Coastal Carolina Looks to Continue Success Into 2026 Season with These Transfer Portal Moves

Coastal Carolina baseball wanted everyone to know one thing about their postseason run this year: they were not a Cinderella story; they were just good. Pushing their way into the final series of the College World Series, the Chanticleers proved their point. Being the MCWS runner-up sets the Chants up for a solid spot in the 2026 preseason rankings. However, to avoid ending up like Texas A&M and falling from a top-ranked to an unranked position, Coastal needs to make effective use of the transfer portal and maintain strong performances early next season. 

The Chants picked up a few solid guys in the portal this summer, including Jordan Taylor of Stetson and Lukas Buckner of Mississippi State. Taylor is using his final year of eligibility to play for the national runner-up. The six-foot-one outfielder had an impressive junior season at Stetson, starting in 63 total games. In those 63 appearances, Taylor made good use of his bat, recording 78 hits and 43 RBIs. In the 2025 season, he was an offensive powerhouse, scoring 47 runs, eight of which were the result of balls he sent soaring out of the park. Adding offensive depth to the roster will benefit the Chanticleers if they want to stay competitive in the 2026 postseason against strong SEC teams like LSU. 

Buckner spent his freshman season at Mississippi State. The young infielder recorded 11 hits in the 2025 season, playing in 22 games. He proved he could alternate between second base and shortstop, delivering quality defensive plays at both positions. Offensively, Buckner played well in his few starts with Mississippi State, recording a batting average of .289 by the end of the season. With four years of eligibility left to play, the Chanticleers’ coaching staff can make a strong offensive and defensive athlete out of him. Building a strong team early will allow the Chants to develop a team that can build off of their success, unlike the Aggies of Texas A&M, who just couldn’t handle the pressures of being the national runner-up and the 2025 preseason one seed. Though the portal is closed, there is still time for the Chants to make high-grade moves and develop a strong team this offseason.