Following a record-setting three years at Scranton, junior outfielder Corey Zientek (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) of The University's baseball program has committed to perennial Division I power Coastal Carolina University to continue his academic and baseball career.

This spring, Zientek broke program and Landmark Conference single-season records in runs scored (71) and stolen bases (39) as he became just the second player in Scranton baseball history to earn ABCA/Rawlings All-American honors. Both totals ranked among the Top 10 nationally in all of Division III.

The Sugarloaf, Pa., native hit .405 in 42 games for the Royals in 2023 and added 10 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 51 RBI. Zientek hit safely in 35 of 42 contests and registered 19 multi-hit games.

"This speaks to our current level of play at Scranton. We pride ourselves on developing players and Corey has worked hard in every area of his game starting with the weight room. We wish him the best of luck and he will always be a Royal first," head coach Mike Bartoletti said.

He caps his Scranton career as both a 2023 ABCA/Rawlings & D3baseball.com All-American selection, a two-time All-Region selection from both organizations and a two-time All-Landmark Conference First Team honoree.

Zientek ranks among the program's all-time leaders in stolen bases (72, 2^nd), triples (12, 2^nd), runs scored (149, 4^th), batting average (.397, 5^th), RBI (111, 6^th), home runs (14, 8^th) and hits (154, 8^th).

A Business Administration major, he was named to the 2023 Landmark Academic Honor Roll and earned Dean's List honors in both semesters during the 2022-23 academic year.

During his time at Scranton, Zientek helped lead the Royals to the program's first-ever Landmark Conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021, a single-season program record 28 victories in 2022 and a Landmark Conference runner-up finish in 2023.

"I will always appreciate my time at Scranton and wouldn't have done it any differently. It's hard to put into words how much the coaching staff, my teammates and friends at Scranton mean to me. Once a Royal, Always a Royal!," Zientek said.

Coastal Carolina captured the 2016 College World Series title and has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in six of the last nine seasons. In 2023, the Chanticleers earned the No. 10 overall national seed and hosted the Conway Regional at Springs Brooks Stadium.

"It's always been a dream of mine to go to a school down south to play baseball," Zientek added. "What makes it even better is that Coastal Carolina is one of the best programs in the country and will give me the opportunity to develop more as a player and a person. The resources that Coastal has will help take my game to the next level. My ultimate goal is to play professionally and I believe taking this route will give me the best chance at achieving that."

Led by long-time head coach Gary Gilmore, Coastal has also hosted five NCAA Tournament regionals since 2007 and has qualified for the field of 64 on 18 different occasions during his tenure.