702)

All-CWS team

C - Adonys Guzman, Arizona; 1B - Jared Jones, LSU; 2B - Kamau Neighbors, Louisville; 3B - Jake Munroe, Louisville; SS - Steven Milam, LSU; OF - Derek Curiel, LSU; Eddie King Jr., Louisville; Justin Thomas Jr., Arkansas; DH - Dean Mihos, Coastal Carolina; P - Gage Wood, Arkansas; Kade Anderson, LSU (Most Outstanding Player)