Gary Gilmore on decision to retire: ‘Blessed to have spent a career at Coastal Carolina’

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) – For the first time since the news broke, Coastal Carolina’s head baseball coach talked about the decision to step down.

Head coach Gary Gilmore spoke during a news conference on Thursday afternoon where he confirmed his plan to retire after the 2024 season.

Gilmore, 65, said his retirement has been in the works for a while.

RELATED COVERAGE | Coastal Carolina baseball coach Gilmore will retire after 2024

He also reiterated the decision has nothing to do with his health. The head baseball coach has been treated for pancreatic cancer for the past three years, and he said it’s completely stable.

Gilmore explained that he wants to be able to spend time with his family.

“I’ve done this for 38 years, next year will be 39. That’s a long time,” Gilmore said. “As long as I’ve got quality of life, I want to spend a good bit of it with my wife and my grandkids.”

Gilmore took over the team in 1996 and during that time he built the team into a nationally recognized program.

He has picked up over 1,00 wins with one of those wins being the 2016 College World Series. The Chanticleers also have 26 conference championships and 18 regional appearances under Gilmore’s tenure.

Gilmore said he’s excited to see what’s next for him.

“I feel like God’s got another plan for me to impact… I’m just blessed to have spent a career at Coastal Carolina,” he said.

As for what’s next once Gilmore steps down, he said he plans to turn the program over to his longtime assistant Kevin Schnall.

Schnall played at Coastal under Gilmore and has been an assistant coach with the program for 20 years.

“I don’t feel like they could look anywhere in the entire country for a better candidate,” Gilmore said. “He bleeds teal and black every single day, and I feel like he’s one of the finest young coaches in the country,” Gilmore said.

The team is now looking ahead to its latest NCAA Tournament appearance, hosting the Conway Regional. The Chants take on Rider in their first tournament game at 7:05 p.m. Friday.

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