It's a beautiful time to be a Chanticleer.
Coastal Carolina is experiencing arguably the greatest calendar year in the athletic department's history.
Just how epic?
The baseball team won the school's first ever national championship in 2016 only one day before the huge announcement that the university would be moving up to the Sun Belt Conference.
RELATED: College Football: Ranking All 12 Sun Belt Conference Helmets
Along with the new expansion expected to double the seating inside Brooks Stadium, things are really looking up in Conway, South Carolina.
Here's three reasons Coastal Carolina fans, alums, students, and faculty should be grinning ear to ear right now.
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3. Brooks Stadium Expansion
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As part of Coastal Carolina joining the Sun Belt Conference (more on that in a bit), Brooks Stadium is currently undergoing a major expansion that will increase seating from approximately 10,000 to 20,000 seats. The expansion was necessary as every FBS program is required to maintain a home attendance average of at least 15,000 attendees.
Fans will get their first taste of FBS football inside the new digs on September 2 when UMass comes to town.
The first Power 5 conference foe ever to visit Brooks Stadium? Kansas on September 16, 2020.
Stadium expansion update #BallAtTheBeach pic.twitter.com/gD8M2HIRZ6
— CCU FOOTBALL (@CoastalFootball) May 15, 2017
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2. Men's Baseball: The Consistent Winner
The Chanticleer's baseball team has been the athletic program's biggest success story.
The quick list of accomplishments includes four #1 regional seeds, 50-plus win seasons an additional four times, and the amazing 2016 run that ended with a national title over Arizona in dramatic fashion.
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1. Entering the Sun Belt Conference
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This is the biggest one for the university.
All team sports except football joined the Sun Belt on July 1, 2016 after playing in the Big South since the conference's inception in 1983. The football program will play a full Sun Belt slate this year and be eligible for the postseason in 2018.
Given Coastal Carolina's incredible success as an FCS program (it won the Big South a whopping seven times from 2004 to 2014) don't be surprised if the Chanticleers immediately contend for the conference title just as Georgia Southern and Appalachian State have in recent years.
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