By Rich Fisher | Correspondent

As the Coastal Carolina victory parade wound its way through the streets of Conway, S.C., to celebrate its first College World Series championship, one of the biggest grins throughout the trip was worn by Kevin Schnall.

A 1995 graduate of Lawrenceville’s Notre Dame High School, Schnall just completed his first year as the Chanticleers’ Associate Head Coach. But he has been a mainstay at Coastal for most of the past 21 years, and is in line to become Coastal’s head man when incumbent Gary Gilmore steps down after the 2020 season.

Although Schnall has been gone from ND for more than 20 years, the values instilled in him there are still important to him, his wife and children. And, because of the team mentality fostered at Notre Dame, he couldn’t take credit for the successes for the team he now helps run.

“We had a great group of kids,” Schnall said. “All the credit goes to these guys. They were so diligent every single day in their work ethic. They were just so professional and mature about the way they went about everything.”

Coastal Carolina sent a jolt through the college baseball world on June 30 when it stunned Arizona, 4-3, in the winner-take-all CWS championship game. Hailing from the unheralded Southern Conference, Coastal defeated heavy hitters such as University of Florida, LSU and North Carolina State en route to beating the Wildcats two out of three in the finals. 

Schnall’s first varsity coach at Notre Dame, Vince Ardery, put it in perspective.

“People don’t really appreciate what happened,” Ardery said. “That is one of the biggest upsets in college sports. This is so great for Kevin. Can you imagine a team from the Big South beating Alabama in football or beating Kentucky in basketball to win the national championship? And all they talked about was Arizona on TV.”

None of that bothered Schnall, who is a baseball lifer.

His knowledge of the game was apparent to coaches who worked with him as a youth. Former Steinert coach Rich Giallella had Schnall at his Hamilton Township baseball clinic when Kevin was 12.

“It doesn’t surprise me he became a coach,” Giallella said. “He was a catcher, and catchers are sometimes the most intelligent people on the field. They’re situated differently and see the game differently.

“He was one of those kids, when he came in in the morning he wanted to play baseball. You didn’t have to force him. He wanted to learn, he absorbed it like a sponge, and he competed. Guys like him are what made it fun.”

Schnall is the son of a coach, as his father Steve was an NFL assistant for the New York Giants, San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.

“I knew Kevin and his dad prior to him coming to Notre Dame,” said John Simone, who also coached Schnall with the Irish. “Kevin was quiet and serious as a player. I can tell you I picked his dad’s brain many times trying to apply his football drills and concepts to my coaching in basketball. I’m very happy for Kevin and I know his career will continue to develop.”

After graduating from Notre Dame, Schnall followed his former teammate Brendan Dougherty to Potomac junior college, and then to Coastal Carolina. Dougherty was two years ahead of Schnall and recruited him to both places.

Kevin was drafted after his senior season at Coastal and batted over .300 in his first year with the Reds minor league system. Two games into his second year, Gilmore offered Schnall a job as his assistant. After painstaking deliberation, Schnall went back to CC and remained there for 12 years.

In 2013 he left for Central Florida in order to spread his wings and learn from some other coaches. Once again, Gilmore came calling and pretty much wanted Schnall as his successor once his contract is up. 

 Again, Kevin credited others.

“This is a culmination of great players and great coaches,” he said. “That’s why I’m where I am today. I’ve been really lucky to have been around a lot of really good players since I started coaching here in 2001. And coach Gilmore, as the captain of the ship, is second to none.”

Schnall works with the Chanticleers catchers and with all the hitters, while assisting Gilmore with base running. He is also the recruiting coordinator and is proud to note that the roster consists of players from 14 different states.

He knows the exposure and success that Coastal Carolina had this year should make it a profitable endeavor when he goes shopping for players. Where Schnall is concerned, this is just the start of big things.

“We were happy to be in Omaha (for the World Series), but I can tell you this, we weren’t just content to be there,” he said. “We were hungry when we got out there and I can promise you that as a program and as a staff, being out there makes us hungrier to get back there.

“I don’t want to say this is a chance of a lifetime because we are hungrier now than ever to get back and win another one. But this is a really special time. I’m really enjoying it.”

The team’s flight from Omaha back to South Carolina landed around 11:30 p.m. on the same day it won the title. Police escorts, fire trucks and a bunch of other merrymakers greeted the victors.

“To be able to celebrate with the community, it’s such a huge accomplishment,” Schnall said. “I heard the whole area was going crazy while we were away. The local establishments were packed. People were really getting after it and really excited.”

It’s the kind of excitement that was 21 years in the making for Kevin Schnall. His smile on parade day said it all.