A historic donation made by Pete Fitzpatrick is set to advance Coastal Carolina University’s baseball program and increase national visibility.
Fitzpatrick asked university officials to keep specific information concerning his donation private. However, the funds will be used in several ways. It aims to redirect allocation of funds to the athletes.
Chance Miller, the vice president of intercollegiate athletics and university recreation, said it’s giving baseball unlimited scholarship funding for the entirety of their roster.
“We really want to be able to utilize that in this new era of college athletics. This helps us with not only a revenue share now but future years,” Miller said.
This donation encouraged CCU to move into a revenue share with players, rather than the typical 11.7 scholarships. According to the NCAA, revenue sharing is a system where a portion of revenue generated by the school’s athletic department is given to student-athletes. Traditionally, according to the NCAA, Division I baseball teams are allocated 11.7 total scholarships to divide among a 34-man roster.
With this generous donation, Coastal Carolina baseball no longer has to withhold scholarships from players under the 11.7 rule.
“We’re one of the premier collegiate baseball programs in the nation and this put us in a spot to remain there and even surpass some of our competitors,” Miller said.
CCU, along with 123 other collegiate institutions, now offer revenue sharing for their athletes, as shown by the NCAA. However, with only 124 out of 365 DI teams offering this benefit, Coastal Carolina finds itself a leader in athletic compensation and program development. This benefit applies to current athletes and potential recruits.
The financial incentives and competitive advantage will attract players and donors alike to Coastal baseball. Miller added the donation not only benefits the baseball program but will allocate more funding toward CCU’s softball team as well.
“We at Coastal have chosen to increase the scholarship limits for both baseball and softball,” Miller said.
An increase in funding intends to take softball to national championships.
“We had another donation to softball that is going to help us enhance their facilities next year,” Miller said.
Baseball and softball can expect upcoming facility improvements. These improvements are designed to house record-breaking crowds seen during the 2025 season. To foster continuous improvement, Miller asks CCU fans to donate additional funds for athletic scholarships.
“We have got good momentum, and you know with people like Mr. Pete and their generosity, it’s going to take us to another level,” Miller said.
