Former LSU Coach Paul Mainieri Out As South Carolina Baseball Coach

Former LSU Baseball coach Paul Mainieri is out at South Carolina Gamecocks baseball, marking a sudden end to his time in Columbia.

Mainieri went 28-29 (6-24 SEC) last season in his first year with the Gamecocks, and was off to another rocky start this season with a 12-9 (0-3 SEC) record.

Mainieri coached at LSU from 2007 to 2021 and won the National Championship with the Tigers in 2009, as well as four SEC Championships in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2017.

Here is the statement that was released on Saturday about his departure from South Carolina:

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LEADERSHIP CHANGE IN BASEBALL

Statement from Paul Mainieri

Jeremiah Donati and I have agreed that the baseball program will be better served with new leadership. I take full responsibility for the win/loss record of the baseball program over the 80 games I have served as head coach.

When Ray Tanner invited me to come out of three years of retirement to coach again, my goal was to work with young people again and restore the South Carolina program to greatness with a return to Omaha. My staff and I have worked diligently in an attempt to accomplish that goal. Unfortunately, that goal has not materialized as quickly as I would have liked and will take more time than I had anticipated and that is time that I just don’t have at my age.

I want to make it clear that Ray Tanner, Jeremiah Donati, President Amiridis, and the university leadership have supported me and the baseball program throughout my tenure. In short, I did not get the job done at a level that I expected, or the university deserves.

As I go into retirement again (and for the final time), I reflect on how fortunate I have been to do what I Iove most – coaching college baseball and trying to impact young lives – for more than 40 years at five wonderful institutions. St. Thomas University, the United States Air Force Academy, the University of Notre Dame, LSU, and the University of South Carolina, will always hold a special place in my heart. The young men that I have had the honor to coach will always be foremost in my thoughts. It is my hope that their success in life and contributions to society will be my lasting legacy.

It is time for me to rejoin my family and be the best husband, father, and grandfather that I can be.

-Paul Mainieri

Statement from Jeremiah Donati

After a conversation this morning with Coach Mainieri, we agreed that it would be in the best interest of the program that we part ways at this time. I appreciate everything Paul has poured into our student-athletes and our program, not just at South Carolina, but throughout his career. He is a Hall of Fame coach and a world-class individual, and we wish him and his family all the best.

-Jeremiah Donati

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