The sports world might be locked in to March Madness these days, but we had some huge news out of college baseball on Saturday.
Just hours after the Gamecocks saw a 22-6 defeat at home to Arkansas on Friday night, South Carolina head baseball coach Paul Mainieri announced he was stepping down, effective immediately. The news was first reported by On3's Jack Veltri.
Mainieri was hired by South Carolina after he retired for three seasons as one of the winningest coaches in college baseball history, racking up 1,545 career wins. He led LSU to a College World Series Championship in 2009, and led the Tigers to another three CWS appearances, as well as 10 total SEC regular season and tournament championships.
Mainieri released the following statement on Saturday afternoon:
"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.Mainieri official statement
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.
"
South Carolina's home defeat to Arkansas on Friday evening resulted in a run-rule, and it as the second-most runs recorded in an SEC game. The Razorbacks' bats hit four runs in the top of the first inning and added three more in the second. Two more runs scored in the third with eight more in the fourth before another five combined in the fifth and sixth inning. Gamecock starting pitcher Josh Gunther finished with nine earned runs on six hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings.
"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," South Carolina AD Jeremiah Donati added in a statement. "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."
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Although he was hired to take the Gamecocks back to Omaha for the first time since 2012, Mainieri went 28-29 last season with a 6-24 mark in SEC play, and the Gamecocks started this season 12-9 with an 0-3 mark in conference play.
South Carolina assistant Monte Lee, who has been in Columbia since 2022, will take over the head coaching duties for the rest of the season.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.