
Baseball 2025 Season Preview
2/12/2025 1:15:00 PM | Baseball
MT PLEASANT, S.C. – College of Charleston baseball begins its 35th season with a slate of 37 home contests, including weekend series against Appalachian State, Campbell, Delaware and UNCW, along with midweek contests versus Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and The Citadel.
Head coach Chad Holbrook enters his eighth season leading the program, holding a 225-123 overall record with the Cougars, good for a .647 winning percentage. Holbrook is 1-of-14 active Division I head baseball coaches with 400-plus career wins and .650-win percentage-or-better.
WHAT'S NEW:
· The Cougars welcome 20 newcomers to the roster, highlighted by transfers Derek Duval, Payton Frehner, Ethan Plyler and Ricky Williams.
· Charleston will have a new look defense on the dirt, with three positions graduating and Cole Mathis being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
· Charleston has faced five of its 2025 opponents six-or-fewer times in program history and will square off with Creighton and Dartmouth for the first time.
WHO'S BACK:
· Charleston returns 20 members from the 2024 squad, including 2024 All-CAA First Teamers Davis Aiken and Avery Neaves and Second Team members Will Baumhofer, Jake Brink and Aidan Hunter, along with All-Rookie squad Hayden Thomas.
· Catcher Dylan Johnson is back for his senior season. The backstop helped lead one of the best pitching staffs in the country in 2024 as the Cougars finished ninth with a 4.05 team ERA.
· The Cougars return their Friday and Saturday night starters in Brink and Hunter, who combined to go 15-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 169.1 innings last season.
· In the bullpen, Aiken and Lyon headline the relief arms. Aiken is 1-of-4 pitchers on a 2025 roster that recorded 10-plus saves in 2024.
· 67 percent of the team's innings on the mound last season are back (328.1 of 491.2).
NOTES TO KNOW:
· Since the Holbrook era began in 2018, Charleston has the fourth-most wins amongst Division I programs in the state of South Carolina with 225 victories. Wofford leads the teams with 246 win, followed by Clemson (244) and Coastal Carolina (234)
· In that span, the Cougars have the second-most home wins with 152, trailing only Clemson (162).
· Charleston is the 2023-24 Division I statistical champion in double plays per game. The Cougars led the country in turning two, averaging 1.11 twin killings per contest.
· Charleston earned its first statistical champion since former hurler William Privette paced the nation in ERA (0.91), WHIP (0.78) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.70) in 2022 en route to being named a consensus All-American and CAA Pitcher of the Year.
· As a team, the Cougars finished atop a statistical category for the first time since 2018 when the squad had a 3.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 2.32 walks allowed per nine innings.
The Cougars open the 2025 campaign with a three-game series against VCU, beginning on Friday, Feb. 14. First pitch from Patriots Point is slated for 4 p.m.
Single game tickets are now available for purchase by visiting cofcsports./tickets or by calling the Ticket Office at (843) 953-2632.
For complete coverage of Charleston baseball, follow us on Facebook (/CollegeofCharlestonBaseball), X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).
Head coach Chad Holbrook enters his eighth season leading the program, holding a 225-123 overall record with the Cougars, good for a .647 winning percentage. Holbrook is 1-of-14 active Division I head baseball coaches with 400-plus career wins and .650-win percentage-or-better.
WHAT'S NEW:
· The Cougars welcome 20 newcomers to the roster, highlighted by transfers Derek Duval, Payton Frehner, Ethan Plyler and Ricky Williams.
· Charleston will have a new look defense on the dirt, with three positions graduating and Cole Mathis being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
· Charleston has faced five of its 2025 opponents six-or-fewer times in program history and will square off with Creighton and Dartmouth for the first time.
WHO'S BACK:
· Charleston returns 20 members from the 2024 squad, including 2024 All-CAA First Teamers Davis Aiken and Avery Neaves and Second Team members Will Baumhofer, Jake Brink and Aidan Hunter, along with All-Rookie squad Hayden Thomas.
· Catcher Dylan Johnson is back for his senior season. The backstop helped lead one of the best pitching staffs in the country in 2024 as the Cougars finished ninth with a 4.05 team ERA.
· The Cougars return their Friday and Saturday night starters in Brink and Hunter, who combined to go 15-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 169.1 innings last season.
· In the bullpen, Aiken and Lyon headline the relief arms. Aiken is 1-of-4 pitchers on a 2025 roster that recorded 10-plus saves in 2024.
· 67 percent of the team's innings on the mound last season are back (328.1 of 491.2).
NOTES TO KNOW:
· Since the Holbrook era began in 2018, Charleston has the fourth-most wins amongst Division I programs in the state of South Carolina with 225 victories. Wofford leads the teams with 246 win, followed by Clemson (244) and Coastal Carolina (234)
· In that span, the Cougars have the second-most home wins with 152, trailing only Clemson (162).
· Charleston is the 2023-24 Division I statistical champion in double plays per game. The Cougars led the country in turning two, averaging 1.11 twin killings per contest.
· Charleston earned its first statistical champion since former hurler William Privette paced the nation in ERA (0.91), WHIP (0.78) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.70) in 2022 en route to being named a consensus All-American and CAA Pitcher of the Year.
· As a team, the Cougars finished atop a statistical category for the first time since 2018 when the squad had a 3.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 2.32 walks allowed per nine innings.
The Cougars open the 2025 campaign with a three-game series against VCU, beginning on Friday, Feb. 14. First pitch from Patriots Point is slated for 4 p.m.
Single game tickets are now available for purchase by visiting cofcsports./tickets or by calling the Ticket Office at (843) 953-2632.
For complete coverage of Charleston baseball, follow us on Facebook (/CollegeofCharlestonBaseball), X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).
Players Mentioned
On the Prowl with Charleston Athletics: Chad Holbrook, Baseball
Wednesday, April 08
John Groce Introductory Press Conference 4/1/26
Friday, April 03
Amanda Butler Introductory Press Conference 4/1/26
Friday, April 03
On the Prowl with Charleston Athletics: Adrian Anderson, Women's Golf
Wednesday, March 18






















