CCU pitchers seek continued success with role reversal

Coastal Carolina baseball coach Gary Gilmore made the decision in late April to take two of the best Chanticleer pitchers ever - two former Big South pitchers of the year - and change their roles.

That decision turned out to be picture perfect.

Former closer Nick McCully is now the ace starter, and former starter Bobby Gagg is now the closer, and the Chanticleers are 15-2 since the change.

“I’ve loved it, getting more innings under my belt,” McCully said. “Being a closer I don’t have as many on arm, so hopefully, I’ll be fresh going into the postseason.”

For McCully, it was not a major change: He went from starter to closer in 2007, and started all of last year. McCully has not missed a beat. In six starts, he’s 4-0, with a 1.70 ERA.

But for Gagg, it was a much larger step.

“I’ve been a starter my whole life and i had question for myself,” Gagg said. “I like competing every game, and I like being able to represent my team.”

The senior had been a perfect five for five, but this weekend at the Big South tournament, he had his first slipup - a blown save against Radford.

“Hopefully he learned about himself,” Gilmore said. “He lost his composure, but I lost the game.”

“As a starter you ponder it for six days, as a closer you get right back out there,” Gagg said. “You need the short term memory.”

Now with three dominant starters, and a former Big South pitcher of the year at closer, Gilmore’s changes have the Chanticleers staff ready to hang with the nation’s best.