EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Schnall Talks About His Plans for Carolina Baseball

See the full sit-down interview with Kevin Schnall on Gamecocks+

Kevin Schnall knows what it takes to get South Carolina baseball where it wants and needs to be. The Gamecocks’ new head coach isn’t wasting any time in assembling his priorities as he takes the helm.

“Number one is the staff,” said Schnall, who was Coastal Carolina’s head coach the last two years in addition to two long stints as an assistant coach there. “We have to assemble an elite coaching staff; a staff that would rival any coaching staff in the entire country.

“One-A is player acquisition. We have to retain the right players, and we have to acquire the right players. Players that obviously have the right skillset, but they have to have the right energy. They have to have the right makeup, and we have to have the right people.”

With the history and tradition of South Carolina baseball and stepping into arguably the most competitive conference in the country with five SEC schools playing in this year’s College World Series, Schnall knows what the expectations are from Gamecock Nation.

“I’ve been in the state of South Carolina for 25 years, and I’ve seen first-hand the power of the University of South Carolina and the power of University of South Carolina baseball,” Schnall said. “The opportunity to be a part of this program is something that I quietly imagined for a long time. This is an opportunity that I can assure you, we’re not going to take for granted.”

“I have had the opportunity to be in Omaha two times,” Schnall continued. “Both times, to get to Omaha, we had to go on the road and beat an SEC opponent. The SEC is the Major Leagues of college baseball. The opportunity to compete at the highest level is something that every competitor is looking to do. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.

“The ticket to the draft, the pathway to the Major Leagues, to coach against the best coaches in the country, and to compete against the best teams in the country is something that we are eagerly anticipating.”

Schnall knows all about recruiting and developing talent and has done so in the more complicated era of the transfer portal and NIL. He led the Chanticleers to the postseason in both years at Coastal Carolina, including the College World Series National Championship Series and a school record 56 wins in 2025. Prior to that he was the Chant’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for nine years in his second stint at the school and helped his alma mater win the 2016 National Championship. Utilizing the transfer portal as well as recruiting the best high school talent from the state are important.

“Let’s start with our connectivity in the state – unparalleled to anybody in the entire country,” Schnall said. “That is going to be the number one focus for us here. The best players in the state of South Carolina will be recruited by the University of South Carolina.

“When you talk about the portal era, we’re looking for the best players and the best people to make us the best team that we can possibly be.”

On gameday, Schnall said his offensive philosophy will be diverse.

“We want to create an offense that can win in multiple ways,” Schnall said. “We obviously want to slug. We want to have power, but it’s so important that we have guys who are obsessed with getting to first base. We want to create an offense that can beat you in multiple ways.”

As he hits the ground running, Schnall has a message for Gamecock fans as well as former players.

“Gamecock Nation, you are such a valuable part of our success moving forward. We need you back in Founders Park to make this one of the most electric venues in all of college baseball.

“Former Gamecocks, this is your program. You will always be welcome here. The number one thing we want to do is make sure you know how valuable you are to put this program back in the right direction to winning championships.”