OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - These are glorious times for Coastal Carolina.
Last week, former Chanticleers golfer Dustin Johnson won the U.S. Open. This week, the baseball team is playing Arizona with the hope of winning the school's first Division I national championship in any sport. On Friday, Coastal Carolina officially makes the move from the Big South to the Sun Belt Conference.
"We're reaching that level of prominence where people are looking at Coastal Carolina and they're not just saying, 'Oh, quaint school at the beach,'" athletic director Matt Hogue said. "Regardless of just athletics, this is a force across the board, one of the fastest growing schools in the country, and people around the country are starting to take notice of that."
The 10,000-student school in Conway, S.C., once was a satellite campus for the University of South Carolina. The school known as South Carolina-Coastal changed its name to Coastal Carolina when it became an independent institution in 1993. Academically, the school's top majors are business and marine science, and it draws students from all 50 states and 38 countries.
Enrollment is projected to increase 5 percent this fall, and school president David DeCenzo said the recent athletic success should spark more interest.
"We couldn't afford this kind of marketing exposure," DeCenzo said. "Having Dustin mentioned, having our baseball team in the final championship. From previous times when we've been in the (FBC) football playoffs, when we were in the NCAA basketball tournament, certainly what we've done in the past in baseball, the hits on our website go up phenomenally."
Coastal mojo is apparent in Omaha. Every year the local College World Series fans gravitate toward an underdog or first-time participant. The Chanticleers fit both descriptions.
Lawlor's Custom Sportswear, a supplier of T-shirts for the NCAA licensee selling CWS merchandise, said Coastal Carolina apparel is by far the hottest seller. Owner Pat Lawlor said his staff began printing 1,000 T-shirts at 11 p.m. Saturday, right after Coastal clinched a spot in the finals, and another 500 were being printed Monday. As for Arizona apparel, Lawlor said he printed a dozen dry-fit shirts and expects few, if any, will sell.
Chanticleers right fielder Connor Owings said he and his teammates are grateful for the support.
"Probably just because we got a cool color (teal) they don't really get to wear a lot," he said, smiling.
DeCenzo said he's most pleased Coastal Carolina's athletes generally perform well academically. The baseball team was recognized during CWS opening ceremonies for having a cumulative grade-point average of 3.17, the highest among the eight teams.
"It shows you can be good in the classroom and good on your field of play as well," he said.
Coastal's 19-sport athletic program has points of pride beyond baseball. The men's soccer team made the NCAA round of 16 in 2012-13 and is a regular in the tournament. The volleyball team played in the NCAA Tournament last fall and men's basketball was in the NCAAs in 2014-15. The football team has made the FCS playoffs six times since 2006.
Among past Chanticleers, All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman plays for the Washington Redskins, Amber Campbell is bidding to make her third U.S. Olympic team in the hammer throw and the baseball program produced Chicago Cubs key reserve Tommy La Stella and Tampa Bay Rays utility man Taylor Motter.
Beginning this fall, the Chanticleers will compete for championships in the Sun Belt Conference in all sports except football. The football program remains an independent until joining the FBS in 2017.
"It's a great time to be associated with our school," Hogue said.