Coastal Carolina secures shot at South Carolina in NCAA baseball tournament

MYRTLE BEACH -- By force more so than discourse, the cold war between Conway and Columbia is now over.

After an eight-year stalemate that saw Coastal Carolina University and the University of South Carolina go without playing each other in any of the three major sports, the schools are set to meet in baseball this weekend for the first time since 2002. The best-of-three series will send the winner to the College World Series and is certain to divide much of the Palmetto state along teal- and garnet-colored lines.

The Chanticleers booked their second trip to the NCAA super regionals with an 11-10 win over College of Charleston in 10 innings Monday. Regional winners on Sunday, the Gamecocks rested up and awaited the victor.

A Charleston win would have allowed the Gamecocks to host the Cougars this weekend. Instead they'll visit the Grand Strand for the NCAA Myrtle Beach Super Regional, slated to begin either Friday or Saturday at BB&T Coastal Field. Coincidentally, the teams' last meeting was in 2002's Baseball at the Beach, played in the same venue.

Outside of scant meetings in the nonrevenue sports, the schools have a negligible history of athletic competition against one another, playing just 15 times in baseball, twice in basketball and never in football

Some South Carolina loyalists have never forgiven Coastal for leaving the USC system and becoming an independent institution in 1993, a factor that led to prominent USC booster Eddie Floyd taking umbrage with the two schools meeting in the major sports. There are also graduates of USC-Coastal who don't know whether their loyalty should reside in Conway or Columbia.

"There are a lot of natural rivalries in this state," said Horry County-based state Rep. Tracy Edge, a South Carolina graduate. "You have Carolina-Clemson and some of the smaller schools. When you have Coastal that was a part of the USC system and broke away, obviously that's why there has been some [contention], but that's a great story.

"You've got the baby school and the mama and papa school. The fact we're playing together is like the storyline you see in college football all the time with father-son coaches that wind up playing each other."

Coastal and South Carolina officials helped facilitate relationships and smooth over hard feelings earlier this year and announced that both athletic departments are free to begin scheduling each other in football, basketball and baseball. The schools could meet in football over the next few years, may schedule each other in basketball once two former Gamecocks exhaust their eligibility at Coastal and could ultimately become regular combatants in baseball.

Though the Gamecocks play in the mighty Southeastern Conference - a league as good overall in baseball as it is in football - Coastal is seeded as the favorite. The Chants were ranked the nation's fourth-best team last week by the NCAA selection committee.

"I think it's exciting for both schools," CCU Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said.

"It will be a tremendous weekend. If we can do anything to top what we just went through, it'll be incredible. ... If South Carolina comes in and we can have the same type of battles and same type of enthusiasm, it's just going to be exciting for the state of South Carolina and college baseball in this state."

Coastal has done its best to preserve the home-field advantage. The school began selling tickets through the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as soon as Monday's game was completed, but will not open up phone or Internet sales until 5 p.m. today.

"With them coming to town and bringing Gamecock nation with them or whatever, it's going to be interesting," Coastal coach Gary Gilmore said. "I watched about 4,000 Coastal Carolina fans show up, so it's going to be a good battle to see who can have the most people in this ballpark. It doesn't hold but so many, so I'm hoping we can jam this place with a lot of teal and give ourselves an opportunity to play."