After opening what was expected to be a breakthrough season with a 7-7 record against beatable opponents, Michael Paez and his Coastal Carolina teammates huddled to regroup.
“We had a players meeting and pretty much told each other, ‘We’ve got to play for Coach [Gary] Gilmore. We have such a talented team that he deserves to go to Omaha,’ or at least have a chance to make a run at it,” Paez said.
Coastal Carolina ultimately won the Big South title, beating Liberty 1-0 in the championship game on Paez’s third-inning homer.