Baseball Announces Additions to Coaching Staff
COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball program and head coach Kevin Schnall announced additions to the Gamecock coaching staff on Friday afternoon (June 19).
Joining the Gamecock baseball staff are associate head coach/outfield coach Chad Oxendine, associate head coach/hitting coach Bill Cilento, pitching coach Matt Williams, recruiting coordinator/catching coach Tyler Shewmaker, director of pitching development Dylan Eskew, general manager/director of analytics Matt Pepin, director of baseball operations Mickey Beach, and director of baseball performance Michael Thomson.
“I’m incredibly excited about this staff because it’s built on trust, loyalty, and alignment,” Schnall said. “We have a group of talented people who believe in the same vision, will care deeply about our players and are committed to building something special here at the University of South Carolina. The relationships within this staff are authentic, the work ethic is unmatched, and together we’re laying the foundation for sustained success.
“As we continue building our program, we will be intentional in completing our staff, with plans to add additional team members. Our priority is finding people who align with our vision, fit our culture and share our commitment to player development. We are excited about the group we have assembled and look forward to announcing those additions when the time is right.”
CHAD OXENDINE – ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/OUTFIELD COACH
Oxendine comes to Columbia from Coastal Carolina, where he was the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator for two seasons in his second stint with the Chanticleers. He helped the Chants to a 2025 Men’s College World Series runner-up finish, a nation-leading 56 wins and a Sun Belt regular-season and tournament title and a 26-game winning streak in the 2025 season. Oxendine was the head coach at Longwood University for three seasons (2022-24), where he had the program’s highest three-year wins total since 2016-18. He was an assistant coach for Coastal’s NCAA appearances in 2018-19 and was an assistant for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as well as college stops at Richmond, Alabama and UNC Wilmington. Oxendine was a decorated catcher at CCU, helping the Chants to four consecutive Big South Championships while earning All-Big South second team and All-Big South Tournament honors in 2004.
BILL CILENTO – ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/HITTING COACH
Cilento comes to the Gamecocks after spending the past 17 years at Wake Forest University, the final eight of those as the associate head coach of the Demon Deacons. Under Cilento’s guidance, Wake developed one of the nation’s most productive offensive programs, consistently ranking among the national leaders in home runs, average and on-base percentage while producing numerous All-Americans. He has helped 64 players get drafted or sign pro contracts over the last 12 years, including 14 drafted among the top 50 picks and nine first rounders since 2020 in Marek Houston, Ethan Conrad, Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Seaver King, Rhett Lowder, Brock Wilken, Ryan Cusick and Jared Shuster. Wake has had numerous hitters earn all-ACC honors, including current pros Stuart Fairchild and Gavin Sheets, who both were All-Americans and top-50 overall selections in the 2017 MLB Draft. He also oversaw the development of 2016 National Player of the Year Will Craig and Kurtz, who was selected seventh by the Athletics in 2024 and is the AL Player of the Month in May of 2026 and Baseball America’s 2025 AL Rookie of the Year. Cilento worked with current Wake head coach Tom Walter at New Orleans for two seasons and also coached at Brown and at his alma mater, Siena.
MATT WILLIAMS – PITCHING COACH
Williams heads to Carolina after spending the previous two seasons as the assistant coach/pitching at Coastal Carolina. He guided the Chanticleer pitchers to a Men’s College World Series runner-up finish in 2025 as the CCU arms ranked second nationally in both earned-run-average and WHIP, finishing the year with a 3.22 team ERA. Jacob Morrison posted a 12-1 record and earned ABCA/Rawlings Division I National Pitcher of the Year honors and three hurlers were selected in the 2025 MLB Baseball Draft with Cam Flukey projected to be picked in the first round of the 2026 draft. Williams was named the ABCA Division I Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year and the D1Baseball.com Assistant Coach of the Year. Williams is no stranger to Columbia, as he was the pitching coach for the 2024 squad that advanced to the Raleigh Regional. Williams has coached 38 pitchers who have signed professional contracts, including four conference Pitchers of the Year and numerous all-conference selections. Williams spent four seasons as the associate head coach at Liberty University and was at UNC Wilmington for five years. He was pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Spartanburg Methodist for eight years, helping the Pioneers make four trips to the NJCAA World Series.
TYLER SHEWMAKER – RECRUITING COORDINATOR/CATCHING COACH
Shewmaker was the director of player development and recruiting at Coastal Carolina the past two seasons, helping the Chants to a 2025 Men’s College World Series runner-up finish. Shewmaker is no stranger to the Southeastern Conference, spending three seasons at Vanderbilt, helping the Commodores to three NCAA Regional appearances and a 2023 SEC Tournament championship. He assisted in the development of Vandy’s catchers in 2022, allowing the third-fewest stolen bases in the SEC and tying for third in the league for most runners caught stealing. Shewmaker spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Campbell while spending one season as the Fighting Camels’ volunteer assistant coach. He helped Campbell to three NCAA Regional appearances in his time at Buies Creek. He coached at his alma mater, Kentucky Wesleyan, in 2017, leading the Panthers to a regional appearance for the first time in school history. Shewmaker was a career .306 hitter in three seasons at KWU.
DYLAN ESKEW – DIRECTOR OF PITCHING DEVELOPMENT
Eskew comes to Carolina after spending the 2026 season as the director of pitching development at Coastal Carolina. He helped the staff that included Darin Horn, who was an All-Sun Belt first team selection and had 93 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched, Luke Jones, who had 67 strikeouts in 15 starts for the Chants and Cam Flukey, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Eskew is no stranger to Columbia, as he pitched for the Gamecocks from 2023-25. He made 34 appearances and 24 starts for Carolina, helping USC to a 2023 Super Regional and 2024 Regional appearance. He pitched in 2024 for current pitching coach Matt Williams and had three wins with 40 strikeouts and a 4.60 ERA.
MATT PEPIN – GENERAL MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF ANALYTICS
Pepin comes to Carolina after serving at the Director of Analytics at Coastal Carolina. A CCU graduate, Pepin played a key role in advancing the program’s use of data and technology to enhance player development and game strategy. He worked closely with the coaching staff to provide advanced metrics, video breakdowns and performance insights. Pepin worked with former Coastal head coach Gary Gilmore as a bench coach for the USA Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2024. A Coastal Carolina grad, Pepin served as the program’s Analytics & Video Coordinator as a student, where he built a foundation in player evaluation, scouting and technology integration.
MICKEY BEACH – DIRECTOR OF BASEBALL OPERATIONS
Beach comes to the Gamecocks from Coastal Carolina, where he was the Director of Baseball Operations for two years under Kevin Schnall. A Coastal Carolina grad, Beach worked with current Carolina associate head coach Chad Oxendine as an assistant coach at Longwood. He helped the Lancers to a program best fielding percentage in 2023 and coached all-conference selections in Elliot Dix, Gregory Ryan, Ryan Miller and Hunter Gilliam. Beach was a graduate assistant at Coastal Carolina, working under Head Coach Gary Gilmore. He assisted with the infielders, served as a liaison to the analytics team and directed the student managers, developing their schedules and responsibilities. Beach was a student manager for two years as an undergraduate.
MICHAEL THOMSON – DIRECTOR OF BASEBALL PERFORMANCE
Thomson joins the Gamecocks after being the assistant director of speed, strength and conditioning at Coastal Carolina since February of 2023. He worked directly with the baseball and golf programs. Thomson worked with in the Baltimore Orioles organization as a strength and conditioning coach for over two years and was named the 2021 Florida Coast League Strength Coach of the Year. Thomson also has worked baseball at Clemson and Richmond.
